Hello friends. It's the 3rd day of December/advent today and if you're like me, you'll be half excited and half thinking here we go again because it means shops everywhere now have a legitimate excuse to blast Slade all day. You may also be thinking about the fact that you probably need to be coming up with gift ideas for all the awesome people in your life, to avoid getting them some discounted Ferrero Rochers again. When you have very little dosh, this thought is all the more daunting, but luckily for you I've done some quick maths (and have plenty of present-giving-on-a-low-budget experience). Here's some sums that might inspire you to calculate something that's truly
Notebook + coloured pens + the internet + time = COOKBOOK OR JOURNAL
I recently did this for my best pal. She's a vegan, also not on a high budget, and so, armed with a simple black notebook with lined pages (found in Primark), coloured pens (already owned) and the beauty that is the internet, I wrote out lots of delicious vegan recipes, all with ingredients available in Aldi. You don't have to be super creative to do something like this, and it's also pretty nice to look up recipes that you could make yourself (hello chili noodles). Depending on your future gift recipients' interests, you could instead make them a journal and write an inspirational/god awful/meme-worthy quote on every other page, or even stick in some photos for a makeshift photo album/scrapbook that they can add to in the future. The possibilities are endless.
Charity shop + time + knowledge + a few quid (if that) = RECORD
Records are an awesome gift. They last for a long time and are pretty personal (in a great way). Even if your gift recipient doesn't own a record player, chances are they know someone who does, and who knows - they might even be inspired to buy one after you get them a shiny musical disc that shows them how much you care. All you need is some spare time, some willingness to explore the record sections of your local charity shops and a few quid (or even less if you're lucky). I have to say, this gift idea is limited in that it's unlikely you'll find a new-ish record for cheap, so make sure you're shopping for someone who likes music from the not-so-recent past. What makes the search easier is if you have a range of specific artists in mind. I say a range because finding one particular artist may be tricky, but not impossible! I once managed to get a Patsy Cline-loving friend a Patsy Cline record for next to nothing in the small town where I live (which is an impressive feat, frankly). It all depends on the amount of time and energy you have to search for that perfect disc.
Box + lots of little things that they like = AWESOMELY THOUGHTFUL GIFT SET
If the person you're gifting/buying for has a favourite (non-alcoholic... let's keep this broke-friendly!) drink and/or food, you're going to be in their good books if you gift them with some for Christmas - can't really go wrong there. To make your present into more of a gift set, add a few more bits and bobs, and if you're feeling really fancy you could even place them in a box with some tissue paper (these links are examples - I'd suggest heading to your nearest pound shop, or even decorating an old shoe box). Here are a few ideas of what you could grab to make up your gift set:
Records are an awesome gift. They last for a long time and are pretty personal (in a great way). Even if your gift recipient doesn't own a record player, chances are they know someone who does, and who knows - they might even be inspired to buy one after you get them a shiny musical disc that shows them how much you care. All you need is some spare time, some willingness to explore the record sections of your local charity shops and a few quid (or even less if you're lucky). I have to say, this gift idea is limited in that it's unlikely you'll find a new-ish record for cheap, so make sure you're shopping for someone who likes music from the not-so-recent past. What makes the search easier is if you have a range of specific artists in mind. I say a range because finding one particular artist may be tricky, but not impossible! I once managed to get a Patsy Cline-loving friend a Patsy Cline record for next to nothing in the small town where I live (which is an impressive feat, frankly). It all depends on the amount of time and energy you have to search for that perfect disc.
Box + lots of little things that they like = AWESOMELY THOUGHTFUL GIFT SET
If the person you're gifting/buying for has a favourite (non-alcoholic... let's keep this broke-friendly!) drink and/or food, you're going to be in their good books if you gift them with some for Christmas - can't really go wrong there. To make your present into more of a gift set, add a few more bits and bobs, and if you're feeling really fancy you could even place them in a box with some tissue paper (these links are examples - I'd suggest heading to your nearest pound shop, or even decorating an old shoe box). Here are a few ideas of what you could grab to make up your gift set:
- Patch/pin for a jacket, etc. ~ I buy these to treat myself sometimes...
- Cosy socks. ~ For as long as I can remember, socks have had this rep of being the default cop-out gift, but here in England we have flipping cold winters. Boosting the fluffy sock stock of your cold bois and goirls is a good move.
- Guitar pick/nice pen, etc. ~ What do they like to do in their spare time/not stop talking about? Have a quick brainstorm. You could even scour Ebay or Amazon for some additions to your gift set - just make sure your items will arrive by Christmas.
- Nip to your local Flying Tiger Copenhagen. ~ THIS. SHOP. IS. HEAVEN. Super duper cheap and full of weird and wonderful things. If you're struggling to find inspiration, it's definitely worth a trip to one of their stores, but they're not everywhere - check here to find out if you can experience the awesomeness with ease.
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| image from nytimes.com |
Here's to giving gifts with little dollar. It's actually pretty neat.
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