If holiday shopping has you overwhelmed, putting together homemade presents can not only save you money, but de-stress your mind as well.  Crafting is fun and relaxing, and can even help you get rid of clutter you didn't know what to do with.  Gifts comprised of re-gifted items, thrifted and homemade pieces are sentimental, affordable, and good for the environment because they promote recycling.  Regardless of what you can afford, a little effort can turn a few small gifts into a homemade gift package.

The following gifts take some effort, but only a little bit of cash.  All you need is $5-20 per present and a weekend to hit flea markets, drugstores and dollar stores.  To keep gifts thoughtful and not looking like grab bags of extra junk, come up with a theme for each of these DIY gift ideas.  Whether based on a single color or a favorite band, a central theme keeps everything tied neatly together. 

If you have a little extra to spend, try adding a gift card or a couple bills of cash to your homemade items - especially good for hard-to-please teens.

Makeup Bag

Dollar stores and thrift shops sell brand new makeup bags - I've found gorgeous Clinique zip-bags in $1 bins.  One Chrismas I gave my younger sister a few strands of thrifted pearls and other jewelry inside a pink makeup wallet with a great texture.

Some purposefully-selected beauty samples - use your brain; no anti-wrinkle cream for your young niece and no glitter gloss for Grandma - and a few drugstore makeup items give girls something new to play with on Christmas day.  Print up a list of links or copies of Sparkle articles to help out a beauty novice or inspire a cosmetics lover.

Jar & Food and Drink Gifts

Jar Gifts are popular among crafty types and can be filled with anything from candy (sugar-free for dieters and diabetics will make you look all the more thoughtful) to beauty supplies.  Preteens will love a jar of stickers, buttons and cheap lip glosses.  For older friends and fam try a jar of pretty colored hard candy or bath beads.

For your jar, shop around thrift stores for cheap and unique colors and designs, clean well, and wrap with ribbon.  Sparkle spray paint or hot-glued rhinestones reinforce the theme of your gift.

A quick Google search of  "jar gifts" will bring up a list of recipes that can be packed in a jar.  There are drink mixes, spices, even soups.  (You will also find non-edible recipes, such as homemade bath salts and soaks.)

Above: Kadance's Peppermint Stick Cocoa mix.

The holidays are all about unhealthy food, so consider mixing up healthier treats as well.  A jar of clove sticks and cider mix with no sugar added allows your gift recipient to sweeten each drink to taste.

Other options include wrapping a nice bag of coffee with a new coffee mug, which you can also pack with clove stir sticks.  And of course, I know I would love getting an alcoholic drink mix package.

Photo Frames

Sentimental gifts are the cheapskate's best friend, let's be honest.  A thrifted or just plain cheap photo frame can be spiced up with stickers, gems, textures, or just a fresh coat of paint.  Your favorite photo with your mother or best friend is sure to be cherished in a carefully handmade frame.  Skip this present for boyfriends as it's a bit stalkerish if you haven't been together long.  Also skip if you're just bad at crafts - the people you love will still display your gift proudly, but it's just embarrassing.

Homemade Spa Package

Make your own bath salts in a jar, or re-gift beauty items you never got around to using.  If you're a beauty fanatic, you undoubtedly have a jar of never-used bath beads or unopened body spray.  You can also hit up the dollar store for cheap but pampering products.  While facial products and body lotions are generally a no-no when it comes to buying cheap, foot products are a great way to splurge without really splurging.  Your neighborhood Dollar Tree probably has foot lotions, foot soak crystals, maybe even some pedicure booties.  Hot rocks can be microwaved wrapped in a warm towel - include some from the craft store with written instructions.  If the package recipient follows trends, work the gift around a trendy color of nail polish.