Thoughtful and frugal at the same time

There are hundreds of great gifts you can purchase for around $25—gifts that are both thoughtful and frugal at the same time. Put them in an inexpensive basket or wrap them with a pretty ribbon and you'll truly have a beautiful gift—without breaking the bank!

It’s easier than it sounds. Local Montreal stores offer so much variety that you’re certain to find something for everyone on your list.

Got someone on your list who wants a pampering wash but doesn’t have time for a prolonged bubble bath? How about a scrubber and luxury soap in one handy handful? At Sabon, a specialty bath products store at 5033 Sherbrooke St., they not only offer specialty loofas and specialty soaps—they have soap loofas in lychee, lemon ginger, amber and lavender. The loofa bristles are dried in the soap, creating a natural sponge. As a skin conditioner the texture of the loofa stimulates circulation and removes dead skin cells and leaves you skin glowing. Slices of the loofa soap can be cut while you watch from their original cylindrical states shipped all the way from Israel for $7 for 100 grams or three different scents in one bundle for $21.

If that doesn’t hit the jackpot, they offer body butter for $13.50 per 100 grams, made with shea butter, cocoa butter and beeswax. The product comes in a recyclable tin can so you can carry it in your purse and use on the road on your lips, cuticles, and hands no matter where you are. Gift baskets range from $24 to over $100 and you can mix and match items. A soap loofa set and body butter combo would make any woman’s skin tingle.

With ski season fast approaching and cold weather already here, cozy earwarmers and socks are good stocking stuffers. At Lmnop, a children’s clothing store for sizes 0 to 18 years at 4919 Sherbrooke St., Turtlefur earwarmers and Hot Chilly’s socks are both under $15 and the perfect size for stocking stuffings. There are adorable winter hats for infants by Beba Bean in light pinks and blues for $17 that come with optional matching blankets. If you’re looking for something pre-packaged, My First Rubber Ducky kit comes with four wash-cloths and a rubber ducky in either green, blue, pink and purple for $25.

If you’re looking to warm up some bigger hands, Vive La Difference at 5525 Monkland Ave., has 100 per cent wool hand knit gloves from Newfoundland. Wisps of raw wool knitted into the pattern with fluff on the inside help the gloves to form to your hands and give you that extra bit of comfy protection. The design, originally from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland fishermen, is called “thrummed,” and helps your hands stay warm even when the wool is wet. They come in various colors and designs for $30 a pair.

If you’re not likely to get halfway across the world to shop, Vive La Difference is the place to go for other gift ideas as well. Silver hammered costume jewelry from Greece and Turkey, ceramic bowls and plates from Mexico, batiked African mud clothes and cloisonné ornaments from China make wonderful holiday options. Delicate bells made in the style of cloisonné, an ancient metalworking technique with multi-step enamel processes, are $12 and make beautiful unique ornaments—just make sure to keep them separate from the rest of the gifts or they may break!

You can also find an eclectic mix of hand made cards here that are gifts in and of themselves. Ranging from $2.50 to $6.50, hand made cards made by various artists also support fundraising projects based in India, China and Zimbabwe. From golden threaded designs to Christmas trees painted on flattened bottle caps to attached embroidered ornaments, these cards add a heartfelt touch to any gift that double as a much needed contributions to important international human services.

To make the holidays even sweeter, check out Patisserie De Nancy at 5655 Monkland Ave. A variety of 40 different kinds of chocolates are crafted in-house by the owner’s husband and made with unique twists like rosemary and honey, Korean peppers, and Sapote, a dark chocolate-brown bean with a rich sweet flavour. Hollow chocolate ornaments in earth tones make edible and gorgeous gifts—though they may be too beautiful to bite into even after Christmas. Various sizes range from $4 to $8. Big and small cones of petit four, or a variety of home-made cookies fit nicely into stockings for between $5 and $15. The tastiest Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas you’ll ever eat—made out of chocolate—run from $5 to $45. Gift baskets with various fixings are about $20.