My Budget-Friendly Gift Guide for the Tough-to-Buy-For Crowd
At a time when so many people are struggling, putting a holiday gift guide together initially felt a little out of touch to me. The economy has been in such a volatile place for months and a lot of families (including mine) are changing up what the holidays look like for them in order to save money.
That said, I put a list together of some of the gift ideas I’m going for this year, including a mix of lower-budget items with homemade elements as well as some purchases to consider – but for all of the gifts I’m recommending on this list, I’m keeping the cost to under $30.
The family member you never know what to get
This year I’m going with nicely framed photos for the two people in my immediate family circle who fall into this category. I’ve gotten these frames for gifts in the past and I’m using them again for this year to give them nice photos of them and our son!
The friends/acquaintance gifts
I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit on Pinterest trying to find homemade gift ideas that wouldn’t take me hours – but very few of the options I’ve found are doable for me, since I’m a) not crafty AT ALL b) not the curator of an extensive garden or store room I can pull products from, or c) in possession of unlimited free time. So I’m doing two things this year for this gift category:
I haven’t grown a whole lot in my garden but I do have a few things – and this past summer I experimented with giving away some of the herbs I have back there. At this point in the year I don’t have much, but I do have some lavender that I can dry – so I’m planning to cut some small bunches, twine them, and hang them upside down for a week or so (I have a couple of hanging nails in the kitchen and living room where I can hang them up out of reach of our toddler). Once they’ve dried I’m planning to wrap them in little brown paper bouquets with some ribbon. I’m planning to package that up with a small bundle of homemade gingerbread cookies (I like this recipe from I Am a Food Blog) and grab some mini pine-scented candles that I can throw in.
The other idea I’m trying is specifically for host gifts for any holiday parties we’re going to at people’s homes. I’m planning to put together some mulled apple cider kits that the hosts can enjoy whenever they’d like. These will include a bottle of store-bought apple cider and a small package of all the stuff you’d need to mull it, including cinnamon sticks, an orange, star anise, and cloves. We’ll also include some nips of whiskey for the couples we know would want to add that to their cider too!
The mandatory Secret Santa work gift
I feel like I’ve exhausted all of the Secret Santa gift ideas that I’ve had over the years, so I’ve been trying to think of something I haven’t gotten before. Our company spend limit is $25, so I went with Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - it’s one of my all-time favorites!
Your friend’s toddler
I have a couple of under-two-years-old little ones to buy for this year, and I’m going with a name puzzle for each of them. These are a cute personalized gift that’s good for learning letters and working on those motor skills.
I hope this is useful, and I’ll be back with some additional gift guides leading up to the holiday season!