It’s Christmas time. You can feel it everywhere. It’s in the air while you stroll through the aisles of your local Target and hear the holiday music on full blast. There are tons of trees lined up, calling your name to take them home. Not to mention the wide variety of decorations on display that are available to be placed on the tree.
While Christmas time brings a lot of warmth and joy, it can also provoke anxiety around Christmas shopping, especially if you’re on a budget. It doesn’t matter if you’re saving up for a downpayment on a house or trying to pay off debt, what you are not willing to do is spend recklessly to be ridden with even more overwhelm around your finances.
Gift-giving is pretty common during the holiday season.
Would it really be Christmas without gifts? Whether you’re a big gift giver or not, I’m here to remind you that it’s possible to still get your family and friends memorable gifts without breaking the bank.
10 Budget-friendly Christmas Gifts under $30
- Framed photos
This is definitely a memorable gift that everyone will love. Extra brownie points if you give the person a framed photo of themselves or with their family. You can purchase a frame at Dollar Tree and have a photo printed out at your local CVS or Walgreens store. This won’t even cost you $30 at all. If you want to spend a little more money, you can get a really nice photo frame from Michael’s or Joann’s.
2. Handmade ornaments
These are really cute when made by the kids. Ornaments make great gifts for the grandparents because anything their little loved one does is cute and they won’t care about the imperfections of the paint. They will be so proud to place it on the Christmas tree right away after opening their present.
3. DIY Painting/Art piece
Have you ever been to one of those sip and painting events where an artist guides you on what to do? And then you go home and stash that painting away somewhere where the sun can’t even greet it? Well, you can always reuse it by gifting it to someone during the holidays.
Another idea is to look up on Youtube simple paintings that you can paint. You don’t need to be Van-Gogh to paint. Acrylic painting is a bit easier than oil and dries way faster also. Keep this in mind. After taking a mental note of the colors in the video that you will need, head on over to purchase some materials at Michael’s, Joann’s, Walmart or even the Dollar Tree (canvas, paints, brushes). You might want to get some kind of nice wrapping paper with a ribbon that you can fashion into a bow to wrap your piece.
4. Starbucks Gift Card
Who doesn’t like coffee? If you know your family or friends are coffee junkies, then this would make a great gift for them. Gift Cards are awesome because they don’t require too much thought and you can also regulate how much you want to put on it-whether $15 or $20. It won’t break the bank and at the same time, fuel their coffee passion. When they’re enjoying their Starbucks, they’ll be thinking of you, I promise.
5. Gift basket
Gift baskets make great gifts because it doesn’t have to be expensive. They can be themed or not. Or you can just throw a ton of random stuff in there that you know your loved ones will appreciate and call it a day. Honestly, don’t stress yourself out trying to figure out what to put in the basket. Just think of things they like. For example, do they like candy or chocolate? Throw it in there. Maybe they like summer sausage or wine. Throw that in the basket as well.
6. Spa kit
If you notice your loved ones slacking on their self-care and you want to encourage them to practice more of it, then put together a little ‘“spa” kit with some face masks, body wash and bath bombs. These don’t cost too much money as you can find some of these items at 5 Below or Walmart. And besides, your friend or family will love you a little extra once they walk around smelling like cotton candy after their bath.
7. Accessories
These make great gifts for anyone that loves jewelry and/or adorning themselves. Earrings, necklaces, bangles, etc are very cost effective at stores like H&M or even 5 Below. Also, peep the clearance section at T.J. Maxx and you’re sure to find some beautiful pieces that won’t even cost you $20.
8. Houseplants
Plants make perfect gifts in general. Maybe your loved one just started a new job or moved to a new residence so this kind of gift will be great to decorate their space. Perhaps you notice that their environment doesn’t have any greenery at all so this would be a lovely way to add a pop of color whilst bringing nature closer to them.
9. Candles
Is your friend or family a candle lover? This is one of the simplest and very cost-effective gift ideas but very memorable since every time they light that candle, you will be in their thoughts. You can find a nice one at your local farmers market that was crafted with care and it still won’t cost you $30.
10. Bake them their favorite dish
Do you know your friend’s favorite dish? Maybe they really fancy a good ol’ peach cobbler. It’s rare for someone to ever refuse food gifts. This would be ideal for someone whose love language is acts of service because they will appreciate all the time you spent making something they really enjoy eating.
I hope you enjoyed these gift ideas. And remember, it’s not always about the price of the gift. It’s the thought that counts. I’m sure your family and friends will be happy with whatever you give them because it came from you and the fact that you took time out of your day to get them something, will definitely mean a lot to them.
I wish you a very happy holiday season.
