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Budget Friendly Graduation Gifts for Friends

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clark chapter.

Graduation season is officially here! We’re just two weeks away from Clark’s commencement ceremony, and countless other colleges have already started their graduation festivities. Graduations are all about celebrating and that usually means gifts are involved. If you’re feeling like you want to gift something to your friends but don’t want to break the bank in the process, here are five meaningful gifts that any graduate will love!

1. Mug – This simple and sophisticated mug is the perfect gift for any graduate! With the words “Grad est. 2017” on it, it makes a statement without being tacky. There is really no way to go wrong with a mug, and this will be one that your friends will always cherish. At just $16, this cute gift is completely budget friendly. To go above and beyond, you can fill the mug with your friend’s favorite candy!

2. Personalized Tassel Ornament – This is an awesome way to help your favorite grad preserve their tassel for years to come. This glass ornament comes personalized with your grad’s name and year of graduation. For just a little extra, you can also add a school name to the ornament as well and customize the vinyl colors to match the school colors. All your grad will have to do is remove their tassel from their cap and place it into the ornament. They can hang this off of their rearview mirror in their car, save if for their Christmas tree or even hang it somewhere close to their desk! The best part? This gift is only $9!

3. Personalized Champagne – This takes the prize for most creative graduation gift on a budget. There’s no better way to celebrate graduation than with some champagne, and www.personalwine.com will let you customize a bottle of your grad’s favorite bubbly! All you have to do is pick out a champagne (or wine), design your custom label and you’re done! For an additional $15, you can have the bottle engraved. The prices differ on this one depending on your choice of alcohol, but you can get a nice bottle Prosecco for just about $20.

4. A Gift Card to their Favorite Local Eatery – If there’s one thing you’ve probably done a lot of with your friends in college, it’s eating out. For a thoughtful gift, get your friends gift cards to their favorite restaurants near school so you can all share a favorite meal one last time before parting ways. Your friends will certainly appreciate the sentiment, and you can spend the meal reminiscing on all of the great times you’ve had over the past few years. Depending on the restaurant, you can most likely get a nice gift card for $20 or $25.

5. A Framed Picture – College is all about memories, and what better way to preserve them than with a nicely framed picture? Pick out a picture that captures one of the best times you and your friend(s) have had together and get it professionally framed. An easy way to do this is through a service like Frameology which allows you to upload your pictures, choose your frame, and then they’ll send you the finished product all ready to go. You can get a nicely printed and framed photo for just about $30 that your grad will cherish for years to come.

All of these gifts will have your friends feeling loved and celebrated on graduation! Just remember, you don’t have to spend too much to get a thoughtful gift that your friends will cherish for years to come.

Kelly is a student at Clark University pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies and Communications with a minor in Business Management. When Kelly is not in class, you can find her working in the Education Department at The Hanover Theatre, teaching Zumba classes and dancing her heart out with Clark University's Dance Society. Her favorite color is pink (especially Her Campus pink!) and she loves everything monogrammed. Kelly enjoys spending time with her friends, family, boyfriend, and two adorable cats. Kelly is thrilled to be a new Campus Correspondent alongside one of her best friends, Ciara Kilian. Follow along with her on Instagram and Twitter @kellrour HCXO!