Frugal Gift Ideas for Everyone

I like to get ahead on my Christmas shopping. It makes for a much more relaxed month of December. There are people I know very well for whom I can come up with a thousand gift ideas – like my daughters. Then, there are people I don’t know as well or who simply fall into the “difficult to buy for” category. I spend so much time perusing gift idea lists on Pinterest. Too often, however, those lists are filled with ideas that are vastly out of my price range. (Though I’d love to drop $100 on my nephew we simply aren’t made of money and I have a set budget that is well under $20.)

This isn’t an exhaustive list – there is no such thing! But hopefully, it will provide some ideas and aid you in Getting Ahead on Christmas! This article has a free printable with a gift organizer – handy! (Or birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Teacher Appreciation, etc.)

Clearly, this post has affiliate links! When you make an Amazon purchase after clicking on one of my links I can earn a small commission. I don’t earn anything off of any other types of links in this article and all the ideas are my own. I don’t own everything I am linking to in this article, but most are items that I have purchased for someone in the past.

Outside the Box Gifts

First consider ways you might give something that isn’t necessarily a “thing”. Could you give time to someone? Or a service? Or, for that individual who really has it all you might give to a charity in their name! (Check out Samaritan’s Purse where you can give baby chicks to an impoverished family!) Perhaps you give a busy mom the gift of time by taking all her kids for a morning. Or give a “date” with an elderly grandparent for tea, a game, a walk, or a DIY manicure. I was once given the gift of “time” by someone who prepared a cooler full of freezer meals for me! As a busy mom that meant a lot!

You could gift a service to someone! Remember those cheesy coupon books we all used to make for our parents? “This coupon is good for one hug?” Well, my mom once gave me coupons for her “Bibbity-Boppity-Boo Cleaning service” She made up cute little coupons and came and cleaned 3 times for me when I was hugely pregnant. It meant so much!

Homemade Gift Ideas

Some people have no trouble coming up with homemade gift ideas. If you are not one of those people, here are some fairly simple gift ideas. You could make something homemade in the kitchen. Homemade bread with a nice jar of jam, a homemade cocoa mix, or a tin of cookies are all wonderful gifts! You could make a homemade bath salt or sugar scrub. There are tons of ideas floating around the internet for birdfeeders, candles, and stenciled tea towels.

Books are the Best Gifts

Can you ever go wrong with books? When in doubt, buy a book! They don’t take up much space, are practical, and you can find an appropriate book for anyone at any age. Plus, you can use “media mail’ to save on postage if you need to mail a gift. I love to find vintage classics in antique shops, thrift stores, and sometimes on Ebay.

A Memorable Gift Idea

We live in the age of minimalism so don’t go nuts here, but perhaps there is a family heirloom or something memorable to give. We give our children a Christmas ornament each year. My husband and I choose an ornament that symbolizes something from that year of their life and then either write the date on the ornament or make a little tag for it with the date. When our girls move into their own homes someday we will send all their ornaments with them! Ornaments are a great gift idea especially when you share a memory from that year with the recipient.

Gift Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

They need nothing and are delighted by everything. I am currently living in this world and here are a few ideas. Mittens (I find that good baby/toddler mittens are hard to find and we live in Minnesota so they are a necessity!) or a bonnet (I love baby bonnets – they are cute, they keep the sun off, and they actually stay ON!). Check out Etsy for some unique finds. Yes, you might spend a little more on Etsy but your money is often going to to some mom or grandma out there handcrafting these things at home.

Often classic toys are the best. Here are some of our favorites: A stuffed animal, bath toys, musical instruments and shakers, a pull toy, a $1.99 ball from Walmart (seriously my 18 month old’s favorite toy right now is her red ball!) a Bible or a book, water wow, or a magna pad. Here is an Amazon Idea List with all these and more!

What to Give Kids and Teens

For both of these age groups a great practical idea is craft supplies and school supplies. My daughters were given a nice set of watercolor paints. They have lasted for several years and they love to paint with them because they work so much better than the cheapo crayola watercolor sets. Get high quality supplies and they will love them.

Jewelry with their initial or that is related to a special interest, a nice flashlight, stationary, books, and games all make great gifts for this age group and are easy even if you aren’t up to date on all your niece’s current interests! When I was a teen my aunt gave me office supplies for a gift. It was really unexpected but I still have that tape dispenser and stapler and I still use them all the time. Here are a few ideas.

Gift Ideas for Whole Families

For a few years in a row my sister-in-law and I decided to give each family a “gift” of a kid swap in January. One day, I would take her three kids for a fun themed day and one day she would take mine! It gave the adults a day-off to relax or go on a date and the cousins all had a blast together. Some themes were a “space day”, a trip to an indoor playground, a “snow day”, and an “art day”. We would plan a day full of games and crafts for the kids that didn’t cost much.

Themed boxes. Give a family game night and include a game or two, some card holders for the little kids, and some snacks. Or a smores box that includes smore ingredients, wet wipes, and marshmallow roasting sticks. We bought these for my parents one year and they have been great!

When in doubt go with a game! Some of our favorites are Wingspan and Ticket to Ride. With our little kids we love playing Sleeping Queens, Sequence, and Uno.

What to Give Men

I personally think men are super hard to buy for. Stationary makes a great gift for just about anyone. Totally shameless plug, but I do make and sell custom stationary in my Etsy shop. I started making this stationary purely for men in my life who were hard to buy gifts for! We also love Caswell Massey products – their soap makes a really nice gift. Last, I would recommend books once again!

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Ideas for Women

Women are probably easier for me because, well, I am a woman! But, there are times when you need to buy for someone you don’t know very well or who has everything. You could try a really nice hand lotion or soap (either for the shower or the sink). Chocolate never fails and you can pair a chocolate bar with a good book or a stationary set for a sweet gift. Birdfeeders also are nice gifts. I have one of these and I love it!

I will also mention two of my favorite Etsy shops here. MrsThimblesCottage makes incredible embroidered pins and ornaments as well as a bunch of other items that would make great gifts for just about anyone (especially if they like Scandinavian style!)

AndreaBKnitting makes beautiful Fair Isle style hats! Andrea has knitted a few things for me and my daughters and they are treasured gifts.

Teacher Gift Ideas

Something to keep in mind when considering a gift idea for teachers is that they get a ton of gifts. A classroom teacher will get around 30 gifts at Christmas and another 30 at the end of the year! A preschool teacher or a specialist teacher (music, art, P.E.) will get countless more! That makes for a lot of mugs and candles! (I am not saying teachers don’t appreciate each and every gift – but there is a point when you can only have so many #1 teacher mugs!) The two things I would recommend for teachers are consumable gifts and meaningful words.

I left teaching about 8 years ago. I still have a box of pictures and notes from students (and a few from parents) that get me all choked up. Teachers pour themselves out in teaching and it is no small thing to have a note or a picture that demonstrates that it matters! Have your child make a picture or write a note.

Consumables for teachers might include a food item (chocolate), a gift card, stationary, or some really nice pens! Also consider that most teachers spend quite a bit of their own money on supplies so gift cards to places like Hobby Lobby are fantastic.

Coworkers and Hostess Gift Ideas

These tend to be a little more generic. Typically you aren’t in a super close relationship with coworkers and aren’t privy to the nuances of their preferences. With hostess gifts they are often fairly “last minute”.

Hand soap is a fantastic gift idea for these occasions. Everybody uses it! You could pair it with a lotion, dishrag, or just another item. Chocolate, coffee beans, or some candy make good gifts. Stationary, a nice notebook, and some quality pens are also lovely. Consider things that pretty much everyone uses and have a few things wrapped and ready to go!

What on Earth to Give Seniors

Not the graduating type, the Great-Grandma type. Seniors can be incredibly hard to buy for because they often don’t’ need anything and are in a stage of life where they are downsizing! What you give really depends on their age and their overall health as well! For example, books are a fantastic gift but you might consider a large print or even an audio book (on CD) if eyesight is an issue. For a senior whose memory is declining you might also consider content that would be comforting. My grandma enjoyed the Little House Books when she was forgetting a lot because those stories reminded her of her childhood. The same goes for puzzles or games – these are great gift ideas for seniors but you need to consider where they are at.

Quality time is also a great gift idea for a senior. Going for a walk, having a tea party, working a puzzle together, playing a game, or giving a manicure are all wonderful ways to spend quality time.

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