Sometimes a collegiette’s budget doesn’t just mean cheap… it means as close to free as humanly possible. Unfortunately doing all your holiday shopping at the Dollar Store isn’t always well received. Save money and emphasize how incredibly considerate and creative you are with these DIY gift ideas.
Coupons!
This is the ultimate hard on cash gift. Whether it’s for your dad (good for one car wash), mom (good for one home-cooked meal), sister (good for 5 clothing items borrowed), brother (good for 3 car rides), boyfriend (good for one you-pick-the-movie date), or BFF (good for one you-choose-the-plans night [yes, this is a necessity sometimes!]), coupons are an awesome gift. Just don’t forget to add an expiration date! You don’t want dad coming after you for the dishes you promised you’d do three years after you gifted him with the coupon.
Charity Work in Your Name
This is a great gift for anyone who is dedicated to a particular charity. While you’d love to be able to afford a hefty donation to their fund of choice, promise them you’ll donate X number of hours of work to their favorite charity.
Scrapbook
Grab all those tickets, pictures and other mementos of your friendship or family, put a little money into a book, stickers, markers — whatever you need to add a little sparkle and prepare to spend a few nights staying in to preserve your memories as craftily as you can.
Baked Goods
A great gift for teachers, grandparents and visiting the significant other’s family is baked goods. Do you make killer chocolate chip cookies? Banana bread? Whatever it is, whip up a big batch, package them nicely and wrap them in a ribbon. You’ll seem skilled and super-thoughtful. Just don’t mess up the recipes!
Photo Frames
Photo frames are a great gift for college friends. Pick up a few cheap wooden frames from a craft store and a few things to decorate them with (glitter, beads, stickers, paint, whatever you like). Develop a special picture and then design a matching frame. If the picture is of you and your big from Spring Break, decorate your frame with palm tree stickers, sand to mimic glitter,
and other things that will make your gift look super unique.