M has so many toys that I was brainstorming about what we can get her for Christmas that will get used up. Here are some kids ideas I came up with.

bubbles
coloring books/paint with water
art supplies (crayons, markers, paints, especially if you were smart and stocked up during back to school sales)
bubble bath
stickers
fruit snacks (which she loves but I don't normally buy)

__________________
It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

Join the Budget Scrapbooking challenges and earn a discount to the CC store!

I dip pretzel rods, wafer cookie rolls, and oreos in Vanilla, Chocolate and assorted goodies *coconut, nuts, butterfinger innards, toffee, sprinkles, etc

I give those to all the 'grown ups' in my life and send the 'minis' to the children that are outta area

__________________




Think big! Change the world! One A.R.K at a time.

I get the bags of large pretzel sticks. Melt down chocolate both reg & white, and roll them in it and then sprinkle on candy bits. Let choc sit up on wax paper. Place in washed out and decorated potato chip canister. Top with a bow and tag and place in the mailbox for the mail carrier. Can use large empty creamer containers or other such cans for large families. Also cookies done this way as well. But for large batches coffee containers will hold more. The chip containers will fit in stockings.

When I was in Hawaii I made Coffee trays to send to those who drank coffee. Large tray several bags of varied flavored Hawaiian coffees, Choc cover macadamian nuts, 2 Hawaii mugs. My Dad likes his Movie Night baskets with Dvds, mw popcorn, nuts and those theater type snacks. I have also given candles and soothing music cd's in a basket (you can get the Cd's at Walmart)

My sister often sends me decorated sugar cookies from an old family recipe. ( I am admittedly too lazy to make these so let her have at it, she has more kids to help her decorate them as well. Last year I tried to help but she makes the dough all week and then bakes more than 20 dz of these in a weekend) Mom makes some great homemade fudge.

I'm going to make some homemade cookies, fudge to give to neighbors. Might even do some loaf bread this year as they hear me talk about making bread but never get a slice. Also planning on giving some of my produce I canned from the garden this year to close friends and relatives.

My MIL doesn't have a tv, so at night she reads or does puzzles. Last year we filled a basket with wine, crackers, cheese, crossword puzzles, sudoku puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles.

She also has tons of bird feeders, so this year I plan to get seed for different birds and suet bells.