My number one go-to most favorite best gift is a framed photograph. (How'd you like that sentence?) I find that close friends and family almost always love a framed photograph of you, them, you and them, or what have you. This year everyone in my family is getting framed wedding photos, and they're going to like it. (I hope!)
How do you do this frugally? Well, the main two things you need are photo prints and frames.
Step 1. For a great deal on photo prints, I almost always use
snapfish.com. I have gotten 4x6 prints here for as little as $0.01 each, or about $0.03 each with shipping. THAT IS SO CHEAP! We're talking 100 prints for as little as $3.00. Their regular price per 4x6 is $0.09 but I have found they are almost always offering some kind of special. I have signed up on their site, so they send me deals and coupons all the time. You can also get coupon codes from
retailmenot.com . (Also if you do any other shopping online, you should really check there to see if there is a coupon available before you buy.)
Or, if you'd rather get your prints in-person somewhere,
Walgreens does 4x6 photos for $0.19 each. (Not nearly so frugal... but still an inexpensive gift.)
Step 2. So now you've got your prints, and you need inexpensive frames. You could go to Michael's or Target or somewhere, and buy cheap $5.00 frames. However, these frames will look like cheap $5.00 frames. My tactic is to buy used high quality frames for cheap a
t a local Lawrence thrift store. I don't believe I've ever paid more than $1.00 for a frame, and often much less. Also check for frames at rummage sales and the like- I frequently find brand-new frames at garage sales for $0.50. Sometimes used frames are perfect just the way they are, but sometimes they have chipped finish, or are generally banged-up. So long as the glass is not damaged, and the frame is still structurally sound, it is easy to fix up an old frame. Just take out the glass and
spray-paint it! (That link goes to a really great tutorial, if you need guidance.) I usually go with classic black or gold when I paint them, but you can go wild and do any kind of crazy color you want.
Bonus Step. If you really want to get fancy, you could use a mat. Getting mats cut at a frame-shop or craft store is pretty expensive, so I would not recommend that. The best solutions I've found for mats (besides cutting my own mats... I'm not quite there yet) is to
buy pre-cut mats in bulk online, or to do what I call a "modern mat" (best for smaller pictures/frames) and use a solid piece of matting or paper and tape the photo on top of it. The example I've included is a picture of my grandma and her dog, in a frame I bought at a thrift store and painted, and did a "modern mat" on light blue paper that I had in my paper scraps.
The mats have been the most tricky part for me. Anyone have a good source for inexpensive mats in Lawrence? Anyone else the "picture giver" in their family?
Easy microwave fudge: I used this recipe after I tried to make fudge the not-easy way that involves candy thermometers and soft balls (?). I ended up with chocolate soup. This recipes from Cooks.com is much, much easier, and IS DELICIOUS.
I have recently been reminded of the glory of Dollar Tree (27th & Iowa) after a visit last weekend. I found a lot of great stuff there, including dried & fake flower bundles (lookit my centerpiece!), nice crackers, gourmet hot sauce, and great-looking metallic fabric placemats. All priced at $1! So I was able to get a dozen great placemats for Thanksgiving for $12 (cheaper than making them myself), plus 3 bundles of dried and fake flowers that I used for my centerpiece. (The vase is one I inherited from my Grandma Velma.)
Readers, I confess that I bought a turkey yesterday without doing my research, but I was so convinced it was a great deal I just went for it. Now I'll do my due diligence and do the research, for you all! (I wonder if I can return the turkey I bought if I find a better deal... ?)
That being said, I've decided to host a "mini-Thanksgiving" at my house the day after Thanksgiving Day for my close relatives that I won't see on Thanksgiving Day (since I will be seeing other relatives). I would like to publicly thank my husband for agreeing to this most exciting and possibly disastrous undertaking. This will be our first Thanksgiving as married people, and what could be more grand than hosting our own (mini) Thanksgiving meal at our own house?
The first is Mint.com. I have been using this (free, of course) tool for a few months now. The purpose of this tool is to track your money- bank accounts, loans, credit cards, etc. What is cool about it is is that it breaks it down into categories (Groceries, Mortgage/Rent, Clothing, Hobbies, Travel, Coffeeshops, Restaurants, etc.) so you can see EXACTLY where your money goes. I really had no idea how much I was spending on clothes! This type of tracking is really key if you are trying to lower your spending. I was really focused on our grocery bill, which is good, but not that helpful if a bunch of money is being spent on clothes & other non-necessities. Mint is also helpful because you can set budgets & goals. I really like this because I like to see the charts and graphs fill up. It makes it more like a game for me (a self-proclaimed videgame nerd.) One note: if you don't feel comfortable using Mint.com, I know that many banks offer a similar tool- I know Meritrust Credit Union (where I bank) has one.
The other website is Saveup.com, (also free) which I just found out about today (on Lifehacker.com, a favorite of mine) and I'm already hooked. Saveup makes a game of saving money- literally. Lifehacker explains it better than I can but the general principle is that you get points for making good financial decisions. For each dollar that you put in your savings account, or that you use to pay off a debt, you get a point. (You link your existing bank/credit accounts so they can be tracked, I've checked into it and believe this is completely safe.) Then you use these points to try to win prizes on Saveup!
One of my very favorite writers on the subject of frugality is Amy Dacyczyn, the author/editor of The Tightwad Gazette. I recently re-read the entirety to The Tightwad Gazette and my "frugal fervor" has been restored. The problem is that Amy retired in 1996, and while the ideas in the Gazette stand true, many of the tips and details have become outdated (and were originally somewhat localized to Maine). 
