Thoughtful (and inexpensive) Gifts

One of the challenges I am facing with our new budget is how to give great gifts to friends and family members without breaking the bank. Gift-buying is such a touchy subject, and I think too many of us rely on the old "the more you spend, the better the gift" adage.

This week is my Mom's birthday, and she's the first one to fall under our new budget (Sorry Mom, hope that Keurig we bought for you last year is still working). Just kidding. Actually, I'm really excited about the gift we are giving her this year!

My mom loves coffee, and that's one of the first things I usually think about when I buy her something (hence the Keurig). But instead of getting her yet another *bucks giftcard this year, I opted to go the homemade route.


So, to go along with the coffee-theme, I whipped up a batch of Double Chocolate Biscotti. It was fun, easy, and relatively quick to make. And, I know my mom is going to love munching these along with her coffee in the morning.


Also, I'm a huge dork and I LOVE making pretty labels for gifts. Call me weird, but I think it adds the perfect touch to a gift and really shows someone that you care about them.

Especially when it says this:


To go along with the beverage theme, I found a set of four gorgeous pressed-botanical coasters.


These were hard to wrap up and give away (ah, look at the gincko leaves!), but I know my mom will love them.

In case you are wondering about the recipe I used for the biscotti, it's from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. You can find the recipe online here, although I did make some slight changes in my version.


There was even enough biscotti left over to fill my jar to the brim! Delicious.


So there's one thoughtful and inexpensive gift done! I'm looking forward to being creative and coming up with more ideas for gift-giving. What about you? Have you found some fun ways to give gifts without breaking the bank? I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!