Gift giving can be a nice way to show your appreciation for someone, or to celebrate a special occasion. The only problem is, it can sometimes break the bank. We’ve all been there; got a little too overzealous with our spending to find ourselves in our overdrafts at the end of the month. This guide will help you to give gifts without breaking the bank!

Give the Gift of Time

Instead of going out and buying a gift, give the gift of your time. Time is something you can’t buy. You can’t get it back once you’ve spent it. Giving someone the gift of time can be really nice, especially when you consider how busy most people are these days. Arrange something with them that doesn’t cost much, such as a museum visit or even a picnic.

Cook Something

If you fancy your skills as a chef, why not cook something for the person in question? You could make them a cake, some cupcakes, or a full on 3 course meal. All you need to do is find a way to present it nicely, and maybe invite them over. To get the best results, try not to use ingredients you’ve never worked with before, or a brand new recipe. This could be a really nice gift for someone who has just moved into a new place!

DIY a Gift

Just about anybody can make a decent gift. Make a frame and put a picture of you both in it. Write them a poem or a song. Paint them a picture. Give them something that they can see you’ve put effort into. It’ll be unique, and they’ll know that you didn’t just go and buy something random like most people do.

Choose Something Small But Thoughtful

If you have a small budget allocated to the gift, you could choose something small but thoughtful. A CD, book, item of  clothing, or accessory could work, but there are lots of things you could go for. Look online for sites that specialise in gifts for men and women, so you can narrow down your search. You can usually set how much you’d like to spend too, so there’s no way you can stray from your budget.

Give a Novelty Gift

If you like to have fun with this person and you make one another laugh, a novelty gift could be a great idea. Novelty gifts aren’t usually expensive, and the comedy value they provide is all worth it.

There are a ton of things you can do to give a gift on a budget. Making something yourself will take more time, but you could end up giving a better gift than they’ve ever had before! Gifts like these become sentimental and they’ll likely keep it for years to come. It isn’t about how much you’ve spent, but how much thought you’ve put into the gift. That’s when gifts mean the most to people.

Leave any ideas of your own in the comments box. Come back soon!