How to have great gift ideas for kids that are functional and inexpensive!

Money is tight and the holidays, a birthday or both are fast approaching! I have some great ideas that will help you find fantastic gifts that will be useful and not break your budget! Get creative!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
    

   Every child likes to have their own work space and have supplies for it too! Fill a decorative box, that you can find inexpensive at a craft store, dollar store, etc, with all kinds of school/home/office supplies that they can use. Look around for bargains and take you time finding colors and styles they might like too. I find notebooks, post its, pens and fancy pencils all the time in clearance bins! Kids go crazy when they open a box with things that they can use and love too! It helps their parents too!

2. 
    

   Decorate a cup holder for their work space and fill it with pens, pencils and markers.

3. Make them handmade stationary that has a stamp, sticker or drawing that they'd love!

4. Paint a bookshelf or stool or night table that you found at a yardsale, consignment, goodwill or that they already have that may need a little facelift!

5. 
    

   Find a cute box or basket, again for a bargain, and fill it with socks, underwear, belts, hats, scarves, etc that they might like and you took the time to find on sale!

6. 
    

   Think of a craft item, maybe something to decorate their room with and gather up all of the supplies for it. Put them all together in a box and they will have a great time doing it! Or, get paint and a blank canvas at any craft store and have them sketch out and paint a picture for their room!

7. 
    

   Lots of stuffed animals all over?? Buy a child a "toy hammock" that attaches to the corner of a room up on the wall and help them fill it! Its an instant decoration and helps organize!! Warning!!!! Tell the child that they can't hang on it though!!! :) We just bought them on Organize.com. They are really inexpensive (under $10) and if you shop this website through Mypoints.com you'll get points there too!!! Check out my article on How to Use My Points!!!

8. 
    

   Kids love getting clothes but for parents it can cost a real fortune!!! Get a box or a laundry basket! Go to the clearance section and start hunting for REALLY good deals!! Go to Goodwill or consignment places like Plato's Closet and buy used items that are in good shape! Wash them, fold them and place them in the basket. Kids will love to open a gift full of clothes!

9. 
    

   Do you have a gaming system?? Games for any of them are a fortune if you buy them new!!! Instead, go to places like Game Stop and get them used! We do it all the time and the games work great. The stores that sell used games typically offer a short term warranty in case they don't. Check it out! Kids don't know the difference, the second they play them the first time they are considered "used", and they can take them back and sell them to the store and get new ones anytime they want!

10. 
     

    Look on Craig's list or at yardsales for a used bike or another LARGE gift item that kids want. Clean it up and its just as great! The trick is to search for them and get a good deal! Used doesn't mean bad.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to kids too about buying used items! Let them know that by doing it you are helping the environment and saving money too. If you teach them the right way to look at it they'll be all for it.
• Take them to consignment stores or goodwill. Take them to yardsales and they'll embrace it when they see how fun it is to find something in good shape to use again for less!

[lindsey23]

on 12/12/2008 Wonderful ideas! I used to love getting stuff like in step #1. A well-deserved 5*!

[veryirie]

on 10/17/2008 Many, many great tips! On step #4, you could redo a little stool with comic strip decoupage. (I did an article on that). Thanks for sharing this article!