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 have always loved to make things so 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,

candy, gum. Anything I found that would fit. I would

often buy in bulk and divide the items between 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, and I had a great gift!This idea would also work using recycled boxes or tins.

Garage sales are a good place to pick up tins of all

sizes and colors. Just spray paint if needed. You don't

even have to decorate the top or sides, just wrap ribbon

or raffia around the tin and tie a bow on top. 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 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,even scraps of fabric. Look for yarn and pieces

of lace or other trim to use instead of ribbon. In other

words, 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!Helping you live the good life. . . on a budget!

Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another"

bi-weekly e-newsletter and founder of the website of the same name.

Visit http://www. cynroberts. com to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the e-newsletter and receive the free e-course "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill".

Author:
Cyndi Roberts