Whether you're trying to find your babysitter a Christmas gift, or your sister a little Valentine's Day gift, or your child's teacher a Thank You gift, there are times when you have to come up with an idea that won't break your budget. If your family is like most, your finances are bleak and gift giving is one luxury you can't afford anymore.
We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving. We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts. But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do? I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.
My favorite heartfelt gift is food, chocolate in particular. If you have a little bit of time, you can create some pretty fancy chocolate treats with very little money. A little bit of chocolate goes a long way when you use it to create nut clusters or coconut haystacks, or any number of fun, simple treats. Anyone would think you just paid a fortune when you present them with some pretty chocolate delicacies.
Chocolate gifts aren't as hard to make as you might think. With a little practice, you can create marvelous confectionery delights that will thrill your friends and family and make you the talk of the town! This is a fancy chocolate treat that no one makes for themselves, so it is the perfect gift.
Chocolate Dipped Coffee Spoons
If your gift recipient likes a nice, hot cup of coffee, then they'll like it even better with a little spoon of chocolate. This is a gift that both men and women love.
Get ready with these items:
Purchase some heavy duty plastic spoons. You may even wish to check out some flea markets or thrift stores for silver spoons that are pretty. Either way, make sure they're nice and clean.
In the baking aisle of your grocery store, you will find milk chocolate coating. This is the chocolate you'll want to use. Don't use the Real Chocolate as it is way too fussy and you don't want to worry about it not turning out right.
Peppermint oil flavor and other goodies like peppermint candy are good additions to the chocolate spoons and add yet another fancy element to them. You may also wish to sprinkle on some little candies like you would buy for sugar cookie decorations.
Parchment paper is a must for covering the cookie sheets. Do not use waxed paper. Warm chocolate has a tendency to stick to waxed paper. The parchment paper will make your finished product a lot easier to handle, and your clean-up a bit nicer, too.
I recommend that since you're giving a gift of food, buy the proper wrapping. Look in your candy making section of any craft store for clear cellophane candy bags in a size to fit the spoon, leaving some of the handle sticking out. You'll also want to find some ribbon and raffia to tie the package closed and to decorate the gift.
The process is simple:
Place a large pot of water on stove, bring to boil and turn off heat. Meanwhile, cut your chocolate into small pieces and melt by placing in a small heavy pot inside the larger pot of water that has boiled. When chocolate starts to melt around the edges, remove from hot water and stir with a rubber spatula or big wooden spoon until all the chocolate has melted. Be careful that you don't splash any of the water from the big pan into the small pan.
When the chocolate is melted down, take a spoon and carefully dip it into the chocolate, hanging on to the handle, and place it on parchment paper on your tray or cookie sheet. Now is the time to add any decorations like sprinkles or crushed peppermints. Then continue dipping each spoon and decorating. When you are done, take your cookie sheet full of spoons and place it in a cold area. You can put them in a freezer or refrigerator but don't let them stay in there because they will get moist. If you do use the freezer or refrigerator, take them out in just a few minutes and let them totally set up somewhere dry.
Now your chocolate is set and you are ready to wrap your spoons up. Begin by placing each spoon in a candy bag that you purchased. Tie a piece of raffia, or gift wrap ribbon, or other pretty material on each bag around the handle so that the bag is closed securely. You may wish to tie more ribbon or some decorations on the bag, even a peppermint candy cane, or anything that makes your spoon gift more festive.
You have now completed a gift that anyone would be thrilled to receive. Don't you feel good knowing that you used your creativity and time to make a personal gift for someone you care about? This is not just any gift... it's a gift you gave from your heart.
We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving. We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts. But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do? I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.
My favorite heartfelt gift is food, chocolate in particular. If you have a little bit of time, you can create some pretty fancy chocolate treats with very little money. A little bit of chocolate goes a long way when you use it to create nut clusters or coconut haystacks, or any number of fun, simple treats. Anyone would think you just paid a fortune when you present them with some pretty chocolate delicacies.
Chocolate gifts aren't as hard to make as you might think. With a little practice, you can create marvelous confectionery delights that will thrill your friends and family and make you the talk of the town! This is a fancy chocolate treat that no one makes for themselves, so it is the perfect gift.
Chocolate Dipped Coffee Spoons
If your gift recipient likes a nice, hot cup of coffee, then they'll like it even better with a little spoon of chocolate. This is a gift that both men and women love.
Get ready with these items:
Purchase some heavy duty plastic spoons. You may even wish to check out some flea markets or thrift stores for silver spoons that are pretty. Either way, make sure they're nice and clean.
In the baking aisle of your grocery store, you will find milk chocolate coating. This is the chocolate you'll want to use. Don't use the Real Chocolate as it is way too fussy and you don't want to worry about it not turning out right.
Peppermint oil flavor and other goodies like peppermint candy are good additions to the chocolate spoons and add yet another fancy element to them. You may also wish to sprinkle on some little candies like you would buy for sugar cookie decorations.
Parchment paper is a must for covering the cookie sheets. Do not use waxed paper. Warm chocolate has a tendency to stick to waxed paper. The parchment paper will make your finished product a lot easier to handle, and your clean-up a bit nicer, too.
I recommend that since you're giving a gift of food, buy the proper wrapping. Look in your candy making section of any craft store for clear cellophane candy bags in a size to fit the spoon, leaving some of the handle sticking out. You'll also want to find some ribbon and raffia to tie the package closed and to decorate the gift.
The process is simple:
Place a large pot of water on stove, bring to boil and turn off heat. Meanwhile, cut your chocolate into small pieces and melt by placing in a small heavy pot inside the larger pot of water that has boiled. When chocolate starts to melt around the edges, remove from hot water and stir with a rubber spatula or big wooden spoon until all the chocolate has melted. Be careful that you don't splash any of the water from the big pan into the small pan.
When the chocolate is melted down, take a spoon and carefully dip it into the chocolate, hanging on to the handle, and place it on parchment paper on your tray or cookie sheet. Now is the time to add any decorations like sprinkles or crushed peppermints. Then continue dipping each spoon and decorating. When you are done, take your cookie sheet full of spoons and place it in a cold area. You can put them in a freezer or refrigerator but don't let them stay in there because they will get moist. If you do use the freezer or refrigerator, take them out in just a few minutes and let them totally set up somewhere dry.
Now your chocolate is set and you are ready to wrap your spoons up. Begin by placing each spoon in a candy bag that you purchased. Tie a piece of raffia, or gift wrap ribbon, or other pretty material on each bag around the handle so that the bag is closed securely. You may wish to tie more ribbon or some decorations on the bag, even a peppermint candy cane, or anything that makes your spoon gift more festive.
You have now completed a gift that anyone would be thrilled to receive. Don't you feel good knowing that you used your creativity and time to make a personal gift for someone you care about? This is not just any gift... it's a gift you gave from your heart.
About the Author:
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom and owner of ShowMomtheMoney.com - a fun and informative resource to help moms achieve success working from home. She welcomes you to learn more ways to save money in her Frugal Meal Tips section. Be sure to sign up for her free lessons for work at home moms.
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