All posts in Gifts That Won’t Break the Bank

wine bottle cork reindeer homemade ornament a kid made

Homemade Ornaments to Make and Give (Day 12), 12 Days of Shopping

DIY Ornaments to Make with Your Kids

I am not especially good at crafts. I never seem to have all the items to make a specific craft and I gravitate towards open ended art. This holiday season, I’m going to provide my kids with raw materials as well as images for inspiration to see what they come up with. I bought construction paper, glitter, glue, googly eyes, craft sticks and fancy pipe cleaners. Read more…

Whole Foods gifts, exotic spices

Quick Gifts from Whole Foods (Day 11), 12 Days of Shopping

Whole Foods for Great Quick Gifts

I usually zip in and out of Whole Foods with my cart of food so I don’t always notice their other great stuff. I went today with just my camera — no wallet  and no shopping list — and I was AMAZED to find that you can almost do your entire holiday gift shopping there. It’s a great option if you are pressed for time or want to combine gift shopping with grocery shopping.

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make your own catnip mouse, diy catnip mouse

DIY Gifts for Cats (Day 10), 12 Days of Shopping

Homemade Gifts for Cats That Kids Can Make!

Capability:Mom has great ideas on gifts for dogs and I’ve researched cat gifts on my post last year. I thought I’d find homemade cat gifts this year so I researched exhaustively on Pinterest. Read more…

Tommy Bahama reversible half zip sweatshirt for men

Gifts for Husband & Wife (Day 9), 12 Days of Shopping

Gift Ideas for Men, My Husband in Particular

My husband, like most men, is difficult to shop for. If I buy him something he doesn’t like, he claims to like it but it will sit unused in a corner or the back of the closet until it’s time to purge. I’d rather he’d ‘fess up so I could return it and save the money. This year, I am doing something different. I am asking him. No surprises. This might be the way to go.  Read more…

gifts for those who help you mail man mailman letter carrier

Gifts for Letter Carrier and Others Who Help You (Day 8)

Gifts for Mail Carrier to Cleaning Person

The first step is to make a list of everyone who helps you. Our list gets shorter and shorter as the years go by and we no longer have a regular babysitter and have eliminated our newspaper in favor of online publications. Still, there is always the sanitation engineer and the letter carrier. We have a super nice letter carrier who really puts in extra effort to sort out packages that need signatures but I’m not home, and will also ask for our outgoing mail. I want to do something nice for him this year! Read more…

Feed Godiva Chocolates

Gifts that Do Good (Day 7), 12 Days of Shopping

Gifts that Help Others

We are adding on to our Do Good and Hostess gift ideas from last year. I love the idea of gifts that give back. The idea that what we do and that how we spend our money can impact the world is a message that is powerful and makes holiday gift giving a little more meaningful. What is great is that the gifts can also be at the top of anyone’s wish list! Godiva Chocolates! Ornaments! A pretty coin purse!

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ear bud holder, The Container Store

High Tech Gifts (Day 6), 12 Days of Shopping

High Tech Gifts for Moms, Dads and Kids

My post for high tech gifts from last year includes the Kindle Fire and iPhone and iPad cases. Capability:Mom has low tech gift ideas as well. Read more…

notecards for teacher gift,

Tutors and Teachers Gifts (Day 5), 12 Days of Shopping

Gifts for Teachers and Tutors

We are not supposed to give a gift to our teachers at our public elementary school but, shh!, I always do. Discretion is important as is a low-key but thoughtful gift. Capability:Mom has more ideas for teacher and tutor gifts too! Read more…

vintage teacup candles

Gifts for Mother in Laws (Day 4), 12 Days of Shopping

Gift Ideas for Mother-in-Law (MIL) and Father-in-Law (FIL)

My mother-in-law, like my own mother, is easy to shop for because they are both became artists after they retired and are quite talented and even selling their work and/or getting commissions! Gifting around a hobby is always an easy option but … what if your in laws don’t have hobbies that lend themselves to gifts?  Read more…