Is anyone feeling a little stressed out right about now? Only a few more weeks until Christmas and it is crunch time for gift shopping. We are looking at that time of the year when most of us break our budgets because we needed that last-minute gift.
Sure, buying ahead is great, but we don’t always know what to gift that certain someone and so we do what we humans do best, procrastinate!
YIKES! It is December 23rd and we need a gift for grandma…or our husband…or our neighbor that got us something and we didn’t get her anything. Sound familiar? What to do? What to do?
One option would be to crawl under a rock until Christmas is over, but that won’t solve anything.
All jokes aside, you’ve caught my gift-giving guide early enough that there is still time to shop and leave those last-minute gifts as things of the past. If we plan ahead, we can keep away from the mall crowds, keep to our budget and keep our sanity.
I’ve compiled a list of gift ideas that will show the people in your life, you are thoughtful and you care. Most gift ideas are around $10. Therefore, you will still be right on track with your frugal budget.
So make your list and check it twice, but be ready to shop now so you can rest and enjoy your family the rest of this Christmas Season. Hence you will have time to use some of my ideas in my Free Holiday Activities post!
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click some of the links, I will receive a small commission; however, many links are to help you shop for the gift easier, so enjoy!
Gifts for Men
- Simplicity Men / Women Winter Beanie, Hat, Gloves, & Scarf Set, 6174_Dark Green
- Date Cards – Give your husband or boyfriend 12 date night cards. Make these frugal dates such as snuggling and watching a DVD, favorite dinner, walk in your favorite park, trip to the Art Museum, etc.
- Money Magazine (on sale on Groupon for $5/year subscription)
- Chocolate – I prefer Lindt (link below) and Ghirardelli’s – These can both be purchased at stores like Target, Walgreens, CVS and/or Rite Aid and usually are on sale for around $3-4.
- Free Weights (Dunhams or Target)
- Keurig Cups (Around $10-12 for a small pack)
- Coffee Mug
- Irish Cream Liquor (Off brand for under $10, name brand around $12-$13)
- Phone Cover, Stand, Car Charger or Car Holder (Target has a $5 sections with phone accessories)
- DVDs (Target usually has a sale around this time and you can get DVDs for under $10)
Gifts for Ladies
- Bath and Body Works Lotions (Shop Holiday sales to get the best prices)
- Magazine subscription (Groupon has Shape, Style, Good Housekeeping and more for $5/year)
- Birchbox (I used to subscribe to this and I loved it! You can buy one box for $10 or do as small as a three-month subscription for $30)
- Stylish Scarf (Target had the trendy plaid scarfs and infinity scarfs in the $5-7 bin in the front of the store)
- Gloves to use with a touchscreen (Also great for men. I found a pair of these last year at Marshall’s for under $10)
- Chocolates (Lindt or Ghirardelli)
- Makeup Kits from Sephora (Many women love these kits because they can try a sample of the expensive stuff. (Sephora has several Holiday make-up packs for $10)
- Candles (Target has some awesome candles and the price ranges from $5-$10 depending on the size)
- Makeup Brushes (Check amazon or Target… I have not tried the ones in the picture but they have a good rating on Amazon)
- Jewelry (Amazon or Target)
Gifts for Grandparents
- Kid’s footprint art (Stamp a foot and draw antlers, nose & eyes to make a Reindeer)
- Picture frame with a picture of the grandkids or family (see below)
- Slippers ( Target or JCPenny have a good selection. I used to buy my Grandma a pair of deer foam slippers every year.)
- Barne’s and Noble Gift card
- Chocolates
- Pie or Cake of the month (My mom did this for my Grandpa one year and I thought it was a wonderful idea for someone who has a knack for baking. She brought Gramps a pie every month for one year.)
Gifts for Kids
- Toys from the store 5 Below
- Dollar Tree toys (My Dollar Tree had mini CAT tractors and trucks but selections will vary… My two-year-old loves these)
- Light up Sparkle, bouncy balls (Target $3 bin)
- Trash Grabber (Target birthday party favor $3 – ages 3-6)
- Toys from Mom to Mom sales (Young kids don’t care if it is a used toy and you will not have an impossible-to-open package, with a little one waiting and wanting the toy NOW!)
- Small Lego sets ($5 at LEGO stores)
- Groupon Fun activities (Play Place with the ride – $11 in my area, but do a search on Groupon for kid’s activities in your area.)
- Art Supplies (Marker, crayons, coloring books, glitter glue, and include a sketch pad)
- Books (Scholatic has many books for $1.00. I got some Christmas books from my son’s school order and received free shipping)
- DVDs (Target has a good selection of $4-6 movies…I got the Lego movie on sale last year for $4, so check your local flyer for sales.)
I’m hoping my gift guide helped you out! Please comment below if you need any additional ideas or would like to let me know what you think! Happy Holidays!