You can fill with a variety of inexpensive items and you have lots of choices. You can easily customize each basket to your recipient.

I've put together a few great ideas for making food lover's gift baskets, complete with instructions on how to make them. You can make inexpensive gift baskets or expensive gift baskets depending on your budget.

You can find many inexpensive items for use in making your gift baskets or filling your gift baskets at 'dollar' stores, craft stores, party stores, discount outlets, flea markets, close-out stores, etc.

For gift containers you can use: any type of basket, wicker basket, straw basket, bucket, laundry basket, plastic container, toy dump truck or other large toy truck, purse, tin, Christmas tin, seasonal container, large tea pot, large upside-down hat, or plastic storage container-put lid underneath.

Other items might be: extra-large coffee mug, boot, potted plant holder, wire basket, large pasta bowl, large popcorn bowl, cooking pot, clay pot, tackle box, colander, small wagon, skillet, antique trunk, champagne bucket, hamper, Asian-style trunk or picnic basket.

For gift basket liner you can use: tissue paper, shredded paper, shredded newspaper, tea towels, dish towels, hand towels, kitchen towels, colored towels, colored napkins, placemats, diapers, baby blankets or fabric pieces.

For gift basket filler you can use: shredded colored paper, straw, Easter basket grass, crumpled newspaper comics, a bed of wrapped chocolates or other wrapped candy.

For items in the container it'll depend on the specialty or theme of the gift basket. In this case, for a food lover. Here is a small random sampling to give you just a few ideas:

Flavored teas, green tea, specialty tea, herbal tea, biscotti, tea infuser, small tools, kitchen gadgets, healthy snacks, fancy chocolates, boxed chocolates, chocolate bars, hot chocolate mix, specialty coffee mix, or a handwritten food related poem.

Homemade cookies, homemade brownies, homemade jams, popcorn, caramel corn, giant-size boxed candy, candy canes, suckers, lollipops, apple, pear, orange, persimmon, mango, papaya, chips, pretzels, nuts, coffee mug, gourmet pasta, or gourmet olive oil.

Cooking tools, cooking gadgets, measuring spoons, pre-packaged food items, pancake mixes, brownie mixes, cookie mixes, wooden spoons, your best chocolate chip cookie recipe, Italian recipes, Mexican food recipes or other ethnic recipes, birthday poems, or cinnamon sticks.

For gift basket wrapping you can use tulle netting or I like to use cellophane wrap. You can buy it in large rolls. Look for specialty packaging outlets where you can buy it wholesale. Tie off the wrapped basket with ribbon. Wired fabric ribbon is best if you have it.

For bows: You can use pre-packaged bows but making your own bows is easy and the best if you can do it. Use a large or huge bow.

Assemble all your gift basket items, tools, etc. Now line your selected gift container. Now stuff the selected filler into the gift basket to give added height to your items. Place, layer and arrange your selected items on the filler in the gift container. Put the larger items in the back, the smaller items in front.

Fill in the holes or prop up with more filler (shredded paper, Easter basket grass, wrapped chocolates, napkins or holiday napkins etc.)

Also you can use 'picks' of artificial flowers to fill in space. Place your cellophane or other wrap under the gift basket. Center the gift basket on the wrap. Bring the cellophane or other wrap over the top of the gift basket and tie it with ribbon and or a beautiful bow! Use ribbon and bows to match your theme colors.

Tuck a card in the ribbon and that's it!

You can find fabric or wired ribbon cheaply at Costco-- especially in the fall prior to Christmas but often throughout the year in some stores. You can shred paper in a paper shredder. If you're going to need a lot of cellophane you can purchase it wholesale through the packaging specialty stores throughout the U.S. but should be easily found in craft stores.

General tips: Try to use non-perishable items except for fruit for fruit baskets. Use freshly packaged food items, because even packaged crackers and cookies can go stale in a couple of months.

You can find filler flower 'picks' at garage sales for pennies. If you buy wholesale they are usually around a dollar each. Try not to mix chocolate or other food fragrant items with non-food fragrant items in the same basket.

Also there's nothing like learning how to make gift baskets from a video or DVD for making cheap and easy gift baskets. You can view it over and over again and share with your children, other family members and friends.

You can even charge for classes with your new-found knowledge and/or start a home based business if you so desire. In any event, making a food lover's gift basket is cheap and easy.