Christmas is on the way. Now is the time to start planning which homemade creations you're going to treat your friends to.
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Plan your gifts
The most important way to avoid homemade disasters is putting in a bit of forward planning. You need to make sure you first work out exactly what you’re going to make and then make a list of everything you’ll need.
Unless you’re a bit of a Kirsty Allsopp in training, start with something simple which you can make easily. Whatever you decide upon, factor in enough time to make the number required to avoid any last-minute stress.
Shop around for your materials
Whether you decide to embark on making red onion chutney or a metre-long wool scarf, go online first to find the best deal on the products you need to buy.
Using the internet is a good way to save money and websites such as Price Runner and Kelkoo will show you cheaper versions of the things you need. Cashback websites such as Quidco and TopCashback will also help you shave off a few pounds if buying online.
Cashback credit cards are another brilliant way of getting money back on your spending. Find out more at loveMONEY's credit card centre.
For a higher rate of success with homemade presents, instead of making several elaborate gifts, stick to just one or two things, such as chocolate truffles and oat biscuits. This is cheaper as you’ll just need to buy one set of ingredients (in bulk) and this will take less time.
We’ve rounded up some ideas for creating a present you’d be happy giving to someone else which also won’t break your budget.
Knitted scarf
Bottled drinks
Glass bottles can be bought cheaply in bulk and makes a brilliant festive Christmas gift when filled with a pre-mixed cocktail or a flavoured spirit.
You can get 12 empty ones from Amazon for £14.87.
How about Christmas pudding vodka or cranberry gin? The options are endless when it comes to cocktails but something seasonal will always go down well.
Once it's ready tie a colourful ribbon around the bottle and your present is ready.
Chutney
This is a classic homemade gift. When choosing your flavours don’t go for anything too exotic and stick to varieties which have ingredients you can pick up easily and cheaply.
A pot of caramelised onion chutney from Sainsbury’s costs £1.50 a pop, but seeing as you only need a few ingredients it’s a lot cheaper to make your own. Save your jam jars up throughout the year.
Pesto, tapenade, jam and passata also work well and if you make your own labels and add a stream of ribbon or a holly leaf you've instantly got a festive gift.
You can check out loads of chutney recipes on our sister site loveFOOD, such as this pear and cranberry chutney or a basic green tomato version.
Photo gifts
For a personal gift which stands out from the usual run-of-the-mill presents you end up giving people, print off some of your favourite photos of you and your friends or family and give them as gifts.
There are several online photo printing websites to choose from and if you can enlarge an image and put it in a frame you’ve instantly created a personalised gift. Try Photobox, Snapfish, Boots and Poster Prints.
Get more for your spending with a cashback credit card
Cards and ornaments
Mulled wine mix
A mix for mulled wine is easy to assemble and cheap too.
Simply buy a bottle of red wine and use a pretty fabric to put ingredients such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves in and tie this to the bottle with a ribbon. For a festive touch add a sprig of holly to make the gift look a little more special. You could even try this twist on the classic by adding chocolate, as demonstrated in Paul A Young's video.
Dry jar mixes also work for gifts and you can assemble the dry ingredients for anything from ginger biscuits to a chocolate cake easily. Include a label with instructions on how to make the finished product and you’ve instantly got a great present for a foodie.
Preening and pampering