Festive Fivers Competition: The best Xmas pressies for under £5

DaisyClaire

• Name of present? A Pinata
  
• Do you make it or buy it? Make it
  
• Total Cost? However much you want to spend on sweets to fill and assuming you have the other bits laying around the house.
  
• Details (the more the better) A great gift for children especially siblings. A fun game an a present all in one! There are several places online you can find instuctions, but I will include this one http://video.about.com/familycrafts/How-to-Make-a-Pinata.htm
  

You could label the sweets as well incase you are making this for siblings who may squabble. The kids can whack the hell out of it and then gobble the sweets all for the cost of the actual sweets themselves! (and maybe a bit of crepe paper but you could paint or stick pictures on as well)

cantcope

Name of present? Magazine Subscription
Do you make it or buy it? Buy it
Total Cost? Free with tesco clubcard vouchers
Details (the more the better)
you can redeem your tesco clubcard vouchers for loads of 12 month magazine subscriptions. I've just used some of mine to get my friend a 12 month subs to a baby mag as she has just found out she's expecting. By ordering it now she will get her first issue in December, so although its early its a present that will carry on all year long. You can request that it is delivered to a different address to your own as a gift (my friend is 100 miles away). This way every time the mag drops on her doorstep she will remember her xmas gift too

hex2

Name of present? Slate Plant Labels Gift Set
Do you make it or buy it? Make it
Total Cost? £2.50 for a slate from local builders yard, £1.75 for a slate pencil plus cellophane bag and raffia/curling ribbon.
Details (the more the better) Use a tile cutter to cut a roofing slate into 10 x 2.5cm pieces for use as plant labels. Put ten in a cellophane bag with a slate marking pencil. Tie with raffia or curling ribbon. See website below for similar and a source of slate pencils. Nice gift for a gardener.
Where possible please add a link if it's an online offer
http://www.theessentialscompany.co.uk/Slate_Labels.html

jenny_hullock

Name of present: Grow It & Give It with a RecipeDo you make it or buy it: Grow itTotal Cost: About £1.50 for the purchase of the initial artichokesDetails: Too late for this Christmas but next year perhaps!Kids will love to grow their own Jerusalem Artichokes over the summer. (They are related to sunflowers and need very little care and attention). Firstly you need to buy some from a grocers and plant them in the spring (just like potatoes). When they are ready to harvest (ie a year from now, Nov/Dec/Jan) dig some up to give away with a recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke Soup. (Contact me again if you need the recipe). Dig some up to give to a granny/granda/ whoever, with the recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke soup. Or you could give a few more and they could start to grow their own too.

morwenna

Name of Present Freebies!
Do you make it or buy it? Buy it (sort of)
Total cost Free
Details: I buy any clothing from La Redoute; they send many many offers through. I get any free offers during the year (only for necessary purchases of clothes, you have to be disciplined!) and put them away for presents. I have had a lot this way, handbags, suede jackets, luggage etc. I am sure other catologue offers would work too. I don't have a "personal account" just pay for

https://www.laredoute.co.uk

Lurleene

• Name of present? MSE user friendly badges!

• 

Link:- http://www.mpawson.demon.co.uk/bdgfive.html

• Do you make it or buy it? Buy it, although I am sure they would be very easy to make yourself when armed with a badge maker and printer. And far more MSE:D
• Total Cost? £3 if bought.

• Details (the more the better) Great badges available online, and v funny too! Lots more badge packs available in different styles as well, with messages to suit anyone you'd care to buy for e.g party princesses, environmentalists etc!

caffinated_geek

Name Of The Present- Christmasy fort/tent
Do you make it or buy it- Make it
Total cost-£5
Details-This can be a romantic gift. Take as many old sheets as you can find and make a tent or fort. Put the matress from your bed in it (you could also drag the tv in there and watch a favourite movie) and decorate the fort with any Christmas decorations you have lying around (farie lights are good as long as you keep an eye on them, you could also use cardboard and orange paper to make a pretend fire). Then spend £5 on a picnick my favourite includes mini donuts you can get from any asda or sainsburies for a couple of pounds and melted chocolate. Then stay in the fort for as long as you'd like.
You've got the perfect christmasy night in.

culpepper

name :motto mug
make it or buy it :make with bought things
total cost :about £3.50
buy a plain mug (50 pence in willko's,woollies etc)
buy a ceramic pen from hobbycraft or art shop (around £2.99)
Use the pen to write a motto or saying for the recipient.It can be an in joke,fun saying for work,message from the grandchildren etc or you can draw a relevant picture.
Put mug in oven re the instructions on the pen to make it dishwasher proof.
Wrap in the paper it was wrapped in by the shop and then a piece of recycled cellophane.

BigMummaF

Scour the charity shops!
I found 3 designer label men's shirts for under a fiver each, AND I've supported the charities!
Just a quick wash & press, & they'll not know any difference........well, yes they will cuz they know me too well!!

duchy

Personalised mug with your own photo printed on it
Great for grandparents (photo of the grandkids)
Friends (I just got one for my friend using a photo of her with her favourite celebrity-it was a real photo but I guess with a bit of computer magic you could manipulate an image to include the person of their dreams)
Loads of options and every one a personal memory or with a personal meaning.
Snapfish £7.99 but through Quidco £3.50 cashback for first order so definitely under a fiver and keeping to the MSE ethos.