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12.13.2010

15 Gift Ideas Under $2

Last week a friend and I put together 15 small door prizes for our Church Christmas Party.   Many of the ideas came from this link--103 Neighbor Gift Ideas, but the platter is my friends original idea.  Now keep in mind that some of the prizes (like the platter) were chosen simply to get a laugh and entertain the crowd, but your neighbors and friends might find them to be entertaining too!   

You can find the printable tags we used at Jones Design Company.  There are several colors and designs.

 
 {Muffin mix}  You're gettin' 'MUFFIN' for Christmas!

 
{Rootbeer} We're 'ROOTING' for you to have a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!

 {Candle(s)} May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Christmas merry and the New Year bright! 

 
{Cows candy} Don't Have A 'COW', have a Merry Christmas!

{Microwave Popcorn} May your Holiday's be 'POPPIN'!

 
{Snickers Candy Bars in a Whisk} We 'WHISK' we could do more, but don't 'SNICKER', just be glad you got something!

 
 {Calendar} Keep Chrismas in your heart the 'WHOLE YEAR' through.

 
 {Platter}  When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed and tripped on this 'platter'!  Merry Christmas!

{Soda}  I'd 'SODA' like to wish you a Merry Christmas!

 
 {Strainer} We couldn't 'RESTRAIN' ourselves from wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

{Hershey's kisses in a whisk} We 'WHISK' you a Merry 'KISSmas'!
 
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{Scrubber brush} Time to ring out the old and bring in the new...might as well start with the scrubber brush!

 
{Fudge brownie mix} 'FUDGE' a little on the calories and enjoy the Holiday Season!

{Hot chocolate mix} Wishing you a 'WARM' and wonderful Christmas!

 
I used this next idea a couple of years ago for my neighbors and friends.

 
This Christmas you deserve the best...
...a present unlike all the rest.
We considered a new car or exotic cruise,
but decided on something you could really use!
Finally we found a gift to admire,
we hope you like your new washer and dryer!
Happy Holidays!

 
(by Joyce Hicks)

 
{Dish Towel and Dish Cloth}

Today's Fabulous Find...15 Gift Ideas Under $2!

Also, I entered my Game Night In A Bag gift idea in Andy's Neighbor/Teacher Gift Contest at Poppies at Play and was named Queen of Gifts for the the day!  How exciting is that...a queen!   I'm wondering if this title gives me the right to take the day off...wouldn't my kids be thrilled! :)


Along with the title, I was given my pick of vinyl from her shop.  Thanks Andy!  If you're looking for vinyl, she has some fun choices.  For more gift ideas check out the other entry's in the contest over at Poppies at Play.  Andy has a contest for every week in December, so be sure to go enter.  

It's your turn now, what fabulous gifts have you given that cost under $2? 



Pin It!

76 comments:

Karen said...

I love all those ideas! I loved your game night in a bag as well! Your blog is awesome! I love all your ideas....

farmhouse-story said...

these are all so creative and fun! tfs, janet:) your game night in a bag is awesome-congrats on your win!

Gremma said...

I loved the platter one! You have the most amazing blog!

Jamiecrafts said...

these are GREAT! I love them all TFS :)

Danielle @ The Mad Ryno House said...

these are so amazingly awesome. thanks for sharing.

Kristen B. said...

I got the wrapping paper rolls from Target in the dollar section. Added a cute tag that said "May You Holidays be wrapped with Joy!" This is what I am giving out this year for my neighbor gifts. It was a hit last year so I am keeping with the idea this year.

Janet said...

In Reply to Kristen B: I absolutely love this idea for so many reasons! 1. The giver could deliver the gifts early in the month and not have the extra stress near Christmas, 2. The receiver could actually use it, and 3. It's very afordable for giving multiple gifts. Thanks for sharing your fabulous idea, I'm remembering this one. :)

Amy Watson said...

I love the "whisk" ideas! In fact, I like all of theses ideas...so I'm linking them! Thank you!

Anneka said...

Cute ideas! Love them! My favorite one we've gotten was rootbeer and a can of beans. "Have a 'rootin' 'tootin' Christmas." SO funny!

Janet said...

To Anneka: Too funny! Thanks for the idea. :)

April Tata said...

Im loving the 'Washer and drier' combo.. haha its awesome..
Funny you know how i stumble on all these wonderful pages only to find most of the are from clever LDS members.. like minded people :) thanks a heap

Skye McLain said...

These are all SOO cute and I love them! I am definitely doing some for Christmas this year. Thanks for sharing! :)

Jamie said...

These are great ideas! I just featured them on my blog: http://jamespurejoy.blogspot.com/2011/10/gifts-for-aquaintances.html and the same thing here: http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/2011/10/gifts-for-aquaintances.html

Anonymous said...

Wow great ideas! Just pinned it to pinterest (thats where I found it) Thanks.

Bruce said...

I loved this blog , really cool gift ideas
Christmas Gift Ideas 2011

Des said...

Great ideas! I just pinned! Will definitely be using them for work buddies! :)

Carol said...

Oh my gosh, LOVE LOVE all the ideas!! I'm thinking of declaring this Christmas only DIY gifts for adult family members!! We'll see how creative we can all get!! You rock!!

Deanna said...

*love* the tags!
I do what I call the 12 days of giving and 12 days before the last day of school I send in something each day for the teachers (past and present). Some things I already have for this year: chalkboard painted thrifted mugs, chalk pens (got cheap on ebay), chalkboard painted thought bubble, bacon chocolate bars (spendy but yummy), Johnsons Buddies soap (was free with coupons), mega bottles of yummy smelling liquid soap (on clearnace and used coupon at ulta), fleece blanket with name on it (got blankets from thriftstore and bartered for embroidery service).

Anonymous said...

A nice selection of clever ideas. A few years ago I helped my grandchildren makes cards for their teachers, principal, librarian, etc. A picture of Santa on the front, inside was a pack of Big Red gum. The inside words were Merry Christmas from (the package of gum, Big Red) and me. Very thrifty to replicate in mass and the teachers etc. enjoyed.

Ila,
ladybug1744@hotmail.com

Ginny @ OrganizingHomelife.com said...

Thanks for the great ideas! I'm definitely going to be using them for gifts this year. I featured the "washer and dryer" and the "wisk you a Merry Christmas" on my blog: http://www.organizinghomelife.com/archives/1048

Unknown said...

I really love your play on words!

Valarie (vampme3) said...

Fantastic ideas!! Thank you all!

Linda A Kinsman said...

I'm so glad I clicked the link to here from Happy Home Fairy. I love these ideas. I'm your newest GFC.
Merry Christmas!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the cute ideas! Just perfect to give the neighbors a smile!

Unknown said...

Too COOL! Our Office Secret Santa starts in a week - this post is right on time! :)

the hatch batch said...

A couple years ago for a teacher gift we did a 2 liter bottle of Sprite with the tag "May your days be merry and 'Sprite'" and a container of Poppycock carmel corn with a tag that said "Thanks for putting up with all the 'Poppycock'!"

Jen said...

cute ideas! thanks for sharing.

Melissa said...

I Love these ideas! Being at my job for 10yrs, it gets kind of hard to find that perfect gift for my co-workers. What a spin on gift giving. I think I'm going to be giving out alot of new washer and dryers this holiday! I might have to get me one too, wink.

Janet said...

To Melissa: The 'washer and dryer' poem really is so fun. I wish I knew who Joyce Ricks was, the lady who wrote it, so I could thank her for it and wonder if she knows how many have benefited from her generosity. I hope your co-workers love their new 'washer and dryers'!

STARDUST said...

Great blog you've got there! Just linked up, followed you and subscribed via email! Love your photo too! lol
Olga
www.stardust-decorstyle.blogspot.com

Melody Gartman said...

Shared this idea with South Alabama Kids Directory fans on Facebook. Thanks for posting!
melody@southalkids.com

Marie said...

Thanks so much for posting these ideas--I posted a link over at my blog, or at least the address for this post, because for some reasons the linking was not an option when I posted. In any case, these are great--thanks for sharing!

Felicia said...

I just have to say a big thank you for your ideas. So cute! Not only did I use it, but had to share a link to this on my blog- http://diy4mommies.blogspot.com/2011/12/diy-christmas-gifts.html

Kimberly said...

Great ideas!
Where did you buy the platter?

Janet said...

Thanks Kimberly, we bought it at Honks $1.00.

Hank Hendricks said...

like all the gifts...really are fantastic gifts.
Send Gifts To Pakistan.

SpareMom said...

These are so clever! Thank you for the ideas!

Unknown said...

These are fabulous. My hubby and I went through reading them and laughing. I may have to use some of these ideas this year!

Anonymous said...

Love, love, love these ideas. Not able to sleep and got a kick out of these. :-)

jeneration f said...

I have a secret santa gift that I always give that is super inexpensive.....I like to give a tube of chapstick and a pack of gum with a note that says, "These will be dandy when the mistletoe is handy!" And who can't use chapstick and gum??

Janet said...

To jeneration f: You're so right, chapstick and gum is a fun idea! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Actually they all seem a little tacky to me!

Anonymous said...

I would be pissed if I got any of these. Not only are we on an organic gluten free, dairy free diet completely free of additive and artificial colours and flavours, but MAINLY because these 'gifts' make the giver seem very cheap and lazy.

Aodhnait said...

Great fun witty gifts! I love!

Anonymous said...

I love it!!! So fun and creative... Definitely shouldn't give it to anyone with a stick up their arse!!! They might find it tacky

Vicki said...

To bad Anonymous does not have a sense of humor. I would love to give you one of these gifts just because you are so pissy!

Anonymous said...

They are a bit corny, yet perfect when you have a large group of people you would like to recognize but don't have a lot of money. I have one child in school and have 9 gifts (secretaries, teachers & specialists)I want them to know they are appreciated. There is not much useful stuff for a couple of bucks, so adding humor is great. Obviously some peoples idea of what Christmas means is a bit off.
Marianne

BizzyMom said...

It says at the top that these are "door prizes" at a church get together - not for your best friends or anything. Some are a bit too corny for me to consider, but some are really cute ideas. Why would anyone complain about ideas they didn't happen to like?

Janet said...

I don't know why it's worth complaining about either.:) I agree 100% that some of them are corny, we actually picked a few really corny ones on purpose for the door prizes. We drew names and passed the prizes out in-between silly Christmas lip sync numbers, so they fit the program really well. There are gifts/prizes here that I would give to someone as a 'thinking of you' at Christmas gift, but there are several that I wouldn't choose to use. They made some great inexpensive prizes though! :)

SheddingtheWaist said...

Haha. Love it

AJ and Abigail's Mommy said...

I made a dry erase board for my husband for our anniversary...you take a picture frame and dry erase markers...The picture frame I got at Walmart for 95 cents, it was cheap, but was a nice frame, took some scrapbook paper that I already had on hand, and the dry erase markers were a set of 2 for less than $2.

Elle said...

I really like some of the ideas. I could use Premium Hot chocolate, Dove chocolates or Lindor truffles or Rochets in the whisk, a bit nicer platter, nicer candles, etc. Very usable ideas and thanks for sharing!

Janet said...

To Elle: That would be nice! We had a total budget of $20 to buy all of these prizes so we had to keep them simple and inexpensive but with a little more cash I agree, these ideas would make a great base to build on.

CMom said...

Thank you for sharing these cute ideas. We're doing Secret Santa at work and our "little" gifts have a limit of $2-$3, so these ideas are perfect. The rhymes that go along with some of them make them more thoughtful too. :) I'm also glad I read through the comments...great extra ideas! And...I will be thankful this Thanksgiving that I do not have to be on an organic, gluten free, dairy free diet, completely free of additive and artificial colours and flavours...because I can totally do without it making me feel grouchy and rude.

Unknown said...

THANK YOU....I'm grateful for all of the ideas! i have searched for hours for gifts that I can give to my friends and loved ones ( aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) that cost under a couple of dollars at most, but that are made with love, thought, and humor. Love the washer and dryer and hot chocolate ideas, wrapping paper too!

**thankyou to the individuals that were negative and rude as well.....I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you get everything you want, need and deserve!

Anonymous said...

These are clever and cute ideas. I am sharing them on My Weekly Rays of Sunshine: http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com/blog/weekly-rays-of-sunshine-4/

Anonymous said...

The one thing I love more than giving, is a good play on words! This is a win/win for all!! Thank you for sharing the great ideas. My office and neighborhood thanks you too! (They just don't it yet...)

Stef H said...

omg! genius! i love them all. i am sooooooooooo glad to find you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

hugs :)

Anonymous said...

I'm with the other anonymous comment or - how awful! Your giving me generic grocery items? Wrapped in tacky plastic? At LEAST Go to enough effort to put it in a jar to make it look cute instead of just a box of brownies. Or maybe even, I don't know - bake them? Maybe as gag gifts at a white elephant it would work, but if this was a legit gift exchange - no way! There are more creative things to do with two dollars than to re- wrap junk food.

Janet said...

To Anonymous: You must have missed where I mentioned that these were small Door Prizes put together on a $15 budget for a Church Christmas Dinner and yes some of them are pretty silly. The brownies weren't baked so that the family receiving them could make them when it was convenient for them, maybe past the Holidays when they weren't already receiving so many treats. We tried to buy as many things as we could so that more families could 'win'. Young children really love to receive gifts, even if they are small and not beautifully packaged. I'd love to hear your creative ideas on gifts under $2. Maybe we can use them next time. :)

Anonymous said...

these are such a great idea. you are very creative. i love the humor in these. i will deffintly use the wisk, and washer an dryer one. so cute.

Anonymous said...

Super fun, cute and creative! To all those people leaving negative comments....Why bother? It seems like such a waste of your time and of everyone else's time! If you don't like the ideas then move on and find something you do like. Christmas isn't all about who can give the best gift, it is about sharing joy with loved ones and friends! I feel sorry for those of you who have forgotten that! Janet, you have done a wonderful job and I love your ideas! As you stated yourself, some of them are a bit corny, but some of them are really cute! People just need to learn to appreciate joy, humor and the fact that someone even cares enough to give a gift! Kudos to you for being so creative!

Janet said...

(Oops, meant to say on a $20 budget.)

To Anonymous: Thank you! I can't take credit for all of the ideas though, the majority of the sayings came from the post that I linked to, we just had fun putting them together. :)

Char said...

I love these ideas! They are just what I needed. I'll be using all of your ideas for prizes at our office Christmas party. The gifts don't have to be cheap. Depending on your budget, you can use the same idea. I'm giving the muffin mix & the brownie mix with a baking pan, a beautiful xmas candle with a candle holder. I don't know why anyone would knock your ideas, they're great. Thank you.

Janet said...

Thanks Char.:) Those sound like nice gifts, I'm sure they will love them!

tamarasw said...

I think it'sad that you would be so negative about any gift you receive. I hope you don't shun your children's handmade gifts.

tamarasw said...

I think it'sad that you would be so negative about any gift you receive. I hope you don't shun your children's handmade gifts.

ponytail said...

Anonymous 1 & Anonymous 2...Jerk, Jerk! Shallow, Shallow!

ponytail said...

Anonymous 1 & Anonymous 2...Jerk, Jerk! Shallow, Shallow!

myshelss said...

I LOVE these ideas! This Christmas is a VERY lean one. Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas.
Any ideas on wording/packaging of spring flower bulbs?

Janet said...

To myshelss: You're welcome. :) I LOVE the idea of giving Spring bulbs! I've been thinking about a tag idea...what about using a quote from the Secret Garden and relating it to Christ's miracles? “And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Good luck!!

Miatamama said...

Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas! I too am in the midst of Secret Santa and have a daily budget of $1-$2 for 5 days. It's not the amount of money spent on the gift, it's the thought behind it. Fortunately, my friends, neighbors and coworkers all have a great sense of humor and will find the sayings hysterical!

Unknown said...

I think all of your ideas are very creative and refreshing from the generic gifts that could be given with much less effort it shows that the gift was at least pre-planned if the receiver doesnt at least smile upon receiving them they are too materialistic and dont understand the true meaning of christmas!!

Julie said...

My husband loves muffin mixes. I'm now going to do the muffin for Christmas one as an add-on gift. I like to bake from scratch and "healthify" my muffins, so he'll be pleased.
At Joann's they have nice scented peppermint (and itaher holiday scents) pump handsoaps for 5 for $5.
Nope, I can't think of a pun for it.

Unknown said...

These ideas were great! I'm planning on sending my sister a box of gifts to open each day for fifty days leading up to her 50th birthday. (What did I get myself into?!) Each gift must be $1.00 or under. I can't wait to send these! Dollar Tree here I come!

Janet said...

To Lisa: What a fun thing to do for your sister! I'm sure she'll love it!

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