Frugal Stocking Stuffers, Last Minute Holiday Gifts, Inexpensive Crafts and Gifts
I know, I know. You’re looking at this title thinking – “Thrifty Holiday Gift Ideas? But it’s nowhere close to the holidays, Caitlin. Why would I possibly need to start thinking about gift ideas right now?” Let me explain.
I promise you, it really is time to start planning for the holidays. How do I know it’s time? Because it’s always that time. There are simply too many things to do for the holiday season to get them all successfully accomplished during the actual holidays. That’s a major part of why they are so stressful in the first place!
Don’t Make The Mistake of Procrastinating on Holiday Gifts!
Why do people procrastinate with their holiday shopping? We all know it comes around every year! According to Money.com, tons of people wait until the last minute to holiday shop for many reasons, like they just get busy or overwhelmed. Don’t be like them!
The last thing you want to be doing is scrambling to get a last minute gift for someone you really care about because you had no time to actually plan out what you were going to do. And it will probably end up being something expensive too, because retailers know people do this every year. Those stocking stuffers live for this time!
You already know that you will be better off if you approach things a little bit at a time, throughout the whole year. So do yourself this favor and get to planning some frugal gift ideas NOW. Future you will thank you.
Ideas for Thrifty Holiday Gifts
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For me, one of the biggest things is coming up with holiday gift ideas. Particularly, meaningful ones. And wouldn’t it be perfect if those gifts could also be somewhat inexpensive? No, I’m not asking too much here. Frugal, even DIY, holiday presents can often turn out to be the best ones.
To prove it, here is my list of thrifty holiday gift ideas for you to start working on now, so that by the time that festive season is here you will be ready to take it on with confidence. Go get ’em!
Frugal Holiday Gift for the Gardener: Propagated Plants
Has anyone else gone slightly overboard with their plant obsession recently? Because same. It started with just one or two plants here and there but then slowly the dining room/kitchen/bedroom/living room have been taken over.
Okay, even if it’s not that bad yet for you the great news is that you can easily turn a few plants into more at very little cost. And they make (dare I say?) the PERFECT thrifty holiday gift ideas. You buy a cute little pot, some soil, clip off a few stems from your thriving jungle, give the fledgling a few months of care, and boom. Beautiful, thoughtful, thrifty holiday gift idea.
These little pots from Amazon are perfect any time of year.
Fail-Proof Frugal Gift: Food
Ah, the classic. Food is such a go-to, it’s often overlooked for being the excellent gift that it is. And as all the best frugal minds know, the secret to food is that a little bit goes a long way. The possibilities here are really endless. If you are a baker you can make cookies, or muffins, or a pie, or a cake.
Dress these up in pretty wrappings or tins and you have a lovely gift that anyone would love. If you can’t bake, you could always buy the sweet treat, put it in a pretty box and it will still be well received.
There are other options of the non-cake variety too, like casseroles, or even a Christmas tree-shaped pizza! Never underestimate the thrifty value of clever food-themed holiday gift ideas. Whomever you’re gifting these to will certainly appreciate the uniqueness and time spent planning out these delicious gifts.
Sewn, Knitted or Crocheted Items for Inexpensive Gifts
If you don’t know how to knit, crochet, or sew, there are tons of free resources online to teach you all of these valuable skills. Most would probably agree that crocheting is the easiest and most beginner friendly of the three to attempt.
Since you only need one hook and some yarn its very inexpensive to start, and it doesn’t take long to learn how to produce a decent simple scarf. Not only that, scarves are relatively quick to make and you can vary the colors/length to suit your gift recipient.
If you want to be more ambitious and/or have a sewing machine lying around, try your hand at sewing a blanket. Fabric stores always have sales going on, so be on the lookout for these and buy some fabric in bulk that you can mix and match. A handmaid gift like this means so much more than one you went out and bought off of the shelf.
Other Frugal Living Articles You May Enjoy:
Low Cost Homemade Bath and Beauty Products
Even if you are not a crafty person, making something like a bath or body scrub is not complicated. The basic ingredients are usually 1 part sugar, a few drops of an essential oil that you like, and 1/4 part oil (think olive, coconut, or almond) to keep it all together.
You could even mix it up with similar ingredients for a creative little bath bomb (see below). DIY bath and beauty products are surprisingly easy and cheap to make, yet they don’t feel cheap when given as a gift.
Easy Bath Bomb Gift Recipe:
1/2 c. Epsom Salt
1/2 c. Citric acid
3/4 c. Baking Soda
5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil
3 tsp. oil (olive or almond)
1 tsp. Water
Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then separately mix all of the wet ingredients together. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Shape the mixture by hand, into a mold, or pack it into an ice tray and allow to dry.
DIY Candles as a Present
Candles are another one of those deceptively thrifty holiday gift ideas. The ingredients are simple and don’t cost very much, but the presentation can make them a spectacular gift.
Save some jars from the foods you use (i.e. jelly, pickles, mason jars, even wine bottles) remove the labels and use them to be the base of your candle. Decorate these with ribbons or stickers, use festive colors for the wax, include a nice scent, and you’ve just made a wonderful gift for some lucky person.
Make Your Own Scrapbook for a Sentimental Gift
Some people have a special talent for scrapbooking. Are you one of them? If so you can put this hobby to great use by making some thoughtful yet inexpensive gifts. The best thing about this is you can repurpose things you already have, like stickers, string, ribbons, etc to add to the pages.
And as a double bonus, if you start early, you can collect pictures throughout the year so that by the holidays you’ll have a full book of memories.
Inexpensive Gifts from an Actual Thrift Store
Do you have an eye for diamonds in the rough? Then share that skill with your friends and family by getting them something awesome and unique that you found while out thrifting. If you like to do furniture flips like THIS ONE, try scouting around for the perfect piece to give to someone in desperate need of storage and/or style.
Since you’ll have plenty of time, the pressure’s off and you get to actually enjoy finding gifts for people. And isn’t that really how it should be?
Final thoughts on Thrifty Holiday Gift Ideas
We all recognize that gift giving is not always easy. And I know it seems like there’s never enough time to get everything done, especially for the holidays. But try not to apply too much pressure on yourself, and remember to give yourself a break. You are doing the best you can, and anyone in your life who really deserves these thrifty holiday gifts will already know that.
Related Thrifty Articles:
- Thrift Store Flip – Side Table
- Frugal Eco-Friendly Alternative Products
- 20 Kitchen Essentials for Under $20
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