12 Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas for Everyone On Your List
Updated: Mar. 23, 2021The holidays can be expensive. There's all those decorations, the traveling and of course the gifts. Here are 12 great gifts you can give this holiday season that will delight those on your gift list without breaking the bank.
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Refurbished Items
Visit some garage sales or take a trip to the resale shop and look for Christmas gift ideas you can fix up for someone on your list. Think refurbished chairs, a side table or a cool footstool.
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The Gift of Food
Who doesn't like free food? So make a meal, a batch of cookies or a dessert for someone (or everyone!) on your holiday gift list.
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Monogram Wall Art
With a quick search online, you’ll find several ideas for making a custom piece of monogrammed wall art. For a simple project, buy a wood or metal letter from a craft store and paint it. Then secure it inside a frame from a dollar store, resale shop or make one yourself.
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Scrabble Coasters
Here’s an inexpensive gift you can make in about an hour—drink coasters. Find some old Scrabble letters (check a resale shop) and place them four-across, four-down so they spell (appropriate!) words. Next, glue them on a piece of cork board and trim the board so it’s flush with the letters. Coat with a satin finish spray to seal.
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Give Your Time
It won't cost you anything to give the gift of your time. So offer to babysit a friend's kids for an afternoon or evening so they can have some free time, or offer to do yard work for a neighbor.
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Homemade Body Scrub
Grab some glass jars and make some homemade body scrub. For a basic recipe, combine 1/4 to 1 cup of coconut oil, 2 cups of raw sugar and 10-15 drops of essential oil (try lemon or lavender). And put the mixture in jars and tie a ribbon around the top for a simple homemade gift.
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Make a Spice Rack
The home chef in your life will surely like a DIY spice rack. And with just a few materials, you can create a spice rack that will hold 18 jars and fits in a standard-size kitchen cabinet.
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Give Greenery
Brighten anyone's day with some greenery. And try gifting a DIY terrarium, fill a garage sale vase with some flowers or even give a package of seeds and offer to help plant them in the spring.
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Entertainment Basket
With the recipient's preferences in mind, make an entertainment basket they'll love. And think movie tickets, a DVD or board game and snacks such as popcorn, cookies and candy.
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Car Wash Kit
For the car lover, give some sponges, towels and car-care products to help keep their car sparkling clean. And you can even give them a coupon for one free car wash, courtesy of you!
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Make a Birdhouse
Who doesn't enjoy watching the birds in the backyard? And this wren house takes just a few minutes to build and you may already have many of the materials in your garage or workshop.
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Craft Kit
If you have a scrapbooker or painter on your gift list, put together a craft kit. And think paint, glue, special paper, glitter and markers, depending on the recipient's interests.
Originally Published: November 21, 2017
