Make beautiful gifts by mixing items from the grocery and dollar stores

Hot chocolate gift sets abound this year. They consist of a small tin of hot chocolate mix, a package of miniature marshmallows, a mug and a mini whisk and cost around $10. I like to put a dollar store spin on gift ideas I've seen elsewhere and thought it would be fun to expand the idea with some chocolate treats to enjoy with the hot chocolate.

Unfortunately, you can't always find just the right things you need for a gift by shopping at the dollar store. What I did find was two glass mugs, a 10 3/4 inch-long gold metal tray, a two-pack of mini whisks, a small metal tin, a bag of miniature marshmallows and two Toblerone chocolate bars. I spent $7.30 as the chocolate bars are 65 cents each where I shop. To these I added a small package of chocolate covered butter biscuits and a tin of a popular hot chocolate mix, both bought at the local grocery store and spent just under $8. I filled the small tin with miniature marshmallows, tied a whisk to the handle of one of the mugs and added a sprig of greenery to the other side of the tray for balance. As a gift to be shared, I spent less than $7.45 per person and the tin of hot chocolate will last a lot longer than the ones included in similar gift sets. Also, I've still got most of a bag of marshmallows left.