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Gifts For all Those Kid's
Birthday Parties!
by Cyndi Roberts
Are your kids invited to numerous birthday parties throughout the year?
Buying a gift, paper to wrap it in, ribbon and a bow, plus a card every
time can get expensive and tiresome, can't it!
Through the years I have discovered some easy ways to save money and
time and always be prepared for those invitations.
My three children are older now, but when they were young, it seemed as
if one of them was invited to a friend's birthday party almost every
week! Usually the invitations didn't arrive until 1 or 2 days before the
party. I got really fed up with running to the store in our small town
and trying to find an appropriate gift on short notice.
I realized the first thing I needed to do was to get organized. So I set
aside a box in the hall closet and started to fill it with gift items
suitable for children around my children's ages.
Each time I went to the discount or dollar store, I looked at the
clearance sales; especially after Christmas. I tried to keep at least
one gift for each child on hand at all times.
I love to make things and I was always on the lookout for anything I
could craft that kids would like. One item I came across that the kids
really liked was gift jars. I would fill a pint or quart jar (reused
mayo or pizza sauce jars) with small items. Some of the things I used
were pens, erasers, notepads, small cars, toy soldiers, hair ribbons,
stickers. Anything I found that would fit. I would often buy in bulk and
divide the items into several jars.
Children love anything with their name on it, so I would paint their
name on the side of the jar or cross-stitch it onto a cover for the lid.
Then all I had to do was add a bow and there's a great gift!
Little girls always enjoy receiving more clothes for their Barbie dolls.
If you sew, you can make gifts your daughter's friends will love from
your scraps of fabric and lace. And the clothes you make are usually
much better quality than the ones you pay premium prices for in the
store.
One last secret to giving great birthday gifts is: remember that
children love to open a package! Just taking tissue out of a gift bag is
not the same!
But wrapping a package doesn't have to break the bank either. At garage
sales, always look for anything that can be used to wrap
gifts--wallpaper, drawer liner, just use your imagination!
Dollar stores are a great place to pick up inexpensive wrapping paper in
a pinch. The flat, folded kind is cheaper than buying it on a roll, just
cover the creases with ribbon. Kids aren't going to take time to notice,
anyway!
Even an inexpensive gift will bring raves from the birthday boy or girl
when it's wrapped imaginatively. Tie a lollipop on top or write their
name in glitter. Use your imagination and get creative!
Your children will love it when the gift they bring is the hit of the
party!
About the author
Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" bi-weekly
newsletter, bring you creative, practical tips to help you "live the
good life"... on a budget! Visit the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" website
at
http://www.cynroberts.com.
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