Mulliga's Christmas Spectacular - Holiday Gifts On A (Really Tight) Budget

Every time December rolls around, things get festive here at Shangrila Towers. This holiday season is no different, and we're rolling out Yuletide posts all the way up to Christmas Day. Today, we'll look at holiday gift ideas that come well under the $5 mark, thanks to the almighty power of your local dollar store:

Snowman Soup in a Christmas Mug


This is one of those can't-miss gifts for your co-workers - after all, who doesn't enjoy sipping a beverage from a novelty mug now and again? Your local dollar store carries a wide variety of mugs - grab as many as you can, stuff 'em with packets of cocoa, marshmallows, Hershey's Kisses, and candy canes, and you have a great informal gift for a cold winter morning.

Obscure Hardcover Books


With the millions of titles available in the modern world, the problem isn't purchasing a book, but figuring out which one to read in the first place. If you need a thrifty gift for the booklover on your list, the dollar store has a rack of hardcover selections - a mix of fiction and nonfiction. Filter through the dreck (trust me, no one wants to read a biography of Harry Reid), find books that look like they might be palatable, and read through them to make sure they're decent. For the price of a single paperback from Borders, you can give someone a half dozen books - odds are, the recipient will like at least one of them.

Super Cheap Toys

Here's a little secret for cash-strapped parents: kids under the age of five can't tell the difference between the $6 action figure you bought at Wally World and the $1 figure you bought from Dollar Tree (not surprising, since they're both made in China). Grab $10 worth of the best toys you can find, put 'em in a box, and watch the kiddies find happiness with army men and paddle balls on Christmas morning.

Mini Survival Kit

If you look around, you can find lots of inexpensive interesting items for the preparedness-minded individual in your life - mini sewing kits, knives, toiletries, food items. Pack a few of them up with an Altoids tin for a great little stocking stuffer. Mega-sentimental-value bonus points if you offer to teach them how to use the items, too.