Being a college student, I don’t have as much extra money to spend on my friend’s gifts as I’d like. However, through this I’ve been able to find a lot of cost effective and meaningful gifts for the people I love. Here’s some of my favorite (and affordable) ways to gift this year:
DIY Candles
Although it sounds intimidating, it’s actually easier and more cost-effective to gift a homemade candle than it sounds! A couple of months ago, I went to the thrift store and found some unique containers and spent about $20 on supplies at the craft store and have enough to make about 20 candles! It’s a simple process but requires practice and you might not get it right the first time. You can personalize the gift by making the candle in something that you picked out specifically for them, or decorating a plain jar to fit their taste. Overall, I think it’s a great gift on it’s own but can also be given with other gifts for those people you go all out for! If making your own doesn’t sound like your thing, they have mini candle making kits at most craft stores as well as Walmart and Target. These give your friend an opportunity to try it for themselves! The kit could also be fun to get for a partner and make the candles together.
Easy Crochet Projects
Even if you don’t know how to crochet, the holiday season is the perfect time to learn using small projects that make great gifts! In crochet, you really only have to know one stitch to make a whole project. There are tons of comprehensive and simple tutorials on Youtube, with step-by-step instructions for how to make things like hand and leg warmers, pouches, purses, and scrunchies. Yarn crafts are the perfect gift because it means a lot when someone takes the time and effort to make something by hand. It’s simple to pick up a ball of yarn and hook for less than $10, and the sentiment of making something unique speaks more than any amount of money you could spend on your loved ones. For anyone with parents who live in a colder climate, my mom had always appreciated when I make her hats and scarves which can be relatively simple and completely doable for beginners!
Thrifted decorations
There’s always gems to be found at the thrift in the clothing, but I enjoy the decor section the most because I’m a knick knack girl! You can find catch-all dishes, tapestries, mugs, plates, and figurines all for anywhere from 99¢ to $5. You’d be surprised how personal and gorgeous these gifts can be and your recipient would never know you got such a deal! Personally, I’ve found my friends tons of art and wall decor second hand that my friends have absolutely cherished.
Board games
Board games are a great gift because they work for all kinds of personalities. For any age range, interests, and difficulty level, you can find the perfect board game to match someone’s personality. Although most people aren’t using them often, I find it handy to have around for every once in a while when you have company or are bored with a roommate. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with any of the classics and you’re gifting someone the opportunity to have fun wit some friendly competition. This is another thing you could find second hand, but maybe to ensure all the pieces are accounted for it’s better to buy new. Some of my favorite board games (and easily giftable ones) are Rummikub, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and Risk.
spa day basket
Treat your friends to a spa day at home with a basket (could also be found at the thrift store) filled with soaps, sheet masks, and maybe essential oils. There are ways to find these things fairly cheap, I recommend Marshalls where you could even find cute little spa headbands at a reasonable price. The point of some of the other gifts is to give more sustainably through second hand and homemade items, but I think Marshalls is still a helpful resource for those things you can’t find at the thrift. It could be fun to play around with second hand, homemade and store bought items coming together in a little basket. I’m imaging a cute homemade soap, a thrifted soap dish and basket, and some cute face masks decorated with a little bow could be so thoughtful for the holidays without breaking the bank.