Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s officially the time of year to start brainstorming gift ideas for all your friends and family. I love giving gifts that are unique and special to each person, but sometimes that’s hard to do when you’re in college and balling on a budget. But after some major Pinterest searching, I’ve managed to come up with a handful of ideas that are cute, cheap and sentimental!
1. Paint a canvas
If you’re artistically inclined, painting a canvas is a really cute way to give your loved ones a personalized gift without spending a ton of money. All you need is paint, brushes and couple of canvases and then you’re good to go. While I am not very good at painting, my best friend from home painted a sweet friendship saying on a wooden plank with a picture of us and then gave it to me for Christmas freshman year. It’s been hanging in my room ever since and I always think of her when I’m getting ready in the morning. I personally love gifts that are meaningful rather than expensive, so this is a great idea if you want to give someone something from the heart but don’t have a lot of money to spend.
2. Photo collage
I saw this while I was scrolling through Pinterest one night and it looked like a really good idea! Basically, all you need to do is buy a photo grid (you can find them at Target and Home Goods) and a couple of clips to hang the pictures on. You can attach pictures, polaroids, drawings and basically anything else you want. It’s pretty easy to assemble and costs less than twenty dollars but is still special and looks like you put a lot of thought and effort into it. This is an especially good idea for someone who just moved or is looking to spruce up their wall decor!
3. Mixtape
Even though not many people listen to CDs anymore, this is my personal favorite. To me, there is nothing better than receiving a CD that was thoughtfully made just for you. I love choosing songs that remind me of my friends or that I think they would like and assembling to them into one giant playlist. They can play the mixtape in the car and think of you every time they drive somewhere. If you’d like to throw in a little something extra, you can always bake some brownies and cookies for them to munch on while they listen to your playlist.
4. Fill a Jar
This is another idea I discovered on Pinterest and it can be taken in many different directions to suit each person’s style. You can fill the jar with notes about what you love about them or other prompts like “open when..” or date ideas. You can also fill the jar with candy, makeup products, nail polish or other mini versions of their favorite things. If you wanted to make multiple, you could choose a different theme for each jar and customize them.
5. Mugs
Mugs are a simple and easy gift idea that is guaranteed to please just about anyone. I mean, who doesn’t love a cute mug? You can buy them at Target for around $7, or even get one personalized online. Last year I filled a mug with a pair of fuzzy socks, some chocolate and a couple bottles of nail polish for my friend and she loved it! Similar to the jar idea, there are so many different ways to personalize the gift while keeping it simple at the same time.