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Save your coins & excuses with these cheap gift ideas
As the holiday season approaches, our bank accounts get smaller and so do our gift budgets.
If you’re trying to save some cash this year, while keeping the spirit alive, here are some budget-friendly gift ideas suitable for anyone.
For Art Lovers
- Paintable crafts
If you have painting supplies at home already, stop by your local craft store and pick up some affordable, blank wooden or ceramic paintable items. For example, you can buy small wooden boxes and paint keepsake boxes for each other.
In fact, you can even spend quality time painting together with your friends and family.
- Paints
If you know an artist, they will surely appreciate paint. This can also accompany the paintable craft gift.
Note, Apple Barrel acrylic paints are affordable and quality for crafts.
- DIY Scrapbook
If you’re gifting to someone sentimental, a DIY scrapbook or collage will be much appreciated.
Photo prints are available at your local pharmacy, such as Walgreens, and are very affordable. From personal experience, Walgreens Photo always has coupon codes for cheap photo prints.
After getting those prints, you can use stickers, glue or anything you may already have at home to make something memorable. Plus, Pinterest is a great resource for how to format a scrapbook or collage page.
For Cozy Vibes
- A cute mug
I recently found these cute, reasonably sized mugs at Target for only $5. If you’re looking for a small but useful gift, a cute mug will be sure to be appreciated.
- Matching pajama bottoms
If you’re celebrating the holidays with a significant other, matching pajama bottoms are a must.
No need to spend upwards of $20 per pair when many department stores have affordable options. Five Below, Walmart, JCPenney and Marshalls all sell matchable unisex PJ bottoms for under $10 each, depending on what you’re looking for.
For Music Lovers
- A CD mix
If your parents or older relatives have blank CD’s from back in the day, this is perfect for making a CD mixtape for someone special. If not, it is easy to find blank CDs at a pharmacy or a local Walmart.
Downloading your loved one’s favorite songs as mp3 from YouTube is the easiest way to burn music onto a CD.
- A playlist
Similarly to a mixtape, a playlist is a great way to express to a special someone how much you care about them.
Whether it’s their favorite music or music you want to share with them, taking the time to create something for someone is always appreciated. YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify all have features for sharing and collaborating on playlists.
Other Gift Ideas
- LEGOs
To help remind your loved one of childhood nostalgia, or if they love building, LEGO offers some affordable and cute options for smaller builds.
LEGO Brickheadz are typically between $10-$20 and are a good activity for a holiday date night or hangout too.
- Handmade items
Handmade jewelry is simpler to make than you think.
A beaded bracelet with their name on it shows you took time to create something they will be able to wear. Stop at your local craft store or Walmart to find materials.
Again, this can be a good activity for a hangout.
If you can sew or have a sewing machine, you could try to make a blanket. Or, if you know how to crochet, you can crochet your loved one’s favorite animal. If you are open to making handmade items, your creativity is the limit.
- A visit to the zoo or museum
If you and your loved one both attend UH, enjoy a free visit to the Houston Zoo. If one does not, tickets are upwards of $30. Consider splitting the fee or purchasing a ticket for a weekday.
If not, then many museums in the Museum District offer free admission. The Houston Museum of Natural Science offers free Tuesday nights from 5-8pm. The Museum of Fine Arts offers free admissions to permanent exhibits on Thursday. The Menil Collection is also a smaller, free art museum in the Montrose area.
Happy gifting!
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