Who doesn’t like spoiling their friends and family with gifts during the holiday season? But when you are running low on cash and have many people on your list, it can prove to be quite challenging. Fortunately, shopping can be simplified if you do your research beforehand. Sometimes it’s not the price tag that matters but what exactly that person is likely to use and cherish.
There are plenty of budget-friendly Christmas gift ideas from your favorite stores. The best gifts are usually something out of the ordinary that serves an extraordinary purpose. Be on the lookout, and soon enough you’ll find what you’re looking for. Read on to get insight into some gift ideas you may have not considered before:
Photo Gifts
You don’t need to have great photography skills to unleash your creativity, but a keen interest in scrapbooking helps in this case. You can save pictures of happy, candid memories with your loved ones because fortunately, it will only cost a few pennies to print them. You can get such discounts in retail stores near you. There are many photo gift ideas you might consider such as:
Photo Book
It’s best to be on the lookout for coupon codes because that way you can print photo books for around $10, which is cheaper than scrapbooking papers and stickers. There are plenty of photo printers that offer some type of easy book. These printers work by simply selecting photos of your choice, clicking a button, and the book is easily laid out and ready to print.
Mugs
It is always a pleasure to enjoy a hot cocoa mix with mini marshmallows in a coffee mug printed with photos of happy memories with your family. You can get these photo mugs for just under $10.
Coasters
Photo coasters are quite a simple craft that is perfect for someone who is beginning to create a craft on their own. You’ll be needing photos, good water-based glue, and tiles. It looks pleasing when felt is added to the back.
Framed Print
These inexpensive framed photos can easily be found at discount stores for a buck. To make it stand out more, you can paint or decorate the frame. Attaching one meaningful photo or putting together a collage of your favorite memories will become the finishing touch to this gift idea.
Calendar
Copy shops can print and spiral bind calendars for just under $10. Many photo-printing spots offer templates online that can drag-and-drop calendar making and printing without any hassle.
Basket
When it comes to filling up baskets, the sky’s the limit! You can make a customized gift basket-style depending on whether that person prefers a spa-day basket, a kid-friendly basket, a travel-themed basket, a car care basket, etc. Although the safest option would be food in this case, you can always get creative when coming up with basket ideas. You can distribute items you bought in bulk into several baskets for everyone on your list or even use sample sizes.
Tickets
Giving gift tickets for fun events to someone who has kids will make them appreciate it more than yet another toy that has to be picked off the floor. There are many options when buying different types of tickets such as:
Groupon
You can find tickets for entertaining local events, shows, tastings, art classes, museums, the zoo, and more for great deals on discount ticket sites such as Groupon, thus making it an ideal budget-friendly gift to be cherished.
Local Events
You don’t have to go overboard with expensive gift tickets because you can always go for simple local events instead. Most spouses would be overjoyed to get tickets for a date night to hear a band at a café, or even attend a theater production, dance lessons, local sporting events, etc.
Weekend Getaway
You can find other discount ticket sites similar to Groupon that offer terrific deals for weekend getaways within driving distance such as nearby amusement parks, a quaint small town a few hours away, or even a museum or art gallery in the closest city. You also keep an eye out for hotels under $40 where couples can enjoy their weekend away for cheap.
Homemade Tickets
If you’re unable to find tickets for great events, you can make your very own tickets. You can engage your kids into making these DIY tickets to give to their family members for completing chores around the house, or for fun activities at home. There could be plenty of reasons for giving away these tickets, but it’s up to you to make things interesting by being creative.
Gift Cards
Getting someone a book can be quite tricky as you might misunderstand their preferred genre and whether or not they are likely to invest time in it. Therefore, it is less risky and more convenient to give gift cards to bookstores so that they can select one for themselves.
Wi-Fi Extender
You might know someone whose Wi-Fi connection doesn’t cover all the rooms in their home, resulting in dropped calls. Luckily, a Wi-Fi extender can solve this problem by ensuring the spreading of bandwidth and better Internet speed around the whole house.
Funky key-chains and key pouches
If you know someone who has a janitor-sized key ring, you might give them a leather key chain of their favorite cartoon character, or a leather strap with their car manufacturer on it.
A $10 Bottle of Wine
This is the ideal gift for someone you don’t know very well because you just have to ask the kind of wine they like and you can bring them a $10 bottle variant of that. Chances are high they haven’t tried the wine because, although there are lots of wineries, there are only five types of wine in the world: white, red, rose, dessert, and sparkling.
Epsom Salts
This is quite a unique gift idea because it comes from Epsom, England. This type of salt breaks down into magnesium and sulfate in warm bathwater that is known to be absorbed into your skin for relaxation. The best part is, it can be bought in bulk at minimal cost and will last for months.
DIY Gift Ideas
Most people often fear getting DIY gifts for their dear ones, thinking it will look cheap and meaningless. The good news is, there are amazingly useful gifts that you can make on your own. Some of the DIY gift ideas you may consider are:
Edible Gifts
You can always opt for edible gifts if you think you aren’t crafty. You can make homemade chocolates, fudge brownies, gingerbread cookies, or any other sweet treat to delight your friends and family’s taste buds. You may further do your loved ones a favor by cooking them an extra-freezer-friendly dinner or soup, or even cook them a meal and take a loaf of bread or dessert with it. It is always great to have company when holidays are hectic.
Handmade gifts
You can always make a DIY lip scrub/balm, scented lotion, and even candles for the special lady on your list. For men, you can buy plain white T-shirts that you can dye according to their preference, or make them hand-knit socks, or even wooden toolboxes, etc.
Unique Gift Ideas Using the Gift Cycle Method
You don’t necessarily have to wait for the holiday season to buy gifts for your loved ones. Instead, you can shop for special occasions throughout the year when there are plenty of sales going on. You can buy gifts beforehand for baby showers, weddings, birthdays, etc. By buying gifts on sale before the actual occasion, you can save fifty percent of your expenses and don’t have to worry about getting the perfect gift especially when your budget is tight.
It is essential to have Christmas spirit, which is why buying gifts should not have to feel like a burden, especially when you are doing so for the ones you love. It is that time in the year where everyone who lives together or is separated by distance gathers to celebrate traditions, share warm meals, and exchange gifts with people who bring a smile to your face.
Final Thoughts
It’s a challenging yet interesting opportunity for you to explore different retail stores offering discounts, thinking outside the box, and adding a personal touch every chance you get.
Such gifts don’t have to be fancy and overly expensive to win people’s hearts, but they can be something affordable yet meaningful that will make the person feel appreciated. It’s not always about what you give someone but the thought, time, and effort put in that counts. Happy gifting!
