Low budget giving ideas...

[Kari Miller]

Here are some ideas that don't cost a lot and are easy to make...

Bath salts (Get bulk sea salt at the grocery store add a few drops food coloring, some drops of essential oils -shake well and put in canning jars with pretty recycled ribbon... )
Add a note that says "take a break"...

Put a bunch of M&M's in clean old prescription bottles. Make a new label that says "Chill pills" and hand them to friends at work.

Bookmarks: Start with a 8 x 11 sheet of cardstock. Cut scraps of cool colors from magazines and make a collage. Add words cut from magazines like Hot, happy, dream, celebrate, joy and paste all over the page. Cut the page into strips about an inch wide and 6 to 8 inches long. Laminate each strip with laminating sheets from an office store. Punch a hole at the top and add ribbons.

[sharon]

Great ideas!
Thanks!
-s

[Peter]

Fantastic ideas Kari, thanks for sharing them :) Love the Chill Pills LOL

[Stacey S.]

Here is another great idea from Maggie Conran She sent handwritten notes with pictures in them. check out her blog here.

[Nancy Louise]

Brilliant ideas! Thanks so much. I will have fun making some of those book marks and I can put them in some books I want to give away. TMW will be my book day, and I was wondering how to let people know "Free to a good home" kind of thing and not that it was an accidental left behind. Thanks for wonderful ideas. I love the bath salt one too. I can make a few to give to some people at church. The M&M is great and would go with a little basket of salts, and other Chill pack if you know someone is 'under the weather'
nancy louise

[Beth Barany]

Here's some more:

Make your own birthday cards. Since childhood, I've been doing this. Now I do it on eth computer, pasting in a photo I've taken. I had write or type a silly poem I wrote and personalize the card to the receiver. I love doing this.

Gift certificates for a back rub or "I'll make dinner tonight." The more creative the better! Have fun with your gift certificates. ;-)

[Gerry]

This year I made little bags tht go in your glove compartment for all those little things you might need in a hurry and not carry with you. You could make 10 of these with $10 0r £10 by buying things that come in packets of at least ten, then splitting them up.Also use stuff from around the house. In mine were:
A couple of plasters
teabags
pencil
post-its
plastic cutlery set (for emergency yoghurt consumption or eating on the road.)
antiseptic wipes
craft knife
scissors
small roll of sellotape
safety pins
handwipe in pouches.
paper towels
(you could add shirt buttons and a tiny sewing kit; some electrical fuses for the car)

[sharon]

OK, I am a simple country girl from Georgia, USA. What are Plasters?

[Gerry]

Elastoplast? You know, sticky wound coverings? Wadda you guys call them? America and Britian, only divided by a common language, said Oscar Wilde(I think)

[sharon]

Band Aids!

[Sarah P]

I love the M&M idea. what a cute way to help others relieve stress!

[MelanieL]

Another idea:

in some restaurants, coffee shops and bars you can get free postcards (al least in Austria ;-)).
Most of them are advertising stuff, but some look really good and funny. I covered one wall in my flat with them ^^
And with some friendly words these free postcards could be nice gifts.

And I looooove the M&Ms idea!