76 Free And Inexpensive Gift Ideas For When You Are 30 Bucks From Skid Row

“It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.”
~ Eileen Elias Freeman

Post written by Kevin Tyler Smith. Connect with me on Twitter. I always enjoy meeting new people.

Years ago, what used to be the most frustrating part of gift giving for me was trying to figure out what gift to get.

At no time during the year was this more prevalent than during the holidays. There I’d be with pen and paper in hand, engaging in list making, on the verge of blowing a gasket in my brain trying like hell to figure out what Aunt Susie, cousin Frank, Miss “Brand Name” and of course Mr. “Materialistic” would cherish as a gift.

Oh and if that wasn’t enough, throw another kink in the situation. I would be jumping through these mental hoops when money was tight. You have to be creative as sh*t when “you ain’t got no money”.

The saving grace is, with age comes practical enlightenment in the area of gifting. No longer do you aim to hit the home run but more importantly you just want to make a hit.

Yes, it is the thought that matters…

There are all kinds of gift ideas, ranging from the exotic to the traditional; from free gifts to gifts costing a substantial amount. Whatever the bottom line is on the gift you choose, outside of a substantial amount, you should remember that it is the thought that matters the most. If you have purchased the gift keeping in mind the tastes and interests of the recipient, it will not matter how frugal you were.

With this in mind, below is a list of easy to get, easy to make gift ideas for any time of the year that are either free or cost very little.

Welcome to the list of 76 you cheapskate:

1. If your friends or family are nut lovers, get them a pound of pistachios or cashews to snack on. Present it in a nicely decorated jar that can be used later.

2. For the tea lover, you could present a teapot with cups. If you are willing to spend a little more, you could add a few tea bags of different flavors.

3. Similarly, for the coffee lover, you could present a coffee mug with some samples of gourmet coffee.

4. For people with a sweet tooth, a tin full of home made cookies or pastries is a great idea.

5. For the avid gardener, home-grown bulbs can be an excellent gift. You could add gardening gloves, trowel, seeds and other tools in respect of your budget.

6. A nicely decorated basket filled with chocolates is a hit with people of all ages.

7. You can gift newly engaged or newly married couples with DVDs of their favorite movies. Add some candy, soda and a bag of popcorn to make their movie night truly special.

8. Present your new neighbors with postcards that mention their present address and that say ‘we have moved’ with stamps for a very practical housewarming gift.

9. For a business executive that is always traveling, stamps, notepads, post-its or prepaid phone cards are a good idea.

10. For the antique lover, pick up something unusual at a flea market or antique shop. For example, an old ceramic or glass dish can serve as an excellent candy dish.

11. Getting something for book lovers may seem easy but you could put in some effort and get them a rare edition of a book they had been looking for.

12. For the cooking enthusiast, serve up some exotic home-made dishes and present them with the recipes.

13. A gift basket is always a very useful present – however, you need not blow your budget to find stuff to pack in the basket. Visit the nearest dollar store and look for interesting items like candles, body wash, bath mitt, etc.

14. If your friends and family love Italian food, a colander, packages of pasta, jars of various sauces and a loaf of Italian bread will really mean a lot.

15. Even if you are not very passionate about cooking, you could pick up some quick bread mixes from the grocery store and make mini-loaves of different shapes. Present these to different people as small gifts.

16. Instead of going in for impersonal stationery, try designing something by yourself on your computer using a word processing and a simple graphic designing program. You can then buy any kind of paper that you want – white or brilliant colors. You could even create matching envelopes to go with the paper.

17. For people who have everything, try a ‘quote a day’ jar. Take some time out to research and find inspirational or funny quotes, print them neatly on colored paper and cut them up. Fill nicely decorated jar with 365 of these – the recipient will find something amusing or inspirational to think about throughout the day.

18. Parents and grandparents usually love to look at old photos, read old stories and relive old memories. For an up and coming anniversary occasion, take the time to collect old photos from friends, newspaper clippings from old days and create a memory journal for the recipients.

19. Young parents would love to have some alone time. If you are good with kids, you could offer to babysit their children while they take the evening off.

20. If you have been very busy and not spending too much time with your partner, gift some quality time with him or her. Go out for a movie or do some shopping, go trekking or hiking or just camp in the backyard under the starry skies.

21. For new moms and dads, time is often at a premium. Offer to cook and clean house for a few days until they get settled.

22. If you also do not have the time to spare for the new parents, get a few meals ready and packed in easy-to-heat containers. Label them and indicate when they should be eaten by.

23. Magnetized note pads or shopping pads are a real time-saver. Get one or two so that they can use it for noting down shopping requirements or to just jot down a point or two.

24. You could try making neat sachet bags for closets or dresser drawers. You could use pieces of unused fabrics and fill it with potpourri.

25. Not everyone expects a thank-you gift. A simple thank-you note will mean the world to the giver.

26. For a relative keen on organizing, get a few decorative boxes that can be used to organize small things and also used to brighten up the kitchen or living room.

27. You could consider making simple holiday ornaments yourself to gift to others. While you may not have the time or know-how to start from scratch, you can always pick up a ceramic ornament from the store and then decorate them, as you want with paint or other press-and-stick items.

28. Pick up a bunch of plain tote bags from a store. Now decorate these with stick-ons, iron-ons, or fabric paints. These are very useful and your decorations will add color to them.

29. If you have knitting or crochet skills, you could knit scarves and socks. These are a very useful in the winter.

30. One could consider crocheting a shawl or throw, even on a small budget. Choose a variety of colors so that you can crochet a shawl with nice rainbow colors.

31. Crocheting or needlework fans can also consider cross-stitching or crocheting a bookmark for their friends. Use designs that reflect their reading interests.

32. Another interesting variation is to choose a set of cloth placemats and then add a personal touch to them by adding a cross-stitch design to them.

33. A personal care gift basket is a good choice for men and women of all ages. For women, include nail polish, polish remover, make up sets and so on. For men, you could stock it with colognes, bath sponge, and scented spray and so on.

34. One of the more recent phenomenons in gifting is to present nicely decorated jars filled with something that the recipient would enjoy. For example, you could fill it up with coffee beans, salted nuts, even the dry ingredients for the person’s favorite cookies.

35. Candles are always welcome. Scented candles can really improve the ambience of a place – make sure that the person who you are gifting the candles to is not allergic to candle or smoke.

36. Try picking up matching gloves or shoes for the person’s favorite dress. You can find gloves and shoes to fit in any budget.

37. Pick up some small ceramic figurines depending on what the person’s interests are to decorate a mantelpiece or patio table.

38. Gift certificates may sound impersonal but are probably the most practical. You can pick them from stores that have a nice variety of items and you can get gift certificates to fit in any budget.

39. You could also buy gift certificates for a fancy restaurant and present it to a newly wed couple or new parents.

40. For a person who lives in a small apartment in the heart of the city, try gifting a miniature Christmas tree decorated similarly with small ornaments. They will all be able to enjoy it’s presence without the hassle of a huge tree.

41. If a gardener friend has shown interests in any home-grown flowers or herbs of yours, present some plants in decorated tins and cans.

42. New parents normally need a large amount of wipes and diapers, especially in the first year. Get together with some friends, and present them with a year’s supply of wipes and diapers.

43. Young babies grow out of clothes faster than you could say ‘baby’. Present parents with a few sets of clothes, varying in size.

44. Pick up a set of bibs – one for every day – preferably with a theme, like animals, colors, humor, etc.

45. A set of basic supplies like baby soap, shampoo, comb, baby nail clippers, Vaseline and a thermometer will serve new parents well.

46. Another welcome alternative is to present a gift basket containing small articles like teethers, pacifiers, wash cloths, stroller toys and so on.

47. Most of us tend to present new parents with gifts meant only for baby; try gifting for the parents as well. Present the mother with a nice cashmere shawl and the father with a set of soothing classical tunes. If you know them well, you could present them with a copy of their favorite childhood book.

48. It is never easy picking up something for parents or grandparents. Try writing them a letter, describing some wonderful memories that you have of your childhood.

49. Instead of taking your partner out for dinner or lunch, try making their favorite dish and dessert at home.

50. Similarly instead of spending money on an expensive gift, wake up early in the morning and give them breakfast in bed.

51. On Christmas or Thanksgiving Day, try giving relatives or friends you have not seen for a long time a phone call and enquire how they are doing.

52. If you do not meet your family often, try to get pictures taken every time you meet them. Then place them in nice frames, keep one or two and gift the others.

53. Many book lovers invariably have an ‘Amazon’ list of favorite books that they would like to buy sometime. Select a book from this list that fits in your budget.

54. If you are short on cash but have time on hand, you could give gift coupons to your friends and family for services that you are willing to perform for them. Like trimming the lawn, washing the car, cleaning the house, babysitting and so on.

55. If you are good with animals, you could offer to take care of your friend’s or relative’s pet while they are on vacation instead of them opting for a paid service.

56. If your partner loves to cook and loves to experiment, keep an eye on the dishes he or she has enjoyed the most in restaurants. Now, search for the recipes of these dishes, print them out on nice, colored papers and place them in binders to present as a gift.

57. Present a simple gift basket with a few pieces of fruit and assorted cheese.

58. For a gourmet chef, a collection of a variety of dishes and serving bowls would be a great gift.

59. A great gift for Christmas, Thanksgiving or any anniversary would be a family calendar. Collect 12 pictures of your family and look for sites or stores that would be happy to create a calendar for you.

60. If you are not looking at something so permanent, you could always work on a slide-show of all the photographs and present them on your computer or TV. Add background music and special effects to make it even more enjoyable.

61. One way of personalizing gifts is by putting pictures on coffee mugs, mouse pads, T-shirts and so on.

62. Pick up a few books from a best-selling list and present them to all the book lovers in your circle.

63. You could always pick up music or movies on DVDs that you know are their favorites. For a change, you could even pick up books on CDs.

64. Another unusual way of gifting is to donate to the recipient’s favorite charity. This way, not only are you gifting something unique to your friend or relative but also helping someone else along the way.

65. If you have the creative spirit in you, try to make something at home. For example, there are candle making sets available in the market. Make a variety of candles and add an interesting candle-holder to form a great gift.

66. While purchasing the latest gadget for your teenage nephew or niece may turn out to be expensive, try going in for the more inexpensive iTunes gift card.

67. A budding artist might like a sketch pad; set of pencils and colors while a budding writer might prefer a nice journal.

68. Instead of spending money on expensive picture frames, pick up a simple wooden frame from the store. Now depending on what the recipient’s hobbies or interests are, you can decorate the frame with elements that represent them. You would have created a very useful and at the same time, a very personalized gift.

69. Gift your friend with a magazine subscription that he or she would enjoy reading.

70. Give a new mother the gift of time. Babysit the new baby so that the new mother can run an errand, go meet some friends or just sleep!

71. If you have some special talents like small repairs as a home handyman, cooking exotic dishes or fixing cars, gift your services to your friends or relatives.

72. Small kids love art and craft gifts. A small basket or box filled with art supplies like pencils, crayons, paper, and coloring books will be very welcome. In fact, you could even reuse some craft supplies to give kids many eco-friendly craft ideas.

73. If you are picking up a gift for a physically active person, there may be some workout or sports supplies they may require. Think of gloves for lifting weights, golf balls, and a new exercise video and so on.

74. You could also consider gifting the younger generation with a family heirloom.

75. For the person passionate about the environment, go to www.carbonfund.org and consider purchasing a set of trees as a carbon offset for them.

76. Consider taking the time out and telling the person exactly how much they mean to you. Either write a letter or a short poem – anything to make them feel appreciated.

My recommendation is to pay attention to the recipient’s interests and tastes the best you can. By doing so, you can mindfully select a gift that does not cost too much (or to your great surprise, might actually be free) and yet may mean the world to them.

Gifts from the heart that are person specific are the best of all ways of giving.

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