Nearly Free Gift Ideas

If your budget is already tight, buying gifts for your friends and family may seem impossible. Fortunately, not all gifts need to cost a lot of money. Here are several budget gift ideas that cost little to no money, but will let the recipient know how much you care.

The first thing to do when you don’t have a lot to spend on gifts is to narrow down your gift list. Remove anyone from your list who is not a close friend or family member. Let everyone else know that you didn’t forget them by sending a nice card or giving them a plate of cookies. Another option is to hold a gift exchange with your family and friends. This way you only have to buy or make one gift, but everyone feels included.

Try to make gifts using things you already have around your house. If you do need to buy supplies, try to buy them at yard sales or clearance sales to keep the cost of your gift low. With some creativity, you can come up with some great budget gift ideas that are very low cost or even free.

Regifting is not tacky if you go about it the right way. The regifted item should never have been used and still be in the original packaging. You should also make sure the person you are giving the gift to does not know and will never come into contact with the person who originally gave the gift to you. As a general rule, don’t regift homemade items. Remember that regifting is not a way to rid your home of clutter, but rather a way to recycle gifts that you will not use instead of letting them just sit on a shelf. Make sure the person you are giving the item to will genuinely have a use for it. Also, if the box isn’t sealed, always check to make sure there is not a card to you inside!

If you have jewelry or other antiques that have been passed down from your ancestors, consider giving some of them to other family members as gifts. If you don’t have any meaningful heirloom items, you could interview your grandparents or great grandparents and ask them questions about their childhood, interests and ideas. Make copies of this interview and compile a memory book or photo album to give as a gift to your family members. These types of personal gifts are inexpensive, but they are very meaningful.

Write a story or some poems and compile them into a book. Many photocopy stores can bind your pages inexpensively. If you don’t want to bind the pages, you can put them in a binder and make a cover for the front. Illustrate your literary work yourself or use copyright free images. If you write a single poem, you can mount it and put it in a frame for display. If you don’t feel like you have a talent for writing, compile stories, poems or inspirational quotes from the internet. Remember to respect copyright and only use work that you have a right to.

If you have a knack for fixing things or other talents you can share, consider offering your friends and loved ones the gift of service. Offer to babysit their kids, cook them dinner, weed their garden or repaint a room. You could even make a coupon book of several different things you are willing to do. The best part is, this gift idea is free!

If you sew, knit, paint or enjoy other crafts, you can use your talents to make inexpensive gifts. When you give someone a gift that you made yourself, the recipient will love that you spent the time to make something just for them. If you want to make your own gifts, keep in mind that homemade doesn’t necessarily mean inexpensive. Make sure you already have the materials for your homemade gifts around your house or that you can purchase them inexpensively.

If you want to send a more traditional gift, you will have to plan ahead. Watch for buy one get one free sales on items both you and your recipient will use or need. Of course, this gift idea is only free if you were already planning on purchasing the item for yourself to begin with. You can also cash in the reward points on your credit card or other program with redeemable points. If there is no gift wrap option, make sure you have the item shipped to you instead of the person you are giving it to so you can wrap it up and add a card. This free gift idea is a great way to get gifts for people if you don’t have the time or talent to make something.

If you traditionally give large or expensive gifts, you may want to give your friends and family a heads up so they don’t feel like you are snubbing them when you give them a budget gift. You don’t have to tell them about your budget problems, you can just say you decided to keep things simple this year. Remember, if you give your gifts with love and the recipient’s tastes in mind, they will be appreciated no matter how much they cost.