Homemade gifts save the most when you make one or two ideas in a batch. Buy the supplies in bulk and make a dozen at once, so each gift costs a few dollars. Pick something people will eat or use up rather than a decoration that ends up in a closet.
Made one at a time, a homemade gift can cost as much as one from a store, because supplies come in packages sized for several gifts. A single jar of freezer jam still takes a whole box of pectin, the powder that makes it set.
A batch of a dozen spreads each package’s cost across several gifts. That brings each gift down to a few dollars, and you set up and clean up once instead of 12 times.
Say you have 12 people to buy for this holiday season and would otherwise spend $25 on each. Twelve jars of homemade soup mix at about $3 apiece come to $36 and about two hours of work, against $300 in store-bought gifts, so the batch saves $264.
Each of these 10 costs $4 or less a gift in a batch of a dozen, and all but one get eaten or put to use.
- Mini loaves of banana bread cost about $1 each in flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and bananas. A dozen takes an afternoon of baking, and they suit neighbors and coworkers.
- Jarred soup mix, dried beans layered with bouillon and spices, costs about $3 a pint jar. Tie on the cooking directions. A dozen takes about two hours, and it suits families.
- Freezer jam costs about $3 a half-pint jar, takes an hour a batch, and sets on the counter for a day. It keeps up to three weeks refrigerated or a year frozen, so it suits people you’ll see in person.
- A half-pint jar of taco seasoning or another spice blend costs about $2.50. A dozen jars take under an hour to mix and fill, and they suit the cooks on your list.
- Sugar scrub, two parts sugar to one part coconut oil, costs under $3 a half-pint jar. A dozen takes about half an hour, and it suits teachers and teens.
- Unscented soy candles in half-pint jars cost under $3 each with wax and wicks from a 10-pound kit. Pouring a dozen takes an evening, and they suit hosts and in-laws.
- Flour sack towels stamped with fabric paint cost about $1.50 each, bought in packs of five. Stamping a dozen takes an afternoon, and they suit anyone setting up a kitchen.
- A painted clay pot with a pothos cutting from your own houseplant costs about $2. Root the cuttings three to six weeks ahead. It suits coworkers without cats or dogs, since the ASPCA lists pothos as toxic to both.
- Family recipe cards printed at home on cardstock cost under $1 a set, plus ink. Collecting the recipes from relatives takes a few weeks, and printing a dozen sets takes an evening. They suit grown children, siblings, and cousins.
- A framed 4-by-6 family photo costs about $4, and most of that is the frame. Framing a dozen takes an evening. It’s the one decorative gift here, for grandparents and parents who’ll display it.
For a bridal shower, make one gift for the couple’s new home instead of a batch.
Make one test gift before you buy for the whole list, so a mix that won’t fit its jar or a paint that bleeds through a towel costs you one gift instead of twelve.
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