Short on cash? An easy way to keep household spending in check is by looking for creative ways to make the things your family needs rather than always running to the store. Money saving DIY projects include cooking from scratch, raising a vegetable garden, figuring out how to make simple repairs, and making your own gifts for friends and family.
Since I’m an avid gardener, I plan my vegetable garden with the idea that some of my produce will provide me with the raw materials needed for crafting special occasion and holiday gifts. Here’s a few ideas for DIY gifts that you and your family can make:
Potted herb garden
For us gardeners who grow herbs and vegetables from seed, we always seem to end up with more seeds than what we have space for in the garden. One popular DIY garden gift that my friends enjoy receiving is a collection of small herb plants that can be grown in the window sill of their kitchen.
I plant my herb seeds in goofy looking planters found for $1 at thrift stores or at end-of-season clearance sales at my favorite garden center, though have also used small plastic pots and chipped teacups as planters too. It takes about 4-6 weeks to grow a sizeable herb plant suitable for giving, so planning ahead is definitely a must.
Homemade salsa.
Home canned salsa makes a wonderful and inexpensive gift for the relative who enjoys gourmet foods, especially when you grow the veggies yourself. I prepare my salsa using a mix of Roma and yellow pear tomatoes, Anaheim chilies, white onions, and cilantro which are planted June 1 for a late August harvest. Salsa can be home-canned using the water-bath method which is a simple process for a first time canner.
Gourds
Even if you aren’t very artistic, it’s easy to make a birdhouse out of a gourd following the instructions at Birdsandblooms.com. I plant an assortment of “bottle” gourds around June 1 which are harvested in the late fall and allowed to dry before crafting.
Container vegetable garden
Rather than let my extra vegetable seeds go to waste, I’ve recently started planting container gardens for some of my friends who don’t have garden space of their own. Plants such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radishes, green onions, and cucumbers are just a few examples of plants that can be started early in your greenhouse, and then transferred to a large container for gift giving. To keep down the costs, I transplant the vegetables into 10 gallon disposable plastic pots recycled from a neighbor tree planting event.
Decorative jar
Wouldn’t you agree that the color illustrations and photographs found on seed packets are much too pretty to throw away? What I do to recycle these tiny works of art is to decoupage them onto the fronts of Adams peanut butter jars, which are just the right size to hold plant stakes, twine, seeds, and other gardening needs. This simple craft is easy and inexpensive to make, and can be customized with a hand written greeting using write-able paints.
More by this contributor:
Nine ways to score free plants and trees.
How to warm the soil in your vegetable garden.
How gardening with a neighbor can cut your gardening costs.
