Frugal Crossword Puzzle Gift Idea

This is a frugal holiday or birthday gift idea for people who like crossword puzzles. If you get the daily newspaper, or have a neighbor who does (and doesn't do the crosswords), do this:

Cut out the crossword puzzle, and find the page that has the solution on it. Staple, glue, tape, or otherwise fasten the puzzle and the solution back-to-back so each puzzle has its answers right with it. Collect as many puzzles as you'd like to give. You could one from every newspaper for a year and give it for Christmas or a birthday.

Add a pen, a cheap clipboard or other hard surface, and whatever else you think would go with a bunch of crossword puzzles. Put it in a box and wrap it with (what else?) the Sunday comics.

If your friend gets the same paper you do, ask a neighbor who gets a different paper, or gather old crossword books and cut out the used ones and their solutions.

If they really like a challenge, don't attach the solutions. Either put them in, loose (and they have to sort them out) or don't include them at all.

And when they're done with the puzzles, they can be thrown in the recycling bin (minus the staple or tape.)

Source: I got this idea because I usually keep the section of our newspaper that has the comics, but I kept the whole section. I have slowly been going through them and cutting out the comics I wanted to keep, and any undone crossword puzzles, and of course, I want the solutions, so I attach those, too. So I have this folder of thirty or so crossword puzzles.

By Saber from Omaha, NE