But- WOOHOO!- it's spring break!! Am I at the beach? No- I'm blogging!
And, coincidentally, I had to prepare a speech for my public speaking class which I thought would fit perfectly onto my Living Simply blog!
Chinese philosopher Lau Zhu said, "Because we are frugal, we can be generous."
In today's economy, people are living from paycheck to paycheck (or in our case, paycheck to gas tank) and have very little extra money for gifts. Since we all like to be generous and make people smile with a gift, I have put together several gifts that I bought from the Dollar Tree. Yup, that's right- the Dollar Tree.
I was inspired by posts that I have seen on pintterest.com (so addicting!) and another favorite of mine: dollarstorecrafts.com, which is a website that features inexpensive crafts that you can make with items found in your local dollar store.
Intrigued, and armed with $20.00, I went to my local Dollar Tree and was able to walk away with six gifts that I would be proud to give. P.S. - nobody has to know it came from the dollar store! Let that be your little secret!
1. Nail polish 'cupcake'. Simply put a nail polish in a cupcake liner and to with gift wrap crinkles. Tie up in a cellophane bag with a pretty ribbon. Perfect for a teen or tween, or as a party favor. (Idea seen on Pinterest)
2. Bride and Groom bottle toppers found in the bridal section of the dollar store. (yup!) Adorn a bottle of champagne and tie on a couple of dollar store wine glasses. Champagne not bought at the dollar store, but still an inexpensive and tasteful gift.
3. For the cook: Fill a pot holder with a few kitchen tools and decorate with a matching dishcloth or towel.
I even raided my own pantry to add a pack of microwave popcorn and ramen noodles. Excellent housewarming gift!
4. For Mother's Day, or for grandma: Add some pretty scrapbook paper to an 8x10 desk frame. Glue a chip clip to the front of the glass and add a sticker monogram and a pic of their favorite children..as a bonus, (because of the clip), the picture is not locked to a size, and can be changed out easily!
5. More scrapbook paper & sticker embellishments cover a mini clipboard. Glue on a notepad and tie on or velcro a pen to the clipboard and voila! An easy, inexpensive teacher gift for the end of the year.
6. Fun for your front door! Hot glue Easter grass and plastic eggs to a straw wreath- add a bow and a stuffed bunny to finish the look!
$20.00/ 6 gifts = an average of $3.33 per gift! Not bad in today's economy!! Happy Gifting!
