Frugal Gift Basket: Mystery in the Evening

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

20 Dec 2006 09:30 PM

I can't say enough about homemade gift baskets. They are a frugal way to give something really special. In an earlier blog, Frugal Gift Basket: Romance at Home, I mentioned a great pricing deal I got on wooden woven baskets. Finding the really nice baskets for such a low price has inspired me to put together a few different gift baskets for some very special people this holiday.

As you can tell, I like naming my gift baskets by theme. I call this latest one: Mystery in The Evening.

A friend of mine (I won't say who she is because she may be reading this) loves a good mystery book. She is a whiz at following the clues and solving the stories before the end of the book, and often hosts her own mystery parties. So, I thought a nice gift would be one that would allow her to curl up on the couch, after her son is in bed and the house is quiet, to immerse herself in reading.

I used the largest basket I could find for this gift. Into her gift basket I put the following:

• Ten paperback mysteries ($1.00 from the sale rack of the local library. All were in excellent shape and current reads. The library just had too many duplicate books thanks to donations).
• A question mark mug (.50 cents at the discount store for a plain white mug. I painted one large question mark and several smaller question marks to fit the mystery theme.
• A box of herbal tea (This came from my own stockpile. The tea cost me .25 for the entire box, after combining coupons and sales).
• A handmade fleece throw ($3.00 in material at the fabric store).
• A pretty paper and pen set to jot down ideas and notes on "whodunit." (.50 at the discount store).
• A pair of cozy socks (.50 cents at the discount store. I bought them in red and then cross stitched a small question mark on each sock's outer ankle).
• A magnifying glass ($1.00 at the discount store).

Related Articles:

Frugal Gift Basket: Romance at Home

Family Activities: Building Fun Baskets for Teachers

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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