My love language is gift-giving to the bone. I love putting together well-thought out gifts that truly show your loved one you listen, you care and you know them. However, your loved one doesn’t need to be a romantic partner. It could be your mother, your sister, your friends or more! If you enjoy showing someone you love them through gifts, but don’t know where to start, this guide is for you.
Your Mother (or mother-figure): Have an important woman in your life? Someone who’s helped guide and support you to this point? Here are a few budget friendly gifts they might love.
- Candles. I know it’s simple, but every mother I’ve gotten a gift for adores these. I would recommend choosing between getting multiple or one good quality one. Or whatever you know they might like! Having a nice aroma in your comfort area really doesn help lift your mood and environment. Simple, but effective.
- Flowers. Cliche and simple, yes. Very high demand right now? Yes. Loved for a reason? Yes. Every girl I know loves some flowers, and just because your mother is your mom, doesn’t mean the girl inside her doesn’t enjoy flowers anymore. You can find affordable bouquets at stores like grocery stores. Something cliche can also be appreciated.
- A Heated Pillow. This could actually be for any woman in your life. We ALL have some sort of use for this. However, I got my mom a natural cherry-pit filled one for Christmas and she has used it everyday now. As she gets older, she’s having more aches and getting more pains. This helps comfort her pain so much and helps her go to sleep better. Something so simple is so effective and so helpful and bringing someone comfort is a great gift.
- Take her out for Dinner. How many meals has your mother made, paid for, and fed you? It may not be a physical gift, but just the simple act of going out of your way to do something nice for your mother will typically be appreciated. Take her somewhere she wants, and let her get what she wants to get.
Your Sister: Depending on how large the age-gap is, they may or may not appreciate these or anything at all. So, proceed with caution and analyze how well you know your sister.
- A pack of or basket of candy. The candy you choose can vary on how old your sister is. However, I doubt they’re going to turn down some candy. Make it cute so it feels special, but this takes little to no effort to just show them some love.
- A stuffed animal. My guilty pleasure at my big age is a cute stuffed animal. Maybe it’s because my sister knows I love them, but my sister always gets me one around this time of year. It’s cute, it’s simple, and it’s loved when it comes from a loved one. Especially if your sister is younger, they’ll love it.
- Beautiful Basics. If your sister loves makeu, get her new brushes, makeup remover or a new makeup bag. If she loves eating out, get some gift cards of her favorite spots. Does she collect anything? Find out what and get her something new to add to the collection. Little things like these that speak to their habits show you pay attention to detail and love them for who they are and what they love.
Your Best Friend: Growing up I loved getting gifts from my friends on Valentine’s Day. I’ve never celebrated the day with anyone special, so having my friends to celebrate it truly brought me so much love and happiness.
- A few flowers. We are balling on a budget. I remember in high school my friends would each get each other one flower. That one flower was loved and when we all exchanged, we would have a mini bouquet. You don’t need a lot to have it feel special. How often do they really get flowers? Any flowers at all will mean a lot.
- A drink on you. Whether that’s at the bar or at Starbucks, get them a drink to brighten or make their day. Who knows? They might’ve been craving one and you just boosted their day with a small action of getting them a drink.
- A handmade Valentine Card. Out of all the people in my life, my friends appreciate well thought out, hand-crafted gifts the most. Print out some pictures of you both, make it their favorite color, add little momentos that mean something to them and make it personalized to them. It’s super simple and made completely with love and shows them that you love them too.
Those are my simple gift ideas for your loved ones that aren’t your partner. You can be as simple as you’d like or go above and beyond to show someone love, just do it with care, thought and intention. And don’t let this holiday, or any others, be the only reason you show love and appreciation for those in your life. Find a way to celebrate them year round and let them know how much they mean to you!