Most of the time, cheap Christmas gifts look, feel and seem just that – cheap, but did you know that you could gift inexpensive gifts that aren’t low quality?
Many of us have had to tighten our budgets since the 2008 recession, which can make gift shopping for the 2014 holidays a huge challenge. We all aim to enjoy give perfect gifts, but on a tight budget this can prove to be stressful or even seem impossible.
If you’re from a large family or if you need to provide gifts to an extended network of friends, you may be really struggling to find room in your budget for all those presents, but fortunately, you do have options.
You can even save a pretty penny without looking like someone who gives cheap gifts if you’re extra careful with your selections!
To help you out in your search for the perfect inexpensive Christmas gifts, here are 10 high quality, yet affordable gift ideas:
1. Framed Child’s Artwork
Don’t know what to get Granny or your Mother-in-Law this year and have kids? Framing your child’s artwork could be the perfect cheap gift. It doesn’t even matter if your child isn’t particularly artistic, the sentimental value of framed art is huge and is bound to delight even those who are extremely picky about their presents!
2. A Cake in a Jar
When it comes to cool cheap gifts, you really can’t go wrong with a cake in a jar. A cake in a jar consists of all the ingredients needed (minus the egg!) for a delicious cake, and looks especially charming in a mason or other vintage-esque jar. This gift is very inexpensive (you likely have most of the ingredients in your cupboard already) and who doesn’t like cake?!
3. Scrap Books
If you are really struggling to raise money for the holidays this year, you could always create a scrap book, which can be very cheap, especially if you already have many photos or other keepsakes available for use. A carefully and artistically put together scrap book has the potential to provide more joy and appreciation than any fancy gift could, as it demonstrates that you put a huge amount of thought and effort into your gift.
4. Homemade Holiday Wreaths
Are you the crafty type? Then you might want to make awesome cheap gifts by creating homemade holiday wreaths. The best thing about this inexpensive holiday gift is that most of the components to your wreath can likely be found in your backyard, so you may not have to spend anything at all! As with the scrap book, people will know that you must have invested a great deal of time and effort into its creation, making it more personal and far more interesting than something you simply bought at the store.
5. Baked Cookies
For cheap holiday gift ideas, baking cookies is an oldie but a goodie. Although a lot of people bake cookies as gifts during the holidays, this is usually simply because most people can’t get enough of homemade cookies! You could always try and spruce up this age-old gift by making some more exotic flavored cookies or presenting them in a decorative tin or jar. Baked cookies can be very cheap to make, and are bound to go down quite literally a treat.
6. Gift Baskets
Save your money during the holidays by not ordering gift baskets but rather by making one yourself. You likely have a basket lying around the house that you could fill up with cute yet inexpensive gifts. The fact that you took the time and consideration to create your own gift basket is virtually guaranteed to impress your gift recipient and it can also be a lot of fun putting it together.
7. Make Your Own Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is a comforting yet often fairly pricey drink you can order during the holiday period, but it can actually be surprisingly inexpensive to make. Homemade mulled wine only requires a couple of cheap ingredients, and it really doesn’t matter how costly or cheap the wine is, as it’s the spices and citrus that make this drink so special. If you’re invited to a Christmas party this year and want to give a gift without having to break the bank, definitely consider bringing your own mulled wine presented in an attractive bottle.
8. Give a Magazine Subscription
Most of the year magazine subscriptions can be reasonably expensive, but in the holiday period magazines typically dramatically reduce magazine subscription prices, sometimes to as little as $5 per subscription. Check out what’s available online and see if there’s a good deal going on for your relative or friend’s favorite mag, and you may just find yourself the ideal cheap holiday gift.
9. Gift an App
If you’re really strapped for cash but don’t want to look like the Grinch by not giving anything at all this year, you may want to opt for an app. Apps can be bought for as little as .99c and many app companies allow you to gift them to other cell phone users. You could even make this gift a festive one by gifting a holiday themed app, such as a holiday recipe app or a holiday game app.
10. Mixed CDs
Mixed CD’s may sound a little old fashioned in this day and age, but if you have a technically challenged person on your gift list (perhaps an elderly relative or neighbor) you could always make a mixed CD. You could make a mixed CD of their favorite tunes or even one just of holiday music and songs. It really is the thought that counts and the personalization of a well thought out mixed CD should bring a smile to the face of whomever you are giving it to.
Car Capital Financial
Are you struggling to make ends meet during the 2014 holiday season? Don’t know how you’ll pay the bills and rent on time, never mind buy gifts for your loved ones? Car Capital Financial may be able to help you get through the worst of it.
We are one of Southern California’s leading car title loan companies, with over 17 years of experience providing assistance to those in financial need. We award title loans based on your ability to repay the loan.With office locations in San Diego, Orange County, Riverside County and Los Angeles, we can get you the money you need in as little as 30 minutes from first contact.
Call us today at 1-888-500-9887 to find out how we can help make sure that your 2015 holiday season is everything that you want it to be!