Great gifts are not always the ones that cost an arm and a leg. You can still give a cherished gift wile on a budget!

Create holiday gifts. Most people would appreciate a gift that someone put time and effort into and personally make for them as opposed to something purchased at the mall. With an investment of just a few dollars for ingredients or materials and some basic skills you could:

* Use your cooking skills to bake some holiday themed cookies.
* Use your knitting talent to create a scarf, mittens, or a hat.
* Use your scrap booking skills to make an album of special photos.
* Use your craft talents to make a holiday wreath.
* Use your handyman skills to complete household repairs for someone.

Some simple ideas that don’t require a lot of talent and allow you to stretch individual packages of items amongst several gift recipients would be:

* Get some inexpensive decorative tins from a Dollar store or discount store and divide packages of store bought cookies to fill them.
* Buy some mason jars with screw-on lids and fill them with ingredients to make a batch of tasty cookies. Print the recipe out on a gift tag or index card and tie on with a ribbon.
* Wrap some chocolates in colored plastic wrap (usually available around the holidays) and tie with a festive ribbon and a candy cane.

The possibilities for low-budget gift giving are endless if you have a hobby or basic skill that you are willing to share with others.