Frugal Gift Basket: Romance at Home

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

17 Dec 2006 07:08 AM

I love making and giving (and receiving) homemade gift baskets. They are fun and frugal. Gift baskets can be individually customized to the recipient, which makes for a very thoughtful gift. Alternatively, gift baskets can be created to make money. I know at least three moms who have turned making gift baskets into a work-at-home business.

Right now, since it is so close to Christmas, one of our local craft stores is doing a special on baskets. They are priced at two baskets for $7 and come in all shapes and sizes. That is a great deal, considering that a small gift bag bought at the card store, and only about the size to hold a small book, costs $2.39. And that is without a gift inside of it.

One gift basket I am making for some dear friends is all about romance at home. Our friends have four young children, so getting time as a couple is challenging for them. The cost for our friends to go out alone somewhere to dinner or a movie is pretty high, especially once you factor in the price of baby sitters, so they seldom leave the house for a date night.

Our friends do have a gorgeous fireplace, so I thought I would use that as a central theme for their basket and create something they could use to connect at home once the kids are in bed.

This is what I put in the basket:

• A pretty little tablecloth that I also used to line the basket.
• Homemade fire-starters. I used pinecones (free) and dipped them in paraffin wax (free from white candle ends) and then sawdust (also free)
• Two pretty snowman mugs (two for $1 from the discount store)
• Homemade hot chocolate (pennies)
• S'mores ingredients: Graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars
• Two marshmallow sticks. I wrapped pretty fabric and ribbon tightly around the bottom of found twigs
• A CD of romantic piano music ($1 at the discount store)

Does anyone create gift baskets? I would love to hear your ideas.

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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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