DIY Homemade Gift Idea: Seasoning Jars W/ Free Printable

Autism parents know there are a lot people needed in your tribe. You want to acknowledge your appreciation for everyone who works with your child all year long when it comes holiday time. As we all know, affording autism means it’s not possible to buy them all a gift. You can still give them something but you have to be creative. DIY seasoning jars fit the bill perfectly.

DIY seasoning jars evolved from a particularly frugal Christmas when we wanted to share a gift with a person but didn’t necessarily have money to spend. Bonus points that homemade seasonings don’t have all those yucky preservatives in them that aren’t healthy in any way shape or form. Scroll down to the end of this post to get your free tag printables to make them epic!

Ultra bonus points if the gifted person happens to be gluten free as lots of those mixes have to be avoided by those with celiac. We use these DIY seasoning mixes all the time in Autismland.

What makes this idea all the more wonderful and frugal is to reuse old jars to make them. A caper jar or a pickle jar washed out and decorated is an excellent lesson in recycling for your homeschool.  All year long, we save our jars in anticipation of turning them into homemade seasoning jars. Goo Gone gets labels off in a snap.

The children are very diligent in washing the jars out then setting them in their appointed spot. We saved the bigger ones for things like taco seasoning or onion soup mix that one would use on a more frequent basis. When we moved to Arizona,  all the would be DIY seasoning jars wouldn’t fit in the 16 foot moving truck. This meant that we needed to buy the jars from Amazon if we wanted to make them that year.

VERONES Mason Jars Canning Jars, 4 OZ Jelly Jars With Regular Lids, Ideal for Jam, Honey, Wedding Favors, Shower Favors, Baby Foods, DIY Magnetic Spice Jars, 40 PACK3 oz Small Glass Jars With Airtight Lids, Glass Spice Jars – Leak Proof Rubber Gasket and Hinged Lid for Home and Kitchen, Small Glass Containers with Lids for Party Favors (12 Pack)Glass Favor Jars With Cork Lids – Mason Jar Wedding Favors Apothecary Jars Honey Pot Bottles With Personalized Label Tags and String – 3.4oz [12pc Bulk Set] Ideal For Spices, Candy and Candle Making

Here comes the fun part. We spend one afternoon putting together the mixes needed for each jar. The next afternoon is spent assembling the jars. All we do that afternoon is put the jars together. The next day, we decorate the tags as well as  cut out the fabric squares for the lids. On the final day, we add all tags and fabric squares to the jars.

I know this seems like it was a long drawn out process. I break it down into manageable steps for us to be able to reasonably do in a small amount of time. We do spend 5+ hours at dance every weekday after all. It’s also broken down into increments to make it successful for Logan. His success is our success.

I don’t know about you but I always get these grand ideas at Christmas time then try to do all in one afternoon. It never fails that I get frustrated at the lack of progress because I bit off more than I can chew.  I become snippy with the kids who feel my stress then get stressed themselves. The end result is that nothing I wanted to try gets done which frustrates me even more.  

No one makes fun episodic memories in that scenario. The children start to run screaming when they hear Christmas craft time. Now I know to break it down into small steps. I remind myself that it doesn’t need to all get done in one day. Small steps lead to big results!

Voila! A basket full of gift jars. Whoever needs a gift for someone like a SS teacher, a therapist, or the UPS man, grabs one and gifts it. Happiness abounds at a frugal price which makes me smile. It makes for a fun project on the long Thanksgiving weekend or when we have our annual hot chocolate bar. Yes, they fit very well into the Mom stockings too!

Looking for recipes for the seasoning mixes that we used? Check out these three and get your free printables!

Buttermilk Ranch Seasoning Mix

Buttermilk Powder – 1.25 Lb Container (20 Oz)Amazon Brand – Happy Belly Dill Weed, 1.1 OuncesMcCormick Garlic Powder, 5.37 ozMcCormick Onion Powder, 7.62 OZ (Pack of 1)Amazon Brand – Happy Belly Minced Onion, 2.85 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Parsley Flakes, 0.4 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Black Pepper, Ground, 3 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Chives, Freeze Dried, 0.2 OuncesMcCormick Fine Ground Mediterranean Sea Salt, 28.25 oz

 

• ⅓ cup dry powdered buttermilk
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix all together and add to seasoning jar.

Spicy Taco Seasoning Mix

McCormick Garlic Powder, 5.37 ozMcCormick Onion Powder, 7.62 OZ (Pack of 1)Amazon Brand – Happy Belly Black Pepper, Ground, 3 OuncesMcCormick Fine Ground Mediterranean Sea Salt, 28.25 ozSimply Organic Crushed Red Pepper, Certified Organic | 1.59 oz | Capsicum annuum L.Amazon Brand – Happy Belly Paprika, 2.75 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Cumin, Ground, 2.6 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Chili Powder, 2.75 Ounces

 

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all together and add to seasoning jar.

Smoky Barbecue Seasoning Mix

McCormick Garlic Powder, 5.37 ozMcCormick Onion Powder, 7.62 OZ (Pack of 1)Amazon Brand – Happy Belly Black Pepper, Ground, 3 OuncesMcCormick Fine Ground Mediterranean Sea Salt, 28.25 ozSimply Organic Crushed Red Pepper, Certified Organic | 1.59 oz | Capsicum annuum L.Amazon Brand – Happy Belly Paprika, 2.75 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Cumin, Ground, 2.6 OuncesAmazon Brand – Happy Belly Chili Powder, 2.75 Ounces

 

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all together and add to seasoning jar.

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