Gone are the days when the best Christmas gift ideas were supposed to be the most expensive ones. In post-Katrina and wartime days it is almost embarrassing to give a gift that is really lavish. This is especially true seeing as there are so many starving people in the world. Many people are on a budget and remember that the gift that counts the most is the one that is from the heart.

Some of the most appreciated Christmas gift ideas are those that are handmade. Rather then spend a lot of money on an item of clothing for a loved one try knitting one instead. Vintage and second hand stores also sell items of clothing quite cheaply. You can also find one of a kind jewelry and all sorts of interesting items such as antique glassware and knick-knacks at a second hand or charity run store.

Yet another good source for very cheap Christmas gift ideas is the dollar store. One idea is to buy a bag and then fill it with interesting dollar store items such as pocket magnifying glasses, fridge magnets, nail polish, a coffee mug, a toy and other goodies. So for instance if you have five dollars you can still buy five items and put it in a decorative bag. You can also do the same on a more expensive scale at the drug store. The key to putting these gift bags together is to have a theme such as – business, beauty or bath time. By the way another cheap source of interesting knick-knacks is in your local Chinatown.

You have probably seen those gift baskets in stores that cost hundreds of bucks. The truth is you can make your own. All you need is a cheap wicker basket that you buy a dollar store. You can even use a fruit basket that you get an ordinary store or a plastic basket from the dollar store. Your next step is to decorate this basket with some ribbon and make a nest at the bottom of it with some tinsel. You can then fill it with whatever you like – jams, crackers, cheese, a bottle of wine and even a couple of wine glasses you got at the dollar store.

Perhaps one of the most inexpensive gifts is simply to make Christmas cookies or a Christmas cake and wrap them up in a decorative tin or box. You don’t even have to spend a lot of money on a box. You can simply take an old shoe box and wrap it in decorative paper and then put the cookies in wax paper inside. To finish the whole thing off all you need to do is finish it all off with a great big shiny bow.