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5 gift ideas from Economides that slash holiday costs

It's considered the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday season can also be the most expensive one. Here are five homemade gift ideas from the Economides, the so-called "Cheapest Family in America."
/ Source: TODAY.com

It’s considered the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday season can also be the most expensive one. If you’re looking to cut some costs without cutting the spirit, the Economides, who proudly bill consider themselves the “Cheapest Family in America,” have some unconventional gift ideas to help you. See five of their homemade gifts below.

Pinecone fire-starters
A perfect gift for friends with fireplaces or as a pretty holiday decoration.

We have several pine trees on our property and collect the pinecones to make homemade fire-starters. We also have a tin in our storage area where we store old candle wax and unusable crayons.

Instructions: Melt old wax candle stubs and crayons in a large tin can over very low heat on the stove. Add a couple of drops of essential oil to give it a great scent. Turn off flame once all the wax is melted.

Using tongs, dip a pinecone into the wax. You’ll know the wax is the right temperature if it coats the pinecone. If your wax is too hot, barely any will remain on the pinecone. Just wait a few minutes and dip again.

Place dipped pinecones on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper to cool. When dried, place them in a decorator tin or basket and wrap for gift giving.

Shoe bags A great way to use fabric remnants and help those who travel regularly to keep their clothes neat and clean. You can adjust the size to fit men’s, women’s or children’s shoes.

Materials:The dimensions below are good for men’s shoes; make them smaller for other sizes.

  • Four rectangles of material 10 inches x 18 inches (or two larger pieces if you have them)
  • Thread
  • Ribbon or old shoelaces for the drawstring

Directions: Take two pieces of fabric, right sides facing each other, and sew around three edges, leaving 1.5 inches on the top side to hem under and make a casing.

Fold top edge down 1/4 inch to the inside and sew.

Fold this same part over 1 inch to the inside to make a packet (casing for a ribbon to be used as a drawstring) and sew around.

Use a safety pin to pull the ribbon through the casing and then tie a pretty bow. Turn inside out and wrap for the holidays.

Annette’s Christmas pumpkin bread
This is a family tradition at the Economides home. Every year Annette takes Halloween pumpkins — picked up for free after Halloween — cooks and processes the flesh, then freezes it to be used in December baking.

She bakes loaves of pumpkin bread in various sizes to be distributed to teachers, coaches, mechanics and even the mailman and garbage truck driver.

The loaves are inexpensive — about $1 for a large loaf and about 25 cents for a small one. She wraps them in aluminum foil and finishes it off with a simple red or green ribbon.

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup salad oil — not olive oil!
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 29-ounce can pumpkin or 3.5 cups fresh pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3.5 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 to 1 cup each chopped walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:Mix all of the ingredients in one bowl and beat at medium speed.

Pour the contents into three large loaf pans, greased previously.

Bake one hour at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Plastic grocery bag wreath This is a great way to turn a simple plastic grocery sack into beautiful piece of holiday decor.

Materials:

  • 1 metal hanger
  • 30 to 50 white plastic grocery bags

Directions:With a wire cutter, cut off the hook of the hanger, leaving about 1 inch of twisted metal. Shape the hanger into a circle.

Take your plastic bags and trim bottom seam, handles and any logos or printed information from the bags. Cut remaining “clean” plastic sheets into 4-by-8 inch strips. You can stack several sheets and cut on a cutting mat with a mat knife and ruler to speed up the process.

You’ll have a lot of leftover plastic, so put it into another bag and recycle it at your local grocery store.

Take the 4-by-8-inch strips and tie with a simple square knot onto the hanger. Pull the knot tight. Squeeze as many pieces as possible onto the hanger. The more you put on, the fuller the wreath will be.

Use a thin piece of wire to hang the wreath on a hook.

Decorate with a bow, spray paint or other holiday picks.

Dough ornaments
These are extremely easy to make and a great craft for younger kids to help with.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 teaspoon powdered alum
  • 1.5 cups water

Directions

Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick on pastry sheet with a rolling pin.

Use cookie cutters to cut holiday shapes.

Poke a hole in the top of each ornament with a pencil or nut pick.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for one hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Turn and bake an additional one hour until hard and dry.

Let cool. Sand lightly and decorate with paint, marker or crayons.

Once paint is dry, spray with a clear coat of shellac.

Insert ribbon through hole and hang on your tree.

Visit AmericasCheapestFamily.com for more ways to trim your holiday budget without trimming your holiday fun.