Cheap Gift Ideas for Neighbors, Teachers, and Friends
Christmas is coming, and with that comes added expenses. With gifts and parties and food (oh how I love the food) the costs can add up quick. One of my biggest passions is to help people see that gifts do not have to cost a lot of money. A gift should come from the heart, not from a credit card. I would much rather have a friend give me a nice note than have them feel stressed about money but felt they needed to buy me something expensive. Here are 15 Cheap Gift Ideas for Neighbors, Friends and Teachers.
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1. A Jar of Homemade Hot Cocoa
Whip up a batch of this homemade hot cocoa. Put it in a jar with a cute card and note. You could even attach a bag of marshmallows or box of candy canes.
2. Hand Soap
Look for sales at Bed Bath and Beyond, or other stores, and stock up on a few nice hand soaps. I love getting these as gifts! You can never have to much soap.
3. Wrapping Paper
Buy a few rolls of wrapping paper from the Dollar Tree. Attach a big bow and thoughtful note. Everyone is always needing more wrapping paper during Christmas time!
4. Journal
Give your friend a pretty journal. Make it even more special by writing a kind note on the front page. This one from Amazon is less than $5!
5. Soda Pop
a 2 liter of soda pop makes a fun gift for neighbors, especially for the New Year holiday. Download this free printable and attach to the pop.
Download Pop Gift Tag Here.
6. Nail Polish and Emery Board
This is a fun gift for a girl friend. Give the gift of pampering with a cute jar of nail polish and a emery board. You can get these both for fairly cheap at the Dollar Tree. Tie them up with ribbon (everything looks fancier with ribbon) and give them along with a kind card.
7. Homemade Candy
Whip up a batch of this easy Christmas Candy for a fun sweet treat. It’s so easy to make, and different from the more popular Christmas goodies. Put it in a gift bag and tie it off with ribbon.
8. Bath Bombs
I love a good bath bomb. It turns bath time into spa time (for reals!). This bath bomb gift set is a great gift for your friends or teachers. You could make it even more frugal by putting each individual bath bomb in a cute gift bag with a ribbon attached, this would give you 6 gifts in one!
9. Pineapple
We did this a few years ago and attached a card saying “Mele Kalikimaka.” You can find the printable I used here.
10. Throw Blanket
What better way to enjoy the cold winter months than with a new throw blanket. You can find these for fairly cheap, such as this one I found on Amazon. So cute right?!
11. A Bag of Clementines
We have always received a lot of great reviews when we gift a small bag of cutie clementines. Attach a note that says, “Merry Christmas CUTIE.”
12. Box of Muffin Mix
This sound so simple, but I love it! Like I said before, practical gifts are my favorite gifts. Give a box of muffin mix with a note attached that says “You’re getting muffin for Christmas.” I found a cute free printable here.
13. Homemade Bread
There is just something about a loaf of homemade bread that makes my heart happy. This banana bread recipe is quick easy and cheap. Make up a couple loaves for teachers or neighbors.
14. A Cute Scarf
You can never have to many scarfs, at least that’s my opinion! They are practical, cute and trendy! Plus, they are affordable! This one from Amazon is less than $10!
15. Plate of Cookies
There is something special about an old fashioned plate of cookies! When I know something has been handmade it feels a little more special to me. I just love gifts from the heart! Try out this Christmas Tree Cookie Recipe for a fun cookie plate.
16. Growth Mindset Conversation Starters
This Conversation Starter Cards is a fun gift to give someone with a family. The set of cards is just under $15 and includes 52 cards each with a different question on it. These questions encourage conversation and are the perfect addition to family get together’s, long car trips or dinner conversation. My kids love when we pull these out and I love gifting them for other families to enjoy!
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