Christmas is just around the corner, and while we all love giving and getting presents, sometimes the budget can be tight. But guess what? There are awesome gift ideas that won’t break the bank! This article is packed with crafty yet affordable gift ideas to make the holiday season extra special without spending a ton.
1. Potted Plants
Consider buying pretty thrift store glasses or pots and growing plants to give as gifts. It’s an inexpensive yet thoughtful gesture that allows for personalization. You can easily use your own plants to regrow them, so you don’t have to buy new plants.
2. Homemade Baskets
Start preparing small homemade batches of jams, hot cocoa mixes, or candy each weekend to assemble into gift baskets. By using whatever is readily available at home, like various containers, you create an assortment of baskets, bins, tins, or bowls, presenting a more substantial gift collection for the holidays without hefty costs or excessive effort.
3. Non-Material Gifts
You can choose to engage in activities like baking and planning trips, embracing the company of your loved ones during the holiday season instead of giving and receiving gifts.
While the children still receive toys, the adults can opt for minimal gifts and focus on experiences centered around planned adventures or trips. This will make you appreciate the time spent together and consider it as the best present.
4. Budget-Friendly Books
Opting for affordable, used, or re-gifted books as gifts is also good. They offer a more personalized, cost-effective present that could cater well to friends and family who are book lovers.
5. Swingline Can Openers
The Swingline can openers are priced under $10 and are durable and long-lasting. They make an excellent and well-received gift, as many have enjoyed the same can opener for years. It’s a small yet practical present that holds lasting value.
6. Framed Pictures
Giving a framed picture as a Christmas gift is a thoughtful and budget-friendly idea. You can choose a photo from a special event, like a birthday or a fun outing, and place it in a 5 x 7-inch frame.
The recipient will appreciate your effort in selecting a meaningful picture, and the framed photo becomes a cherished keepsake. It’s a simple yet heartfelt way to share memories during the holiday season.
7. Advent Gift Exchange
Engaging in an Advent gift exchange if you want to go all out for someone. An Advent gift exchange involves giving and receiving small, thoughtful gifts throughout the month of December, counting down the days until Christmas. You exchange gifts daily or weekly, creating a festive and anticipatory atmosphere leading to the holiday.
You can gather small, inexpensive gifts throughout the year and share them through a December calendar, providing an enjoyable and cost-effective gifting experience leading up to Christmas day.
8. Custom Recipe Books
When they were college students, a couple made a special book with all their favorite recipes. They had the book printed and bound at a local store. It’s like a personalized cookbook with all the dishes they love. After a decade, friends will still cherish these books, showcasing this cost-effective gift’s thoughtful and personalized nature.
9. DIY Treats
You can impress people and save money by making homemade hot cocoa bombs, marshmallows, or cake pops. These impressive treats appear to be expensive purchases but can be made cost-efficiently at home. Not only do they appear elaborate, but they also serve as thoughtful, handmade presents for the holiday season.
10. Handmade Coupons
You can create a personalized coupon book containing offers such as a home-cooked meal, neck massages, or a movie night customized to the recipient’s likes and needs. You can even print it on cardstock and bind it with yarn in a contrasting color, presenting a fun and personalized gift option for loved ones.
11. Host Wholesome Events
Organizing budget-friendly events like gingerbread decorating, Christmas light tours, movie nights, or potluck dinners fosters quality time together. Doing this gives you a shared experience without the pressure of expensive gift-giving, emphasizing the importance of spending time with loved ones over material gifts.
12. Thrift Shop Finds
Going for second-hand or pre-loved items found at thrift stores allows you to present unique and cost-effective gifts to friends and family. These thrift shop treasures offer affordable yet charming presents that hold their unique appeal.
Consider items like vintage books, classic vinyl records, or even charming antique trinkets that you can find at these thrift shops. These thoughtful selections have character and come with a budget-friendly price tag, making them perfect choices for affordable presents for your friends and family.
13. Affordable Treats
Offering reasonably priced, high-quality chocolate packs or small items like air vent phone mounts, touch screen gloves, and candy from dollar stores are affordable and delightful gifts.
14. Post-Christmas Shopping
Shopping for Christmas items post-holiday offers significant discounts, making it an economical strategy to save money on gifts for the following year. Keep an eye out for discounted decorations, wrapping paper, and festive accessories to ensure a budget-friendly and festive celebration in the future.
15. Shutterfly Freebies
Leveraging Shutterfly’s freebie offers, where the gift giver pays only for shipping, allows you to create personalized, meaningful gifts without heavy expenses.
You can just get freebies wherever you can, in-store or with a subscription you already have. You can save them up throughout the year and gift them.
16. Lotto Tickets
You can include a lotto ticket as a fun, low-cost present, allowing a chance at a substantial prize or a fun surprise for loved ones. You can spend as much or as little money on it as you’d like and get excited about the possibilities. If luck is on the receiver’s side, they could have a significant cash prize, a new fridge, or a day to a park.
17. Sentimental Cards
Creating a series of heartfelt, handwritten cards can become a cherished gift. If you are creative, you can craft personalized sets with twelve envelopes, each containing a card for every month of the upcoming year. On these cards, you can share a positive and treasured memory you hold of the receiver. Despite the considerable amount of effort required for this task, the outcome will be truly appreciated.
If you want to do this but you rather don’t do as many, you can just share one card with one memory you have of them. It’s the thought that counts.
18. Homemade Kimchi
Making homemade kimchi as a gift is affordable and an impressive way to present a culinary delight to family members. You can spend about $60 for several quart-size mason jars.