Win £200. Festive Fivers Competition 2008: The best Xmas pressies for under £5

Indianna

Name of present? Snake Draft Excluder
Do you make it or buy it? Make it
Total Cost? * Free * may even save the recipient £5 :j

Details (the more the better) Making a draught-excluding snake is a fun way for all the family to get creative. But place your snake by the front door and that's where it really comes into its own. Stopping draughts is the first easy step you can take to insulating your home this winter and saving energy and money (£5).
Recycle old clothes into this snake, you could boil a wool jumper and use the resulting "felt" or use old clothes or an old pillow for stuffing.

Where possible please add a link if it's an online offer - this links to a how to make it video - with lots of ideas
http://snakes.together.com/why.html

NatFeerick

• Name of present? This is Your Life
• Make it or buy it? Make it
• Total Cost? under £2
• Details (the more the better)? All you need for this is a computer, some paper and a bit of imagination. Write a short one page life story of the recipient, where they were born, school, places they lived & worked, significant life events, scan in any pictures you have to go with the stages of their life or if you don't have a scanner leave space to stick these in after printing. Then get a few friends and relations to give you a quote or a paragraph of their favourite memory, funny story or whatever and add these in. On the last page put your own personal message about what the person means to you or has brought to your life. Print the pages out, add a festive 'This is Your Life' cover, staple it at the spine twice (you could stick some ribbon or coloured tape over the staples to posh-it-up) and voila! This has the added benefit of also doubling as your christmas card due to the blurb you added on the final page!!! Really Savvy moneysaving - and a personal gift to treasure forever.

NatFeerick

• Name of present? Christmas Hamper
• Make it or buy it? Make it
• Total Cost? under £5
• Details (the more the better)? Simply get a small cardboard box and cover it with cheap wrapping paper, or silver foil (or if you have an old toilettries basket lying about, use this and cover with cling film at the end). Put scrunched up tissue paper or even newspaper or straw in the bottom of the box then add up to £5-worth of 'edibles' to make a gorgeous money-saving Christmas-nibbles hamper! My suggestions for the contents include: Penny-sweets for a touch of nostalgia, favourite choccie bars, Giant Quality Street Sweets (many places doing 3 for ... offer on these), chocolate coins & mini chocolate santas. Last year I found a supermarket-brand individual Christmas pudding for 99p, so go on, see what you can find for £5!!!

brookeslay

Name of present? Keep warm hamper for elderly
Make it or buy it? buy it make it up primark and home & bargains
Total Cost? under 5.00
Details (the more the better)?

Purchase a £2.00 fleece from primark they do lovely colours. Then buy a mug 50p many stores inc home bargains. Add sachets of hot chocolate wrap and some homemade shortbread with ribbon. Add Some tins of soups and a bowl 49p Home& bargains. Add a book from boot sale/ charity shop.

Shortbread recipe

If the movie doesn't play, you may need to download the free Flash plug-in. BBCi WebWise has a step-by-step guide to help you.Ingredients
125g/4oz butter
55g/2oz caster sugar
180g/6oz plain flour


Method
1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
2. Beat the butter and the sugar together until pale.
3. Stir in the flour to get a smooth paste. Turn on to a work surface and gently roll out until the paste is 1cm/½in thick.
4. Cut into rounds or fingers and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Put on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pale golden. Cool on a wire rack.

NatFeerick

Name of present? Recycled Gifts
Make it or buy it? Neither
Total Cost? FREE
Details (the more the better)? We all get presents we don't want....simply re-distribute them to other people at the next birthday or christmas. To do this effectively you need to make sure you keep a note with the gift of who gave it to you, and try not to pass it on to someone who might have been aware you received it as a gift yourself originally, but I have been doing this for years and never been caught! It's ecologically sound...after all, its recycling isn't it?!

NatFeerick

Name of present? Free Gift Bonanza
Make it or buy it? Neither
Total Cost? FREE - with a bit of nouse and planning!
Details (the more the better)? Throughout the year, I make smart purchases where there are offers of free gifts or things thrown in for dramatically reduced cost. Last year I gave my mother perfume for Christmas - it had been £5 with another purchase, but would have retailed at 4 times that normally. She thought she got an expensive bottle of scent - I got a bargain. Avon do a lot of deals such as a free bag with certain purchases, buy one get one free (you count the free one in your festive fiver quest!), also, my one indulgence is make up foundation from Estee Lauder online - but I almost always get a free gift, and if not then I make sure I time my purchases for when there IS a free gift on offer. I currently have 3 make-up bags in my present draw filled with miniature lotions & full-size lippy & eyeshadows! They even have a miniature perfume spray each. So that's 3 xmas pressies sorted for nowt...and its only November!

Mrs_P_7

Name of present? Sand Art Brownies
Make it or buy it? Make it
Total Cost? under £5 (depends what quality ingredients you buy)
Details ? Take a clean wide mouthed jar and layer the following ingredients in an attractive way:
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 + 1/8 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Choc. Chips
1/2 cup Vanilla Chips
1/2 cup nuts
This should pack nicely into jar.
Include a decorative tag (could personalise) with instructions for making the brownies:
Combine contents of jar with:
1tsp vanilla
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes.

Cover lid with xmassy material/ribbons etc - voila! I guess you could use any cake/cookie recipe but everyone loves brownies!

DAVROV

The Works a book shop who have branches throughout the country, have Pirates of the Caribbean adventure sets for children at £4.99
Lots for kids around 5-8 years to keep them occupied.

KARENW_3

• Name of present? BOTTLE OF BAILEYS 50CL
• Do you make it or buy it? BUY IT
• Total Cost? £5
• Details AVIALABLE AT ASDA NOW. SMALLER THAN A NORMAL BOTTLE WHICH IS 75CL BUT STILL A DECENT SIZE AT HALF A LITRE

halses

Name of Present: Personalised Christmas calenders

Make or Buy?: Make and Buy

Total cost: £4.78

Details: go to www.vistaprint.co.uk/amazon2009 upload 13 photos (one for the cover and 12 for the months) You can even add specific details on dates.
The calender is 0.99p the postage is £3.08 and the VAT is 71p.
You can select the style of the calender but beware because some styles cost money.
It's lovely I've done it for the OH.