If you are trying to navigate the holiday season on a tight budget this year, you are not alone. Many people, parents of toddlers included, are looking for ways to make merry for less. Whether your desire to cut back on spending is motivated by necessity or simply a desire to live a little more simply, here are some ideas that you might want to use this year.
For your toddler, here are a few ideas. One thing that you can do is to round up any old, broken crayons that are lying around. Home made “crazy crayons”, made from pieces of old, broken crayons turn something old into something new. You can find directions online, and it does not take much time. Your toddler could even put some in a nice bag or box, wrap them up with a pad of paper or coloring book, and give them to a friend or at a gift swap. You can also make home made play dough, and even sidewalk chalk. Again, a quick search of Google can point you in the right direction. Books are a wonderful, low cost gift and if you go to a thrift store or somewhere that sells used books, you can wrap up a nice stack of them with a beautiful bow for very little money.
There are also some great gifts that your toddler can help you to make and give to others. Dough ornaments are a classic example. You can find recipes all over the internet, and the easy to make and fun to decorate ornaments are sure to be a hit with family members. Just make sure to emphasize to your toddler that the dough is inedible, and wear aprons or messy clothes while decorating them. Depending upon your child’s age and how they behave in the kitchen, they could help you fill giftable jars full of mixes for cookies, brownies, soups, and other things. Fizzy “bath bombs”, soaps, and even body scrubs are another fun gift to make and give.