Cool, Thrifty Gift Baskets & Radio Chat

Frugal Duchess on the Radio


Hey! If you have time on Monday, join me at www.wlrn.org. Hit the "listen now" button on WLRN's website.

I'll be chatting live on the radio with Joseph Cooper, host of Topical Currents at 1 pm on December 5. It's an hour show: Eastern Standard Time.

My frugal buddy Melisa Neuman, another newspaper columnist, will also be on the show.

During the show, you can email questions or comments. We want to hear from you!!!

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Budget-Friendly Holiday Baskets

At prices of $50 and higher, many gift baskets are budget
busters. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to assemble gift baskets filled
with skin care products, high-end chocolates or holiday trinkets.

From drug stores to craft stores, the marketplace is filled with empty
containers and baskets at low prices. For example, this week through
December 3, the entire basket collection is half off at some locations of Michael's, a chain of craft stores. And beyond baskets, there are other containers. Empty potters stuffed with garden gloves, seed packets and related items can be bundled together as a holiday package for a gardener, according to the December issue of For Me magazine.

Or consider: a mixing bowl packed with fresh baked cookies, recipes and assorted kitchen tools and a large clear cosmetic bag stuffed with body creams, elaborate soaps and other day spa treats.

Discount retail chains such as Marshall's, Ross Stores and others regularly fill their clearance aisles with expensive personal care products at steep discounts.Other specialty stores also feature rotating sales of chocolates, wines, cheeses and other gourmet treats that are perfect for holiday baskets. Just add the cellophane and the bow.