Frugal Intuition

The post about handmade ornaments is forthcoming after this weekend when I pull all our decorations down and can take pictures of the ones I’ve made in the past.  In it’s stead I offer another inexpensive Christmas gift for those on your list.

Remember back in the day before CDs when mix tapes were a serious sign of love?  If you’re too young to remember that, don’t tell me.  And please, no cracks about the 80s.  Anyway, in our current age of ditigal music, when all computers pretty much come standard with a CD or DVD burner, mix CDs are a fantastic gift.  Two of my alltime favorite CDs were gifts from a close friend of mine–one is a Christmas mix she made me back in college and the other she made for my wedding.  CD-Rs can be bought relatively cheaply at Walmart, and you can easily rip music from your own CDs with Windows Media Player or other free players such as Winamp or GOM .

Then it’s a simple matter of choosing your theme (or artist) and going to town.  The mixes that are the most fun really suit the personality of the recipient, so give it some thought.  Make a list of that person’s favorite songs or songs that make you think of them.  You can fit nearly 80 minutes of audio on a single CD-R, so you’ve got plenty of room to express yourself.

Then play around and make yourself an insert for the case.  There are templates online for the proper size.

Wrap and add a bow or pop it in a gift bag and voila!  You’ve got a personalized and very inexpensive gift that’s going to bring your friend or family member pleasure for years to come.

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