Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Home made versus hand made

I read somewhere that when you give a home made gift, you should call it "hand made," and that makes sense to me.

It's true that "home made" sounds... well, almost tacky, while "hand made" sounds exclusive and special! We frugal folks might as well take advantage of people's perceptions.

That reminds me of how saving money can be considered tacky or special, too. We can look at it either way, and the way we present it to our families can make a difference as to how they accept our frugal ways.

Being frugal is sometimes a lonely place to be, so it makes sense to use all the tricks we can to show others that ours is a logical, legitimate and empowering lifestyle.

There's nothing tacky about that.

2 comments:

  1. I work hard at making gifts. When I make a gift, and I do so to save money as well as creativity, I make the gift as perfectly as I am able. I make sure I have learned the skill well before I even consider making it for someone other than myself. When I think of "home made," I think of and item that was put together with little thought of the recipient; it was poorly made. I prefer to use the term, "hand crafted" although "hand made" has similar connotations. I may not be able to give of my finances, but I am able to give a part of myself!

    Gigi

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  2. I agree with Gigi; "hand crafted" sounds even better than "hand made."

    I'm hopeless as a crafter, but I often take my bargain gifts out of Dollar General (or similar) packaging. I like to "do it up right" with ribbon, shirt boxes with fresh tissue, beautiful baskets--all free or from yard sales. A little time really makes an inexpensive gift look great!

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