Planning christmas gifts

[swellmomma]

Okay this year my budget is about 1/4-1/3 of what it was last year. I have finished buying for dd3, and almost done for ds7. But I could use some ideas.

 

First for ds7 this year I am putting together a chef's kit because he LOVES to cook and always has. I have wanted to do this in past years but had spent tons of $$ already and never did.

 

So far for the kit I bought

 

a metal mixing bowl

2 round cake pans

2 square cake pans

2 muffin pans

2 cookie sheets

2 loaf pans

a pack of 2 spatulas

a pack of wooden spoons

a pack with 4 paring knives

a pack with a veggie peeler and can opener

a wooden cutting board

a pack of 2 whisks

a ladle

a pancake flipper

a potato masher

a slotted spoon

oven mitts

tea towels and dish cloths that match the oven mitts

2 cake mixes and 2 icing packs to start him off.

 

I have picked up all of that at the $ store so I still have room in the budget to finish him off. I have bought him a couple books as well for this year. I have about $20 left for him in the budget. Any suggestions? I am thinking of getting him his first cook book as he likes to take mine and look through them. Any suggestions?

 

I really like how his kit is coming along and am thinking about doing something similar for the older kids but am feeling a little more stumped. They are 11 and 12 and not quite as into something that is easily assembled like the chef's kit was.

 

Budget for each is roughly $40. Like little brother I have bought both a couple books already but want to put together something else. I was thinking of doing one for dd that was a create your own bath stuff like those science kits but cheaper. Things like bath salts and oils, soap making etc. If you were to do this cheaply without looking stupid what would you include. Or any other suggestions? I want to be more creative this year but my creativity seems to be sleeping.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

A cook book! Get him a great cook book that he can use.

 

Kid's cookbook

[Old Dominion Heather]

What about a woodworking kit for your ds 12? Pocket knife, hammer, chisel, other tools and maybe a woodburning kit? Michael's had one for about $20 last year, I think.

[kfeusse]

one idea might be a magicians kit...get a book on magic tricks, buy a set of cards, a rope, brass rings...whatever might be needed to complete most of the tricks.

 

or what about a box of PVC pipes and connectors...a friend of ours did that for their son, and included nerf darts...and their son made the most complex nerf, blow dart gun ever...it was pretty cool...then pretty soon, he turned it into a frame of a tent to go over his bed, then later again, it was a comtraption to hold his water bottle to his bike....

 

for your daughter...make your own bath salts is easy...lots of recipes on line...ingredients would be epson salt, essential oils and colors...you can add something (I forget what) to make the salt's fizzy too. Soap is a little more complicated to do from scratch but the kits ar Hobby Lobby look pretty easy.

[Chris in VA]

I'd get him a cookbook--try PBS or go ultra cheap.

Then maybe a game--something he doesn't have that isn't related to the kit.

What a great idea the kit is! My dd got a prepackaged kit a couple of years ago and loves to make banana bread all by herself now.

 

How about looking thru a Klutz kit or something for tips on what to gather for dd? You could do a "beauty/skin care kit" and include salt and sugar for scrubbing, some natural oils and essences, a cute bath mitt (or materials to make her own), the soap making things, and stuff like oatmeal (makes an excellent facial scrub) and equipment like tweezers and a nice woman's razor (if she's using that yet). A nice hair masque would be good, too.

 

How about a game kit for your older son? Lots of cheap games on sale now--I know you are in Canada, right? So you don't have Black Friday--but we often find games like Life or Monopoly (in different versions) for $5 on that day. Maybe a couple decks of cards and a book with card games--

 

Or maybe you could put $10 of each kid's budget toward a basket of fun for the whole family--some fun popcorn (like the colored kind, or caramel you make yourself), a couple of el cheapo family videos, a couple fun games like Pictionary or Blink or Risk. You could enclose a calendar with a sticker for each month, and at the beginning of the month, pick a night for Family Fun and use the contents of the basket.

 

Or you could do a date calendar for your family, and put cheap activities on the calendar for all year--I do this for my dh, but you can adapt it. Put your idea on a card in a sealed envelope, and each month, take out the card and read it all together. You could do a video/popcorn/sleep in the living room (parents, too!) night, a putt-putt golf Saturday, an ice cream sundae Sunday (enclose $ to buy ice cream, two toppings, and bananas, or whatever), etc.

[swellmomma]

Or you could do a date calendar for your family, and put cheap activities on the calendar for all year--I do this for my dh, but you can adapt it. Put your idea on a card in a sealed envelope, and each month, take out the card and read it all together. You could do a video/popcorn/sleep in the living room (parents, too!) night, a putt-putt golf Saturday, an ice cream sundae Sunday (enclose $ to buy ice cream, two toppings, and bananas, or whatever), etc.

 

 

OHH! I am loving this idea! I will need to incorporate this for sure. We already have a set family night, but it would be awesome to have this to add in other nights and change it up a bit.

[Baseball mom]

Does your 12yr old have his own tool kit? We gave ds one last year and he thought it was the greatest. Still loves it. Gave him a couple kits to build (wood).

 

We found a tool kit that was the bag with a couple screwdrivers, hammer, tape measure, wire pliers, wrenches, and some nails and screws. But this could be done buying the stuff individually.

[PentecostalMom]

We gave our ds a toolbox and tools of his own when he was about that age. He took it to college with him. :lol:

 

Sears has great, cheap tools on Black Friday. Sounds like you have some fabulous ideas!

[Mama Geek]

Have you thought about a recipe software rather than a cookbook? I use this and like it pretty well. It comes with tons of recipes and then you can add your own as well. It is also pretty easy to add recipes from online, e-mails or text files. I have had my copy for a few years and really like it.

http://www.bigoven.com/software/windows

 

No I don't work for them, I am just a user that likes it:)