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...of Creative
Frugality
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Creatively
Frugal
Wedding Gifts
What are your ideas for
inexpensive yet meaningful gifts for newlyweds?
"My favorite low-cost wedding gift
idea is to make recipe cards with my family's favorite recipes. I
type the recipes into a word processing program and use my printer to
print them on blank 4x6 inch index cards. The first time I did this, I
spent several hours on the project, but every time since then, it's been
quick and easy. I tie a ribbon around the cards and wrap them
nicely. At times, I have also included a recipe card box or a
favorite cookbook." ~ Debbie, Tampa
"This was a very timely
question since I have four weddings at my church this summer,
to which the entire parish is invited. For the wedding shower
gift, I always give a copy of 'Home Comforts: The Art and
Science of Keeping House' by Cheryl Mendelson, as well as 'The
Complete Tightwad Gazette' by Amy Dacyczyn. Last year I was
always giving the Home Comforts books, which is especially
helpful since most of the couples are young. But this year,
the first wedding is a couple who really have hardly anything,
so I decided to give The Tightwad Gazette book. It was such a
hit! Other brides this summer, also at the shower, were
drooling over it. So they are getting the Tightwad Gazette as
well. For the first bride, I also gave the Better Homes and
Gardens Cookbook, in a three-ring binder format, since she is
literally going from a school dorm to first married apartment!
I now buy my books through Walmart.com. The Tightwad book is
about $12, and the Home Comforts book, published at $35, is
about $22. For the wedding gift, I always give a $50 check.
These gifts are not totally
frugal, but I know they are practical and useful (previous
brides always rave over the Home Comforts book and tell me
they continually refer to it), and may lead others to
frugality and better homemaking!" ~ Michele
"My husband prefers to give money at
weddings. We have a set amount and divide it between weddings within
our family (they receive more) and weddings not in our family.
However, I have two adult sons who now have to buy gifts. I
recommended to them to check out the better stores for crystal
candlesticks. It is surprising how they will go on sale, sometimes
down to $10, and they are well received.
Everyone I know who received candlesticks of any kind as a wedding
present still has them!
Another thing to do is to check the gift registries, and again, watch
for sales, even at other stores.
Another thing to do is to standardize your gift giving. Perhaps you
will make it a tradition to give a family Bible, or maybe you are a
great scrapbooker, and will give a scrapbook with wedding
snapshots, and room for other photos later on.
When you standardize, you can buy ahead and keep it on your gift shelf
for when you need it." ~
Terri
"I always crochet an afghan for
family members who are getting married. I try to use yarn that I have
on hand or stock up when I find a sale. I can usually make an
afghan for $20 or so, but if I were to buy one, it would cost much
more than that. I try to find the right color scheme for their
home, or use their favorite colors. My cousin is a big fan of the
Green Bay Packers, so for his wedding I crocheted a daffodil afghan
with gold flowers and a green background - green and gold are Packer
colors! You generally know that a wedding is going to happen
long before you get the invitation, so you just have to plan ahead a
little bit." ~ Tammie
"A practical and meaningful gift
(which is also inexpensive) is: picture frames. They'll have many
new pictures and most likely not enough frames for all of
them." ~ Suzie
"I shop sales after holidays, particularly post-Christmas
sales. I buy many gift items during the sales at 50-75% off.
I have given Christmas plates and platters as wedding gifts.
I also have found beautiful picture frames and vases at reduced
prices. They make nice wedding gifts so this is a great way to
give a gift for $10-$20 and look like you've spent double!
When I'm buying from the bride's registry, like china or crystal,
I order from discounters such as Ross-Simon's. And if I'm
buying from a department store, I make sure I buy on a sale date
and use coupons when available." ~ Michele
"My favorite wedding gift I received 30 years ago was
the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Two. I've given several
since, usually with cloth napkins
and matching placemats. It's not as expensive as a big
reference-type cookbook, and you can often find just 2 napkins and
mats on sale. If
not, buying only 2 at full price is, of course, cheaper than a set
of 4, 6, or more, and in my note to the happy couple, I urge them
to make
meals a special time by using these when it's just the two of
them. I also encourage the inexperienced cook with this
thought: a nice
presentation can help overcome less-than-perfect results!" ~
Pamela
"My 'signature gift' for weddings is towels. When
good quality towels go on sale, I will buy a few sets (2 bath
towels, 2 hand towels, 2 washcloths) and stash them away. I
try to get neutral solid colors that will go with almost any color
scheme. I then package them nicely in a box with tissue
paper, wrap in festive wedding-themed paper, and that's it.
EVERYBODY needs towels! If I were the bride, I would rather
receive something practical like towels, rather than a serving
platter or fondue set that will gather dust on a shelf
somewhere!" ~ Becki in Logansport, Indiana
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"When my cousin got married, I went to the store to see the
appliances she had chosen. I measured the toaster and blender
and made fabric coverings for them from pretty, neutral fabric I had
at home. I still see them in use eight years later." ~ Maria in
Ca
"Because we live in a small GA town with not much local
shopping opportunities besides Walmart, gift giving is a very
creative endeavor around here. We do have an antique mall were
various vendors sell their items on consignment. I have found very
reasonably priced glass bowls. wine decanter and glasses set, etc,
that make very generic but useful wedding gifts. Where the problem
occurs for us is when the bride is the daughter of an acquaintance
and we do not know any colors, preferences etc. White towel sets
(although thought to be for bridal showers) also make for great
wedding gifts." ~ Colleen in GA
"As a campus minister, I get invited to about 6-8 weddings a
year. To keep the cost down, I make decorated wedding albums. I have
no craft talent, but they come out beautiful and everyone loves
them. To save time, I decorate several albums while the glue gun is
hot and all the materials are out. To save money, I collect all the
materials throughout the year on clearance and ugly photo albums
(they get decorated anyway). I cover the albums with quilt batting,
white satin, ribbon, and decorate with wedding notions. I calculate
the cost is about $10 per gift." ~ Carol from Boise, Idaho
"I was 17 years old when I first
got married and one of my favorite gifts was a potted plant. I had
that plant for many years and it always made me smile. Now I try
to give a medium to large potted plant or combination of several
plants with fresh flowers tucked in among the plants. You can get
little plastic holders for these from florist shops."
~ Nancy
"When my oldest daughter went to college, she wanted a copy
of all my best recipes. When I typed them up for her, I saved it on
a computer disc and also saved a master copy. Now I make copies of
my cookbook, bind them at a copy shop, and use them for wedding
gifts.
Everyone loves them!" ~ Vicki
"I have seen wedding memory books handcrafted. Put their
names and wedding date on the front. A collection of your
favorite (easy) recipes and menus either on 3x5 cards or in a binder
could come in handy especially for novice cooks. Add pot
holders and matching towels to complete your gift (Ask what color/
design they want). You can handcraft them with material bought
for about a $2.00 or less a yard from places like WalMart or end
bolts at fabric stores. Or buy yarn and knit or crochet them.
My niece needed a plate set. I got a full set from GoodWill
(any thrift store would do) for $7.00. She liked it and still
has it over 4
years later. I put it in a brown box and put their names and
the wedding date all over the box. This served as the wrapping
paper and hid
the fact that the set wasn't new. I also found 16 matching
glasses at a yard sale for about $2.00. So check yard sales
and thrift stores for
great gifts. Some things are still new in the box they came
in.
Why not offer your service or talent as a gift? It doesn't
just have to be for the wedding but why not doing something for
their new home? My
mother and sister helped paint my house. A friend who is a
decorator arranged our furniture and accessories. Another changed
the oil and
filters in our cars (we bought the supplies). Yet another
cleaned our home for free prior to our moving into the place. She
brought over a
rug cleaner, to clean the rugs, washed all the floors, walls and
windows. It was like moving into a brand new home. You could even
cook a meal for the first night in their new home. Or freeze
one for later use. (Use disposable or donate the dish as part
of your gift)." ~ CSINBAD
"I am a garage sale
fanatic. If I know that the bride and groom love antiques,
crystal, birds.... I look for things like this IN GOOD
CONDITION at garage sales. I just purchased a crystal vase that is
beautiful for $1 and a picture frame (new in the box) for 50
cents. They don't have to know where these things came from.
Also if you are a grandparent, aunt or godmother or even a friend,
if the bride has admired something of yours that you are willing
to part with (china, vase, picture, crystal...), give that as a
wedding gift. This is a great way for our older family members to
give a beautiful gift without the expense." ~ Anonymous
Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to share
his or her ideas!
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