Hello readers! One of last week’s posts here on Color Me Frugal talked about how to avoid a holiday spending hangover, and one of the tips we talked about in that post was getting crafty with your gifts!
Since craftiness may come more naturally to some people than others, I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time offering up some ideas for fun and frugal holiday gifts. You do NOT need to have a black belt in glue gun usage or be a regular at the craft store in order to complete all of these! Note: This post contains affiliate links.
15 Fun and Frugal Holiday Gifts
1. Baked Goods
This one is a GREAT frugal option- I mean, who doesn’t enjoy getting a goodie basket full of holiday cookies? Plus, for you parents out there, baking can be a fun way to get your kids involved with the gift-making. Win-win!
2. Scrapbook or Photo Book
For close friends and family whom you have a lot of shared pictures with, why not make them a scrapbook (or scrapbook page) or photo book of shared times together? This gift would probably have a lot more meaning and be enjoyed more than anything you could buy at the store anyway!
3. Handmade Christmas Ornaments
Our nephew always makes us an ornament for Christmas every year, and we love it. It’s totally unique and handmade by him. One year he painted seashells in Christmas colors, another year it was macaroni ornament- you get the picture! This is another great option for getting kids involved in gift-giving.
4. Personalized Coupons
I love this one. For example, you could give your neighbor a coupon for a free night of babysitting. Your son could get a “Stay up 30 Minutes Past Bedtime” coupon- good for one time only! Your spouse might like a coupon for a foot rub. Etcetera!
5. Homemade Food in Jars
One of my favorite frugal gifts to give is homemade hot cocoa mix. Mix it up, put it in a mason jar, and decorate with some fun holiday ribbon! The best part: it’s super easy and does not take long to make.
6. Knitted Items
If you are a knitter, this one is for you! I wish I was better at knitting. I LOVE getting handmade mittens, scarves, etc. Often these items have a lot more sentimental value than their store-bought counterparts.
7. Charitable Donation
Consider donating to a charity in the name of the person you are giving a gift to. Just make sure it’s a charity they would actually be likely to support!
8. Themed Gift Baskets
For example,a movie night basket could includea DVD (or starter Netflix subscription!), a bag of microwave popcorn, and a two liter of soda.
9. Framed Photo
In the age of smartphones and online photo storage I think it’s easy to forget the days when pictures always got printed out. But this can be a GREAT gift, especially if you have a neat photo of you with family or friends that they might like to have framed. It’s dirt cheap to print photos, so the only other thing you’ll need is a nice frame!
10. Magazine Subscription
You can often find offers for a year or two of a magazine subscription for super cheap. For the last several years my father-in-law has gotten my hubby a subscription to Forbes, and he loves it! He gets to read one of his favorite mags, and he never has to pay for it. Ever.
11. Make a Music Mix
I don’t know about you all, but I have a lot of older relatives who have not really yet figured out all the nuances of the internet. A few years ago it dawned on me that these relatives have no idea how to download their own music, much less make their own CDs to play in their vehicles. I have found these to be very popular gifts in my family. 🙂
12. Home-Brewed Beer
I have a good friend who is a talented home brew master, and beer is now his favorite thing to give folks for holidays! He gets to enjoy his hobby, and others get to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Another win-win!
13. Personalized Calendar
This one is always a hit with the grandparents! And these days, websites like Shutterfly make it super easy to make your own calendar. Plus, these sites know that their calendars make great gifts so they often offer discounts around the holidays!
14. Discounted Gift Cards
A lot of stores may run specials on gift cards throughout the holiday season. You know, something along the lines of “Buy $XX worth of gift cards and get $XX in free gift cards.” You could easily use the purchased gift cards to buy other gifts and then give the free gift card as a gift. Or there is also the option of buying discounted gift cards from online sellers such as Cardpool.com. Color Me Frugal readers who use the promo code NewUser5 will get $5 off your first order as a Cardpool customer AND free shipping!!
15. No-Sew Fleece Throw Blankets
My stepmother is great at making these blankets, and they are always a really fun gift! Here is an article on how to make these blankets.
Can you think of any other frugal holiday gifts? What’s been the best handmade or homemade gift you’ve ever received?
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Upper Photo: urban_light/Depositphotos.com
Lower Photo: Christmas presents under the tree, creative commons (license), 10/17/15, with changes
A homemade photo book would do the trick well. I definitely want to give one to someone some day.
That’s a great idea! And somewhat a novelty these days since no one prints out photos anymore!
I have very fond memories of making Christmas cookies with my mom, so I always vote baked goods. But a quick and easy thing to make is a sugar scrub. It feels indulgent, and they don’t need to know how little effort you put in.
I think more people need to do personalized calendars. Especially those with small children who have eager grandparents.
I’ve never tried making a sugar scrub- sounds like I might have to give it a try!
Anything with the kids’ pictures on it tends to work well with the in-laws!
I think that’s a great idea with grandparents and especially older family members in general! Doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive at all, just something with a cute pic of one of your adorable little ones 🙂
YES. I love the scrapbook idea. We’re trying to stay on a strict budget this year. Wine also makes a great gift and cute coffee mugs.
All great ideas!
I like the Personalized Calendar idea….my sister-in-law did that for us, using pictures of all of the family for each month. The calendar was magnetic and stuck on the fridge. LOVED that gift….I hope they do it again this year!
Excellent! My mother-in-law always does a personalized calendar for us as well. It’s really fun to have new family pics to look at every month 🙂
These are great ideas for any holiday! Not only are these kind of presents usually more affordable, they often feel more meaningful. For example re: the fleece blankets, my sister and I recently made our aunt who loves to sew a large pillow in the shape of a pin-cushion tomato! She loves it, and she laughs whenever she looks at it. I have many friends with birthdays in the spring that I’m starting to gear up for! Thank you for sharing– these are getting my creative juices flowing!!!
Excellent! So happy to hear it!