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Giving cheap homemade Christmas gifts can not only be very simple to do, but extremely effective.

No matter what it is, people know that if you’ve put the time into making them something, then it truly comes from the heart.

And this has the added bonus of being great for your budget too, as these unique DIY Christmas ideas can be made almost with everything you probably already have on hand.

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Remember that Christmas is hard enough on our budgets, so if there’s any area where you can save money – like with these inexpensive DIY Christmas gifts – you should definitely consider doing so.

(Starting your Christmas saving plan as soon as possible can also help too!)

Cheap homemade Christmas gift ideas

1. Mrs. Claus apron

One YouTuber has made the perfect cheap homemade Christmas gift idea for anyone in your family who likes cooking over the holidays.

Just by using this simple DIY sewing pattern, she’s created an amazing Mrs. Claus apron that would work for any foodie out there.

And you don’t even have to keep it Christmas-specific, as you could absolutely use different material with the same pattern so the recipient can use it all year around.

2. Homemade spice rack

For the foodies in your life, having cluttered kitchen cabinets is a never ending battle. As they accumulate more cooking tools and ingredients, finding somewhere neat and stylish without breaking your budget can prove to be impossible.

So why not help them out by making them their very own spice rack, which should take you about an hour. You will have to have some tools to do this, but you can easily borrow them from someone else – check local Swap Groups on Facebook to avoid paying for them yourself.

Otherwise, grab some chalkboard paint (I’ve used this one several times and not only is it one of the cheapest ones out there, the quality is great), some wood glue (this one is amazingly cheap) and a few other things that you may not may not be able to borrow and give it a try.

Related: How to Drastically Cut Expenses: 43 Easy Ways That Actually Work

3. Irish cream (or another drink)

Bringing Irish cream – or even another alcoholic (or virgin) drink – is always going to be well received at any Christmas party. And people will be amazed at the fact you’ve made it yourself!

But what’s even more amazing is just how easy and quick it is to make this.

This homemade Irish cream recipe is beyond simple to do and very cheap. Simply grab some bottles like these ones and use whatever you can find around the house to jazz them up.

As you can see at the link with the instructions, the picture has some hessian bag ribbon, but you can use whatever you want. Or, if you want to go super Christmasy, this simple roll of gingham ribbon will do the job – and will cost you next to nothing.

(And if you’re not a fan of Irish cream? Check out Google for any other drink that you may prefer. This cheap homemade limoncello recipe looks great, for example.)

4. Collection of recipes from family and friends

When looking for heartfelt homemade Christmas gifts that are also cheap, making a recipe book with contributions from friends and family definitely meets the criteria.

You’ll need to be a bit prepared by approaching people in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But once you have everyone’s favorite recipes, collecting them into a book and having it printed will be beyond easy, while costing you barely anything at all.

You can even add a theme to it. For example, if a family member has just had a baby, why not ask other relatives for their favorite meals when they were kids? Your loved one will love it…and so will your budget.

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5. Homemade latch board for babies

As the toddler in your life starts to get into absolutely everything they shouldn’t be getting into, no one would be surprised if you’re looking for homemade Christmas gift ideas that can distract them for as long as possible.

So one option is to give them a latch board, like the one they show you to make in this article. It’s one of the simplest ideas ever – while also being one of the most affordable.

baby playing with busy latch board

All you have to do is go to your local hardware store and raid their supplies of locks, latches and anything else you can find (lights they can switch on and off go down a treat too). Alternatively, if you have a bunch of these lying around at home in your garage for some reason, this could be a great example of a modern DIY Christmas gift with household items!

Then just drill everything on to a piece of wood and you’ll be good to go!

6. DIY slime

Making your own slime takes literally three minutes and three ingredients, meaning it’s the very definition of an easy and cheap homemade gift. At the same time, it can keep kids entertained for hours. This makes it one of the more perfect creative DIY Christmas gifts for kids.

This slime recipe has everything that you need. If you don’t already have it, you may have to buy some Elmer’s glue but otherwise, assuming you already have baking soda, salt and food coloring, your Christmas present is done!

You can even made it as festive as you want by sticking to red and green and adding some glitter to the mixture!

Related: How to Live Cheap: 54 Frugal Living Tips to Save You Money

7. Earrings

If you’re looking for cheap DIY gifts for a girlfriend, earrings are a great option. The best part is that you can personalize them to suit the gift recipient as much as you want, simply by switching out the different colors and sizes of the beads and other pieces you use.

I personally love these DIY homemade earrings. While they’re fairly simple, they look incredible and you can change the color of the beads and the wire based on the taste of the person you’ll be giving these to. You could even do them in Christmas colors if you want!

You may also be interested in: 17 Incredible Ideas to Plan a Quinceanera on a Budget

8. Scarf

As the temperature drops over the holidays, one of the most useful yet creative homemade gifts you can give someone is a scarf for Christmas – not to mention that it’s super affordable!

A Beautiful Mess has an amazingly simple way to make a scarf, allowing you to tweak the design depending on your recipient.

For example, if they’re not keen on stars like in the picture, you can switch these to stripes, their favorite animal or perhaps something related to somewhere they went on vacation during the year.

9. Candle sticks

rustic candlesticks to DIY
Source: DIY Beautify

These homemade candle sticks are incredibly easy to make and, as the author points out, only cost her a couple of bucks to make.

For anyone who loves the rustic farmhouse look, you (and your budget) won’t go wrong with this inexpensive homemade Christmas gift idea.

10. Vase

paper origami vases to DIY
Source: Lia Griffith

Bringing a beautiful, unique-looking vase to an event this season will make you look like the Christmas DIY master – especially when it doesn’t look anywhere near as cheap and easy it is to make.

These instructions will show you just how simple it is. Would you believe me when I say that they’re just made from this cardstock paper?

Of course, you can make them more Christmas-y if you want through your choice of color of the vase and you could even use paper with a more Christmas-specific design if you want to go all out. This Christmas colored cardstock pack would be perfect for that purpose.

11. Christmas decorations

When looking for creative DIY Christmas gifts, homemade decorations are an easy option. Not only do they work well as presents for people, but they’re also often something that you can do as an activity over the holidays, by getting together with friends and family and making things to hang from the tree together.

Sloely shows just effective it can be to keep things simple, with their list of homemade Christmas ornaments. Many of these can be made with things found around the house or outside, meaning the only thing you may have to spend money on is a ball of string.

homemade Christmas decorations ornaments
Source: Sloely

12. Body scrubs

If you’re looking for cheap homemade gifts, homemade body scrubs are very easy option for anyone in your life that values their smooth skin, making them great handmade gift ideas for friends. What makes them even better is that you can personalize them based on the recipient – as well as based on what you have around the house already.

And you could really lean in to the Christmas theme with this beautifully effective peppermint sugar scrub. Not only does it look super festive, but the scent would be amazing too.

13. Soap

As one of the more unique DIY Christmas ideas for the bathroom, why not have a go at making homemade soap?

And you could even continue the festive peppermint theme with this peppermint soap. It’s surprisingly simple to do and could very easily be made as a batch, allowing you to create gifts for dozens of people all at once. It’s also something you can do with your kids, just to give your present an extra touch.

Then, as seen in the picture, just wrap it with some ribbon for a simple yet very effective finishing touch.

14. Phone case

While you won’t be making the phone case from scratch, you’ll be giving it to someone with their very own design that you’ll be making.

This article has a ton of ideas that are both simple and very inexpensive to do. For example, the marbled effect in the picture below is simply done with some nail polish, which you probably already have on hand (and if you don’t, buy the cheapest one you can find for this).

15. iPad case

This tutorial doesn’t have to work only for iPads, but can also be used to make cases for Kindles as well as other tablets.

Either way, it’s very easy and, the best part, all you have to do is collect some magazines or even newspapers to give it this effect. So not only are you saving money by using what’s already on hand, but you’re keeping things sustainable by reusing these things instead of throwing them away.

Other ideas for inexpensive DIY Christmas gifts

These ideas aren’t entirely DIY, although they’re definitely inexpensive – in fact, they’re completely free!

But you could easily jazz them up to make them DIY gifts, whether that’s upcycling some furniture or adding your own flair to some shoes. That said, giving them as is will also likely be very well received!

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