5 Low-Budget DIY Gifts

This year I am making gifts instead of buying them. I am on a very tight budget, so these are just some of the things I'll be making this year I haven't finished them yet, but I'm working on all of them. Family members, if you're reading this, you'll have a pretty good idea of what you're getting. :)

1. Stockings. This is my fiancé's and my first Christmas living together. We both have stockings from when we were kids, but they don't match. I'm headed to JoAnn's today to find fabric to make matching ones that we can use for the next 60 Christmases together.

2. Genealogy. My dad's side of the family has pages and pages of documents from our ancestors. There are stories typed on a typewriter by my great-grandmother, old photos, and family trees that almost line up if you have a big enough living room to lay them out on the floor. I know there has to be a better way to see the family tree, so I'm going to make one and send copies to all my relatives on that side of the family. My grandparents on that side spent an afternoon this summer with my fiancé and me telling stories and sharing memories. I think that this gift will mean a lot to my family, especially my grandparents.

3. Scarves. If you know how to knit or crochet, this is always the go-to thing if you're in a pinch! I've been making scarves for the victims of Superstorm Sandy, but I found some yarn that I think someone in my family will really like, so I'm going to make that scarf for them.

4. Memory Stories. This sounds almost too easy, but my dad has always said that all he wants is a page or two telling a favorite memory we have of us growing up. It doesn't have to be crazy, it doesn't have to be long, just something we want to share with him from our childhood.

5. Scrapbook. A few years ago I made my little sister a scrapbook of photos of us growing up. She absolutely loved it! I also made a scrapbook for my fiancé of our first road trip together from Kentucky up to North Dakota and back. It's a really sweet memento we can have on our coffee table.

These are just a few low-budget ideas that are tried and true. It's ironic: growing up I always wanted to have more money, but the best thing about not having a lot of money is that you learn to be creative. Now that I have more money, I'd rather make the presents that mean so much to the people who receive them. They take so much time to make, but it's worth it, because they are fun for you to make and you know the recipients will love them.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi