Want to help your children save money and enjoy the season? Family time can be productive by hand making Christmas gifts together. We have all received the awesome gift of a plaid tie or vanilla candle which is appreciated, but lacks a personal touch. Why not take a little time while your children are out of school for Christmas break to mess up the kitchen and make your gifts? In years past, our family made many gifts for those who we would like to receive a little something. In our family alone, we have six teachers and between my husband and I there are 27 co-workers to purchase for, we can’t afford to go out and buy everyone a $10-$15 gift. Doing so would mean spending nearly $500 for those small gifts.
What can you make? Fresh-baked cookies are a wonderful option, but would be stale by Christmas if they are made over early. You would need to make those over Christmas break. There are many other options, such as candy, jams, and even pickled garlic. One year, our family made hot chocolate mix for everyone. Jelly jars filled with powdered milk, cocoa, and marshmallows were a great, well-received gift and only cost $1.75 each. This was much more economical, ($58 compared to $495). We decorated our jars with a little bit of material and tied a nice bow. You could even combine your ingredients in a zipper bag and place in a mug for the gift. Your imagination is the limit.
4-H teaches youth to shop responsibly with our Consumer Decision curriculum. This February, Santa Rosa County 4-H will be offering Friday Night Finance class. Every Friday night in February, 2015, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., youth will learn budgeting, how to balance a bank account, how to deal with emergency expenses and how to make educated shopping choices. We will even teach them how to cook on a budget. This class is open to all youth ages 10-18. To register for Friday Night Finance, go to Eventbrite.com
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/februarys-friday-night-finance-class-tickets-13903097539
For more information about Friday Night Finance or 4-H, please contact Prudence Caskey at 623-3868 or email at prudencecaskey@ufl.edu.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Frugal homemade Christmas gifts keep costs down