Christmas is coming and although the goose is getting fat, as we get closer to the festive day, the wallet is getting depressingly thin.
Maybe I have got a touch of the Bah Humbugs about me, but rather than blowing your money on tacky decorations and token Christmas presents that will probably be out of date by Epiphany, save your money and make them instead.
In addition to the fact that they cost very little, the following three frugal Christmas ideas are fun to make and are in the true spirit of Christmas – think frugally festive Bob Cratchit rather than mean old Scrooge.
Frugal Christmas idea 1
Crochet snowflakes from recycled plastic bags
Crochet snowflake Christmas Tree decorations are beautiful and environmentally friendly too.
First, you need to prepare your plastic bags, by laying them flat and cutting them into continuous strips. Once this is done then roll them into balls and use your plastic ‘yarn’ to crochet the snowflakes.
For full details and the crochet pattern check out my blog page on this https://travelswithmyart.com/2017/12/11/crochet-snowflakes-from-plastic-bags/
Frugal Christmas idea 2
Homemade Preserves
One of my favourite presents to give is homemade jams, preserves and chutneys. They are delicious, last well beyond Christmas and if you present them with a fabric material top and a ribbon they can look really aesthetically pleasing too.
Making preserves, including jams, is quite easy and because they are homemade they are free of additives and chemicals.
Here are some basic tips for making preserves
- Wash and prepare fruits, by peeling or removing stones.
- For each cup of fruit, you should add approximately ¾ cup of sugar and add lemon juice if the fruit is particularly ripe.
- Ensure you stir your jam often for about 15 – 30 minutes
- To check if your jam or preserve is done, put a teaspoonful onto a small plate and see if it holds its shape – if it does, then you are done
- Put into clean and sterilized jars, label them, add a cloth material top and tie it with a ribbon.
Frugal Christmas idea 3
Popcorn Garlands
These are perfect for festooning the Christmas tree as an alternative to tinsel and, once again, are environmentally friendly too.
You will need popping corn, saucepan or microwave, oil, needle and thread, silver or gold spray paint (optional). Once you’ve popped your popcorn, let it cool, then tread it using a needle. You can make the garlands as long as you like, but you will find that if they are too long they can snap.
Which of these will you try this year? Whatever you do, have yourself a merry, and frugal little Christmas.
Thanks to Ali Dunnell for sharing this post with us today. I honestly love all three ideas she’s shared with us. I haven’t tried the popcorn garland nor the crocet plastic yet, so these will have to be added to my personal frugal little Christmas list. Please do check out her blog on Travels With my art.
Ali Dunnell is an artist, photographer and teacher who travels the world recording images of people and life in sketchbooks, canvases and online. Never without a camera or pen and paper, Ali uses her day-to-day experiences and travel journals as inspiration for her artwork. She is currently living in Nairobi, Kenya, with her husband and three children, where she is developing her portfolio as a freelance artist.
I love these ideas! The popcorn one is my favorite!
Little Miss Fire
LittleMissFire
I remember doing the popcorn when I was a child, also stringing cranberries.
These are great ideas! I especially love the popcorn garland. My kids would have a blast with that.
Wonderful ideas! At the same time easy to make.
I love the homemade jam idea! I’ll have to give that a try!
Loved the homemade marmalade idea! It is original, homemade, easy to make, and also very useful…thank you
You’re so welcome
Frugal Christmas idea 3 This is the Best Idea ..
Great idea
Awesome ideas for a “frugal Christmas”. Very inspiring.
These are such simple but beautiful ideas!
I love popcorn garland! Preserves is a really good idea too. Great post!
Love the popcorn garlands! Definitely a tradition we need to start!
Very Innovative! Merry Christmas in advance.
I’ve been meaning to do homemade jams! All of these mason jars with nothing in them! Thanks for the recipe!
We love making chatni and jams at home..and the popcorn Garland idea is just awesome..
Great ideas for frugal way of living. They would make pretty good presents too.
Love this ideas especially popcorn. Hubby always makes great popcorn as my entire 31st year in this world I made popcorn once, and it wasn’t so bad 😉
These are some really creative and innovative ideas. Will be trying them out for next Christmas.
I love the idea of making homemade preserves. I’ve never tried before but that sounds so easy!
I am totally with you on this- the expensive decorations and gifts will never mean more than a homemade version of the same thing. Love these ideas and, even though Christmas is now over, will definitely think of ways to be more intentional about spending in the new year.
We used to make popcorn garlands growing up. We did it every Christmas. I miss that and should do it next year.
Homemade preserves is such a great idea! This last year I had a garden for the first time and grew all sorts of things. I don’t have berries (yet), but I could do something like homemade salsa!
this was a frugal christmas and yet it was one of the best as far as gifts go. That was because everyone tried to make sure that what we did give as gifts those that would get it would love it