Shopper's Guide: Creative Gifts under 10$

Tips for buying cheap gifts that are still nice and will be appreciated by friends and family alike.

More and more families are finding themselves adhering to a strict budget come the holiday season. If you have certain people you feel you must give some token of your affection to—there are quick, inexpensive gifts you can put together yourself. All it takes is a little effort and thought.

Tea Lover’s Gift: So many people today love tea. Of course this gift could be given to a coffee lover too, substituting a small pouch of flavored coffee instead of tea. All of your discount stores carry large varieties of oversized mugs. Get an oversized mug you think your recipient would enjoy most. Next you’ll need a box of quality tea—either herbal or a good Earl Grey or English Breakfast. A nice box of gourmet tea biscuits are available at most of the large grocery store chains for under three dollars. Throw in a chocolate coated spoon (also usually available in the gourmet section) and you have a tea (or coffee) lover’s delight.

Cooking Enthusiasts Gift: A nice plastic colander can be had at any dollar or discount store. Put in a box of pasta (nice shapes or colors work best), a spaghetti spoon, a jar of gourmet sauce (under three dollars), and a nice spice or parmesan to sprinkle on top gives you the pasta lover’s gift. (You can substitute any kind of cooking by making a bakers’ gift with a cookie or muffin tin, colored sprinkles, a brownie mix or any other thing your heart desires.)

The Handy Man Gift: A variety of small doodads from the hardware department will please any mister fix-it. Put a measuring tape, level, small nails, screws or any "hot new item" for the workbench into a paint bucket (the buckets run about a dollar) and the latest issue of Handy Man Magazine or any Home Repair booklet. The Handy Man in your family will love a bucket of new gadgets.

The Gardener Gift: A beautiful hand painted pot doesn’t cost much, especially if you can do it yourself. Otherwise, they’ll run you about three to five dollars. Throw in a packet of wild flower seeds (just makes you think about spring in the cold winter months!), gardening gloves and a spade and voila! A great gift for the green thumb on your list.

The Bookworm Gift: The hottest paperback (30% off list price at most major discount stores), a lovely bookmark, and an itty bitty reading light all thrown into a nice cloth bag (available in most craft departments starting at about two dollars) will keep your family book worm happy on the next frigid day they have to be stuck indoors!

These are just a few of the basics. A gift box, basket, or bag can be made up for just about any kind of enthusiast. With a little imagination, affection and thought you can make a perfect, inexpensive gift for your loved one or friend to show how much you think of them!