The holidays are coming. With our wits coming dangerously to their ends and our bank accounts shrinking by the minute now that finals are upon us, getting our families and friends the perfect holiday gift seems completely out of the question. However, with our desperate lack of both time and money, there are in fact cheaper and faster options to creating heartfelt gifts that all the people on your list will love. And as resourceful, creative young women, who’s to say we can’t skip the materialism-infested malls and make the gifts ourselves?
1. Give out homemade coupons. Create personalized coupons for experiences with loved ones, like “one movie night,” “one homemade dinner,” or even for your mom: “free maid service.” The possibilities are endless.
2. Make a handmade photo album or scrapbook. Remember those glory days of pictures that we actually printed out? Not to mention the hours that we spent decorating the pages of a carefully crafted scrapbook. A photo album full of your favorite pictures and memories is a great personal gift to give to any family member or friend.
3. Get crafty. Back in elementary school you could make your mom crafts and she loved them even though they were hideous. Guess what, it still works! You don’t have to be an artist or the least bit skilled with a glue gun to create something remotely nice and or functional. If it’s made with love that’s all that counts, right?
4. When in doubt, bake it out. If you are completely out of ideas and have no artistic talents whatsoever, food is always an ideal gift. Make your loved ones festive cookies or their favorite holiday treats—and the best part is, they may even share them with you.
5. Literally put anything in a mason jar. Don’t like to bake? Put the ingredients in a jar! Don’t like to craft? Put the materials in a jar! Don’t like to put anything together whatsoever? Put it in a jar! Are you being lazy? Who cares, it’s in a jar and it’s cute!
6. Paint a mug or plate. Paint your mom’s name onto a wine glass or a funny saying onto a coffee mug. Bonus points if you don’t even buy anything and just steal something from your cabinet. If you decorate enough no one will be able to tell, right?
7. Write a poem or a story. If you’re not so good with a paintbrush or anything that can be burned, try your luck with writing. There is nothing more personal than a hand written piece about someone you love. And the best thing about family is that it can be horrible and they still have to love you. So you can’t lose!