by Melissa Strong

Created on: December 06, 2008   Last Updated: December 19, 2008

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And sound like it. And smell like it. The only dilemma? What to get all of your friends and family for Christmas that will not break the bank. The economy is in a slump while prices are going up, seemingly for businesses to catch up what they have recently lost. People are getting pay cuts, or losing their jobs outright. With finances so unpredictable at best, it is difficult to know if you can afford what your people want, or if they will like what you can afford. Here are some ideas for free and cheap gifts for you to share with loved ones.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

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A winning choice on what to get your family and friends, assuming you know them well, is a homemade coupon book that will allow you to give them needed services. This might be especially great for an elderly parent, with coupons for a free meal, yard work, home repairs, or other items you are talented with that they may normally hire someone to do. Another person you could give such a gift to would be a young family. Any mother and father would love a coupon book including a night of free babysitting, a free meal, and a day of house cleaning services. Including your special talents will make the gift more meaningful, and easier to make good on. If paid regularly for a special service, you can offer it free to a loved one. They will appreciate the effort even more. You can use templates from your favorite word processing software to make decorative personalized coupons for each of your giftees.

Another great gift you can give to those you care for is handmade items. These can be framed poems, sculptures, knitting or other yarn or needlework, or home-baked goods. Of course, not many people want to get the traditional fruitcake, but homemade pies, loaves of specialty bread, and cookies wrapped decoratively make thoughtful gifts - as long as you are careful not to give high calorie foods to dieters or high sugar content items to diabetics! If you want to find a special recipe for each person, Google and other search engines are a great place to start looking for unique recipes. Going to the library to look for a wide range of cookbooks is also a fantastic idea.

If you live in a cold area, hand-knitted items are thoughtful. You could make scarves and matching hats for people if you are not that great at it. If you are an advanced knitter/crotchetier you could make gloves. Other items you could make are bags,

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