Have yourself a frugal little Christmas

This year has brought a lot of financial worries. Even those of us who are in good shape are worried about the future, so it looks like we’re looking for ways to spend less on the winter holidays. Here are some inexpensive crafty gift and decor suggestions.

Instructables tells you how to make grocery bag jewelry – that’s jewelry you make by melting old pasting grocery bags with an iron and then manipulating them like a craft medium. This is a great, clever, eco-friendly gift friends and family will appreciate. Be sure to follow all the safety precautions.

Want a really different holiday greeting card this year? Make these balsa wood cards from Instructables. They may not be practical for mailing out, but they’re gorgeous as decorations for your home or the home of someone you’re visiting this year.

If you’re mailing cash in lieu of gifts, you can spend several bucks on a greeting card designed for the purpose, or make your own money-holder greeting card with this tutorial, also from Instructables.

What about snacks? Elsie Marley has adapted a Martha Stewart recipe for meringue snowmen. These are cute, sure to be delicious, and can be made fairly frugally.

Kelly Wilkinson of Make Grow Gather wrote up instructions for five (frugal) homemade gifts for SFGate.

And feel free to recycle Sarah’s ideas for Frugal but Thoughtful Mother’s Day Gifts, many of which can be adapted for other relatives and other holidays.

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