2023 thus far has been a year of major shifts and seismic events for my family and I. One of those major shifts includes budgeting – strictly and aggressively. My oldest son is entering his last year of elementary school, and I still have a decent amount of debt and very little savings. This has been weighing on me quite heavily for a couple of years now, so this year I decided that enough is enough. I am going to crack down on my spending and use creative strategies to save my hard-earned money!
One of those creative strategies is through gift-giving. Previously, I have always spent money on gifts without thinking too much about it. Why should I, when people have been so generous toward my family and I over the years? But when you take into account the multiple birthday parties my children were attending each month, plus holidays, family birthdays, teacher gifts, mother’s and father’s days – a LOT of money was being spent on gifts.
There are other, just as beautiful ways to gift others.
I still budget for gifts, of course. I believe in generosity, although generosity can be shown in many ways, including being generous with your your efforts and good intentions.
That’s why this year, for our end-of-school-year teacher gifts, I decided to make some delicious (and easy to make!) homemade fudge. This recipe has become a family favourite. I’ve shared it for you at the bottom of this post! Take a look at just how much we’ve used this recipe. This paper has sure met it’s share of sticky hands!
This fudge is so easy to make. All you need is a mixer, a microwave, 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of brown sugar, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a 9×9 pan. I’m all about ease when it comes to cooking and baking. No complicated recipes for me, thank you!
This only takes about a total of 10 minutes to make. Then you set it in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours. The outcome is SO GOOD you guys. No one would believe it took you 10 minutes!
I like to package the fudge up for gifting with a home-y, natural look. Fudge just feels very “good old-fashioned”, so I like to wrap up up with that look and feel. I tucked a napkin underneath each pack, and wrapped them in plastic wrap. This both prevents it from getting too gooey and sticky, but also prevents it from drying out. Then, I wrap a layer of parchment paper around it.
For the final touches, I wrapped a natural colour twine around it and then wrote a little note on a gift tag. Both of these items were purchased from the Dollarama craft aisle quite a while back, so I happened to have them handy. You can easily purchase both of these for under $6 CAD at Dollarama.
There you have it – easy-peasy, budget-friendly, delicious and thoughtful end-of-year gifts! I am so grateful for the efforts of the kids’ teachers. The least I can do is offer them something delish that I made with love in my own kitchen.
Recipe – Microwave Brown Sugar Fudge
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of butter (softened)
- 2 Cups of packed brown sugar
- 1 can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients in a microwavable bowl
- Put in the microwave at 2 minute intervals, for a total of 10 minutes (taking out and stirring at each interval)
- Be careful removing the bowl to stir, as it will get quite hot – you will need a towel or oven mitts!
- After 10 total minutes of microwaving, mix the fudge with a stand or hand mixer on medium, for 5 minutes
- Carefully pour into a 8×8 or 9×9 pan (I prefer Pyrex ) and set in the fridge for 2 hours minimum
- Cut into 1 inch cubes and enjoy!
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