• Homemade Hostess Giftsbread image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Hostess gifts need not be expensive or extravagant to make an impression. Forgo the usual scented candle and instead choose a special gift for your hostess.
  
  

Homemade Bread

• Nothing beats the smell and taste of a freshly baked loaf of bread. If you have a breadmaker, there are many easy recipes to follow and the bread comes out looking like a perfect loaf. There are also many quick-bread recipes that require few ingredients and bake in less than an hour. CountryLiving.com suggests adding homemade butter to the gift, as well. For those in a rush, stop by a local bakery for a fresh loaf to go.
  
  

Fancy Chocolate

• Tie a few fancy chocolate bars together with pretty ribbon and you have an inexpensive and delicious gift that could double as dessert. Fancy chocolate bars are easily found at grocery stores, are scrumptious, and typically costs around two dollars. Add in the ribbon at about 50 cents and you have a sweet treat for the hostess for about five dollars.
  
  

Board Game

• Board games are fun to play at parties. Snag one of your favorites in the clearance section of a toy store and bring as an inexpensive and enjoyable hostess gift. You will likely be in a group setting, so board game gifts are a good bet.
  
  

Seasonal Dish Towels

• Seasonal dish towels are an ideal gift for the hostess who has likely worn out hers hosting plenty of parties. You can choose towels based on holidays or seasons for a festive flair, such as floral-designed towels for a spring soiree or pumpkin-themed dish towels for the fall.
  
  

Cookbook

• Giving a cookbook allows you to share new and enticing recipes with the hostess, and she can use them for her next event or dinner party. You can theme the cookbook to the type of event, as well. If it is a cocktail event, give the hostess a mixed-drinks recipe book. If she is throwing a dinner party, then a general cookbook with a variety of recipes is the way to go. Find inexpensive cookbooks in the sale or clearance section of large bookstores.