(Garden City Telegram, The (KS) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 28--A thin layer of almond bark hardens on the plump and round maraschino cherries aligned on the parchment paper in Corrine Adams' quaint kitchen.

This is the second year the Garden City resident is making several batches of her chocolate-covered cherries to share with loved ones this Christmas -- ingredients she shops for throughout the year so she and her family can budget for the holiday season.

"I start thinking about it earlier in the year, so that when I find things on sale, I can get them," Adams said, while stirring the liquefied chocolate before it hardened in her stove top saucepan.

The mother and wife who runs a day care out of her home said she's already looking online for ideas to package her holiday treats, to save money and come up with creative presentation ideas. Later in December, she'll begin working on peppermint candies, eggnog tea cakes and Chex party mixes to gift to family and friends.

"I like to bake, and when I give a gift like this I think it comes from the heart," she said, adding that her family gets to enjoy whatever is left over. "Of course, I always make too much!" But gift-giving can be a challenge and pricey, too. After the holidays, thousands of Americans find themselves in financial trouble and need to think ahead if they want to control costs, said Linda Beech, Finney County Extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

"Around the holidays, the easy response is to charge it all on a credit card," Beech said. "I want people to reverse that, to save ahead of time and then spend those dollars." The holidays are fleeting, but debt can remain a long time and dampen the holiday spirit. Beech recommended that families pencil ahead of time what they'll need to spend during the holidays, including their travel expenses, costs associated with entertaining including food and gifts, and shipping and wrapping expenses. In addition, they shouldn't forget about other end-of-year expenses such as property taxes, charitable contributions and winter car maintenance, she said.

Only with the costs mapped out can families then make wise decisions about appropriate spending, she said.

"A little escapism is lovely, but that can all come crashing down when the bills come in January," Beech said.

Gifts from the heart Under the shadow of a still sluggish economy, retailers are about to embark on a holiday season of the serious bargain hunter.

According to the National Retail Federation, a pro-retail trade association based in the nation's capital, about two-thirds of Americans say the economy will affect their holiday plans this year, with the majority of consumers saying they're adjusting by simply spending less this season.

The average adult in the Midwest plans to spend $630 on holiday-related expenses this time of year, according to the latest NRF retail survey.

However, some gift-givers lie outside of the national trends and, instead, have fiscally-creative ideas.

If Gladys Ballinger were to purchase gifts for all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the 90-year-old Garden City resident would have to purchase 52 presents. She has 20 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchilden -- with one more on the way.

Instead, the craftswoman and crocheter knits and knots her way through presents. She's known for gifting handmade scrubbers, made from netted fabric that she buys by the yard and crotchets into a round sponge-like tool.

"You scrub your dishes with it, you scrub your potatoes with it, and anything else you can find," Ballinger said. "My kids find a lot of things. Some of them said put them in the shower and scrub the bottom." Last year, they wanted pot holders, so she made dozens of those. Though they take a lot longer to make than the scrubbers, she's always happy to make one for a gift, she said.

Then there are the homemade dishrags, the knitted slippers and scarves and the other gifts for family stitched and sewn from her overflowing drawers of yarn and fabric. The projects keep her hands busy, as well as her mind, she said.

"Even if I did buy gifts, I don't know what to buy whenever I go to the store. What the heck am I going to get 'em all?" Ballinger said and laughed.

Garden City resident Margaret Renick, 80, feels like she was born baking, the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters and mother of six said.

That also translates to a lot of of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom she bakes for year round and makes special treats for around the holidays, including peanut brittle and pies.

"I can make enchiladas, but there's so many people around here who know how to make the real thing, I try not to compete with them," Renick said and laughed.

Making a list, checking it twice Instead of spending a bundle on buying gifts, Beech recommends some of the following homemade gifts that give a person's time and care, rather than cash: a typed set of favorite family recipes, a scrapbook of memories or coupons for chores, or an outing to the movies or a shared special meal that involves the entire family.

In addition, gifts that can be given to the entire family such as a DVD player or gaming system can cut down on the number of individual presents that need to be purchased and wrapped or shipped.

"In my family last year, we eliminated sibling-to-sibling gifts to cut down on our costs, and just focused on being together," Beech said. "It's really easy to get a narrow vision of what Christmas is about if you focus on gifts, and in my own family we try to focus on service to others and worship." To see more of The Garden City Telegram or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.gctelegram.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Garden City Telegram, Kan.

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