I love the holiday spirit but to be honest this year we have really taken a hit with unexpected expenses and it took a toll on our emergency fund. We are trying to hard to build it up, and then Christmas is coming. What are some low cost presents that people will actually enjoy? I don’t want to opt out of Christmas but I also don’t want to go even more broke buying presents for everyone. Thanks ❤️🙏🏻
Low cost presents people will actually enjoy?
byu/citrinezeen inFrugal
Posted by citrinezeen
49 Comments
Bombas socks!
homemade food that can be jarred or frozen
Do you know around the price range you’re looking at? That would help enormously.
Do you have a local chocolate shop? My local shop sells little gift boxes of homemade chocolate. I’d love to get something like that.
Homemade baked goods.
maybe check out farmers markets, etc. get something that is custom like a xmas tree ornament
For adults – food. Good tea, coffee, chocolate.
For kids – consumable arts and crafts supplies. Depending on age, markers, pencils, pixel art stickers.
I’d suggest talking to your adult family members and consider doing a secret Santa or similar. It’s possible everyone is feeling the pressure.
My sister made everyone vanilla with mason jars, vanilla bean pods, and some some cheap alcohol , that was an amazing gift and it is long lasting! She left the pods in too so we have super fresh vanilla and can use the pods to make vanilla bean ice cream.
A few years ago, my nephew made homemade popcorn salt in a few flavors. It required powdered salt (less than $5 on Amazon), cheese powder, and some assorted herbs and spices like chili powder.
Easy to make and you can design your own labels via Canva or whatever. Package them up in a nice box and voila! You’ve got the whole family for less than $20 if you plan right.
Our local indoor flea market has Amazon mystery boxes. You don’t know what’s inside you buy it blind but it’s guaranteed to have at least what you paid for it in value. You just can’t go wrong with that. It’s more of a gag gift but some of the stuff is really cool.
I’d rather someone I cared about asked for a no gifts Christmas – just a few good meals, some games, some music, some exercise.
Take a look at Penzeys spices. They regularly run sales including on their gift boxes. They have “mini” gift boxes that run around $20 when full priced. Could also gift vanilla, cinnamon, etc. They are my go-to.
Some ideas: make a painting (might be slightly over $20 in materials, but you can make multiple); something from the thrift store that is more of a “i thought of you” gift than utilitarian (bonus points if you can alter it, like paint or touch-up); a (very) well thought out note; Books and music can be cheap second hand, and are very flexible to your person’s tastes.
Are you looking for something you can easily buy or do you have the time/energy to devote to making gifts for people? Could you put together digital photo albums or create photo collages? Take photographs for people? Spend an hour at each persons house helping them clean or organize? Make food for people? If you are good with tech you could help them set up or program things, back up their devices etc. Many people I know (myself included!) would appreciate the gift of time/help more than any physical item.
Would the people on your list be open to second hand items? You can find some great deals at thrift stores or get things for free from Buy Nothing or other similar groups.
Local craft makers. I’m sure there’s someone who makes wonderful jam nearby if you don’t have the time to do it.
I don’t think anyone would enjoy baked goods at Christmas time because they make so many of their own . a gourmet jam, mustard, hot sauce, so many other things that you can get for $20 other than baked goods.
Quality socks. Not Walmart specials. But good comfortable socks.
My family does a lot of homemade gifts. One relative makes homemade cards and gives out packs of them at Christmas. Another will make something like homemade dried pasta or hot chocolate mix, and set out a tub of packages of them, so anyone who wants one can take one, and if they don’t then no waste there. Usually the low cost gifts are related to our hobbies so we already have the stuff to make them. Card making, baking, wood working, welding, painting, etc.
I can fresh fruit. So this year im giving away spiced plum sauce, cranberry sauce, and sourdough with butter candles. Way better than a useless peice of junk they might donate in the spring.
For the past few years, I gift laundry detergent, paper goods, dish soap, and some other household necessities plus usually a treat like a large candy bar & a bag of Doritos to my immediate family members.
I buy everything on big sale/deep discount at CVS and Dollar General. I do try to gift unscented items, etc., and keep in mind any allergies and preferences, but overall it’s a pretty straightforward way to give gifts and it has been well-received by my family and loved ones, at least.
TJ Maxx sells large and sturdy gift bags that are reusable and only $.99. Sometimes I buy a small laundry basket to put the items in.
This year I am using sizable lidded holiday boxes on clearance in January/February.
Bake people cookies and buy some cheap tupperware to give them out in. People love cookies. Also gives you a fun holiday activity for the family by spending an afternoon baking some cookies.
Things I have made in previous years when money was tight: homemade vanilla extract, Christmas Chex mix, a binder with printed versions of family recipes that I had collected from various family members, I sewed a tote bag for each person in a pattern that reflected their personality, homemade goat milk soap made with melt-n-pour soap, similarly I made homemade candles with melting beeswax pellets, a gift basket with their favorite sodas and snacks and a gift card, homemade jam and homemade baked bread, items from a local shop that they might like since they don’t live here.
Favors! Nights of babysitting, help cleaning, etc
If you are crafty, you can make ornaments! Last year I crocheted little candy canes and stars and put googly eyes on them and people seemed to like that.
If you have a ton of kids to shop for, I saw someone get letter silicone molds and buy a bucket of broken broken crayons that they baked/melted down into the kids name/nick name/initials.
I’m a big fan of consumables. I traditionally bake everyone a dozen or so of their favorite cookie/candy.
For small kiddos: activities. Coloring books, craft kits, etc. based on their interests. My niece is really into dinosaurs, I got her a little $15 kit where she can “excavate” fossils from balls for clay last year.
People often tell me I “win” Christmas gift giving for these… I make votive candles out of the long white “Jesus candles” (used to be only $1, now I think they are 2) and use vellum paper to print out family photos from their instagrams and wrap around the candles. The square photos fits perfectly (often I change them to black/white for a classy look) and attaches easily with 2 strips of double sided tape. Photos of weddings, babies, vintage scans, pets, even a passed loved one, etc. Can give individually or bundle 3 together for a nice set.
I can’t stand cooking or baking, but I’d love to receive baked goods!
We give baked goods! Cookies, bread, candies. Theyre easy to make and each batch makes a ton! And who doesn’t like sweet treats? 🤷♀️😋😅
A pretty ornament, especially homemade, is an excellent gift.
Secret Santa is always a great idea. But I did read somewhere that ppl don’t agree with it cos they want more presents to open, lol.
I do like Christmas but the commerciality of it all is what bothers me. But I participate as it matters to the ppl in my life. I usually spend £200 total as I regift 90% presents (I’m particular), buy during sales throughout the year and pass on secondhand items which are new or like new.
You can create a food hamper where it’s partially handmade, checkout discount websites for experiences etc. if you can knit well make a scarf
Consciously_curated_home on IG puts together some amazing gifts using thrifted items. I highly recommend taking a look for inspiration.
Calendar with a theme they like! Everybody needs a new calendar. I get my father in law a Corvette one every year.
Do you bake?
When I didn’t have a lot of funds, I made pumpkin bread. Dollar store bag with a written copy of the recipe. The most expensive ingredient was the chopped walnuts. I used about half what I normally did and I actually liked with less nuts better.
If you want to purchase something, fuzzy socks, a mug, and a box of hot chocolate?
Homemade food.
I collect recipes of things that are fun to make and easy to gift.
I love fuzzy slippers and they wear out quickly, so those are nice to receive.
I don’t drink liquor, but I make little jars of homemade tea-infused vodka that people seem to love, and it only takes about 30 mins.
You could make pies or fudge. Pretty much anything homemade.
Facebook marketplace in an affluent neighborhood saved my Christmas. I’ve gotten so many brand new things still in the box along with gently used toys the kids in my life would love. I got a baby doll bathtub with all the accessories for 10 bucks, great condition, it’s originally 55 bucks. I sanitize them, pack them and send them off for Christmas.
A gift card for a rental movie is my favourite low cost gift.
Hot chocolate mix in a jar! You can thrift the jars or buy them wholesale for cheap.
If it’s someone who likes to cook/bake, nice kitchen supplies/utensils are always welcomed (for example last year I got a really nice metal teaspoon/tablespoon set that I would never have purchased myself because I can be cheap, but I absolutely love it). It’s so easy to buy crappy utensils for under 15 dollars a set that it can be hard justifying the paying that much for just one utensil, so that would be a great gift for me anyways.
Honestly, I love homemade gifts. They have a special place in my heart and on display in the house. Something even better is a craft kit or the like that you could do together? Give some time to them if they are local? A chocolate mold, chocolate and fillings to make home made candy?
Here’s what I’d do. Amazon gift cards to any kids you have to buy for and for adults tell them that this year has been hard and that you’d like to opt out of gifts to each other. People understand. Hell, me and my friends came to this arrangement a long time ago. Our gifts to each other are that we don’t have to give gifts to each other. It has been freeing with no hard feelings.
Lottery scratchers are almost universally fun.
This Christmas I’ve decided to do a Recycled, Upcycled, Homemade, Thrifted Christmas. I want to make this Christmas less about spending and more about feeling.
I go to thrift stores to find cute bakeware and bake the recipients favorite dessert and give it to them! Everyone so far has loved it.
We started doing an ornament exchange in place of gifts for adults. Kids 18 and under will get 1 gift that is less than 50.
We spend most of our gift budget on the Giving Tree. TBH though “kids” are asking for really expensive items nowadays. An example from last year: New iPhone, new apple watch, gold jewelry, diamond earrings, High end brands like LV or Gucci, and new PS5. These are all supposed to be toddlers to middle school ( 3 – 13 ), so I suspect it’s more the parents wish list than the kids. Which is sad AF.
If you’re able to, donate plasma for some extra cash to spend. I’m considering it, since I’m trying to cut back on spending this year too.
I’m trying to give the boot to capitalism. Our family agreed on no gifts this year and our goal is to thrift/exchange as much as possible in 2026z It won’t be everything. I have a kid that’s 6’5”, weighs 350, and wears a size 15-1/2 shoe. Unless someone from the NFL enjoys thrifting too, there’s not a whole lot available out there! 😜