Frugal Friday | Inexpensive gifts

If you have a nice photograph like the one above why not print it out and frame it in a nice frame, gift wrap it in nice wrapping paper and it will make a welcome present. They have nice frames in Poundland.

Postcard sized photos in an album can make good  presents too, especially if they are copies of nostalgic photographs. I have a printer that copies postcard sized photos and I have lots of old postcards and some very old family photos that I could do something with. A very personal gift like that can be combined with something else if you want to spend more. I saw the photo paper in Poundland too;  A4 pictures (framed) and postcard sized pictures would go down well if you choose the subject with thought and care. You can even personalise the picture with a little text if you have Publisher on you computer.

Is Hansel and Gretel too old fashioned for today’s children; there is a lesson to be learned from the story. It’s a nice book and the normal price of £4.99 has been reduced to a £1 in Poundland. A cheap gift is a box of After Eights from Poundland; but you could buy two and get one free! The thermal hats and gloves in Poundland are suitable presents too; we all feel the cold.

They also have things like stereo headphones and a photo frame mouse mat at Poundland. You can get your Christmas cards there too.  They even have a FM stereo radio for £1. Why not go foraging in Poundland for bargains?

Supermarkets

It’s worth checking out supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi for gift ideas. They have lots of unusual beers in Lidl and some in Aldi that might make a interesting present if they are gift wrapped. They have lots of chocolates in Lidl too, I had a box of Liqueurs last week for Christmas. You will also find scarves, gloves and hats in some supermarkets and they are acceptable presents at this time of the year. I’ll be getting some gift vouchers in the supermarket then they can go choose their own present after Christmas.

Energy saving

I put some petrol in my car this week and set the milometer to zero. I want to check how many miles to a litre I’m getting. I can get 7 miles to a litre on a run and 5 around town. Can I do better? I hope so, by planning journeys better. I drive frugally now but occasionally accelerate too fast so I’ll try harder. It’s getting colder now and you can save on heating by closing curtains as soon as it gets dark. I don’t heat rooms I’m not in either and have internal as well as external draught proofing. If you wear a good sweater, you feel warm and can turn the thermostat down on the heating. This also makes breathing easier because the air isn’t so dry and so you’re more comfortable and saving money! I use my oven more now too and that heats the kitchen when I’m cooking. A good diet will also help you keep warm; you need enough protein, carbohydrate and fat. Home made soups, casseroles and stews are great in winter, they are frugal, warming comfort foods. Serve them with toasted bread!

I will keep looking for gift ideas right up until Christmas and if you have an idea, please comment! There are more inspiring blogs on the Home Page.

Since I wrote this blog, I have decided to print out some of my photographs, I don’t usually bother; I share them on Facebook. I need some to show people offline and so I will go extravagant and put new cartridges in my printer! I’ll let you know next week  if it turns out worthwhile. You can share photos on Facebook and Windows Live SkyDrive with friends and family; it’s cheaper than printing them…

 

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