The time pressure makes this inappropriate, but something I've started doing for christmas time gifts is making jarred apple pie filling. It's always a big hit, and has also become a much-loved fall tradition to visit a local orchard to collect the apples and pears.
this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2025
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Baked goods.
Everyone loves baked goods.
One-upping this. Learning to make bread even before the pandemic hit made me become regarded as a demi-god by anyone that had the opportunity to taste my sourdough or learn from me to make even just scones.
Agreed. The year my sister lost her job, she made me a basket of gingerbread for Christmas. I enjoyed that so much more than anything she spent money on.
I still ask for gingerbread for Christmas, but now it's mostly because she gets grumpy about having to bake and it's funny.
They're baked greats
yeah, my mind went to food - cook or bake something special 😄
I'd say my method is more "cheap" than "frugal" but I'll usually coordinate with someone else (e.g. find out what they're getting as a gift) and then buy accessories for that gift. e.g. They buy a game, I buy the expansion pack.
One time I gave my nephew two 20 packs of AA batteries for all the toys everyone else got him 😆
This is a great idea!
Are you looking for something your friend would find frugal? I love Citric Acid crystals. You can buy a large tub for $10 that lasts years. You use it instead of vinegar for cleaning. Battery leaked in device and made a mess? A teaspoon of citric acid mixed with half a cup warm water will make a weak acid that will clean out the battery contacts instantly without damage. Need to descale a brewer? Citric Acid works better with no smell compared to vinegar. Rusty tool? Plastic bin water, citric acid, soak overnight.
And because it's food safe citric acid, you can pour it down the drain when done.
haven't thought about anything like this at all, that's a great idea (for an adult) that is really frugal
Wildflower seeds! Bonus if they’re native to the state/area. Packets cost a couple bucks. Add a small terra cotta pot for another couple bucks, or DIY some seed bombs and wrap them in a piece of fabric cut from a shirt/sheet/whatever you are considering discarding anyway, tying with a contrasting color of thin fabric.
For the kid in your family, I would suggest researching the wildflowers native to their area, and writing out or printing directions for them to make the seed bombs themselves. Maybe giving parents of said kid $10 to purchase soil for the project.
Excellent.
love this 😍
Dunno if age appropriate but I like to give knives when possible.
These are the most absurdly competent $10 tool you can buy if you can stomach the source (wally world):
I have a drawer-full and they make a great (cheap) “I was thinking of you” token.
Thrift store finds are fun
A nice wood/bamboo dish scrubber brush, or similar item(s) that is usually plastic but used every day.
Is there a skill they'd want to learn that you could teach? Bring over some flour and teach them to make bread, something like that?
Or just a hard drive full of stuff they might like, if that's more your bag.
Scour the little free libraries in your area
Hop on socials and hit up your local Buy Nothing networks
Go through your own things and hind something in good condition to pass on ( books, toys )
Make mix CD of songs you think they'll like, but but some work into this if you do
Space cake