Cheap and Thoughtful Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas is fast approaching, and the shops are full of frantic shoppers trying to find the perfect presents for their loved ones. Christmas can be a stressful and expensive time for a lot of people, and it can be especially difficult if you don’t have much money, and feel as though you can’t afford to buy gifts for those in your life. However, not all presents have to be expensive or flashy, and there are many ways to give people gifts they will love without spending much, or even any money. Here are some of our best cheap and thoughtful Christmas gift ideas.

Make them a mix-tape

Though cassettes are hardly used these days, the idea of a mix-tape still exists. This is an oldie, but a goodie, and it guaranteed to make anyone smile. Get a blank CD and burn all of the songs that are special to you and the recipient. Every time they listen to it, it will fill them with joy and happy memories of the two of you.

Cook up a homemade recipe book

Do you have a friend or family member who loves to cook? Make them a scrapbook of all of your favourite recipes. Get creative and add in some pictures and add your special notes or tips for how to make it the best way. They will appreciate the effort and time you took to make it, and they might even thank you by inviting you round for dinner and testing one of the recipes out on you!

Show off your skills

If you have a particular skill or talent that a friend has always envied, offer up your services to teach them whenever they want. You could make them a gift voucher that they can ‘cash in’ for your time and expertise. Not only is this free for you and them, but you will get chance to spend some quality time together whilst you teach them.

Create a homemade cinema night

Everyone loves watching movies, so a great, no-fuss gift is a homemade cinema night. Get creative and make a ‘cinema ticket’ for your loved one, inviting them over to your house for a night of movies. Buy some popcorn and drinks, and make a movie gift basket with the ticket included. It’s inexpensive, but will lead to a lovely night with your friend watching your favourite movie.

Bestow your favourite book

Books are precious and sharing your favourite story with somebody is extremely thoughtful and intimate. You can either buy them their own copy, or gift them your own copy. You could make notes or highlight your favourite parts to make it even more personal, and to help them understand just why you love the story so much. You could even read the book together, or at least the same time, and then meet up once you’re finished to discuss what they thought about it.

Put together a photo album

It can be pretty cheap to get photos printed these days, so why not put together a photo album for your friend or family member? It could be a collection of photos from the last year, or from throughout their life. Or it could be a photo story of your relationship. Inexpensive, thoughtful, and full of fun memories that will last a lifetime.

Get poetic

A lovely, inexpensive present for a loved one is to write out a poem and frame it. You could get creative and write a poem yourself, or just choose one of your favourites. Print it on nice, white card in your fanciest writing, and put it in a frame so they can proudly display it in their house. If you’re not a fan of poetry, you could choose a favourite inspirational quote to motivate your friend for the year ahead.