If You're On A Budget This Valentines Day, These 6 Cheap Gift Ideas Are For You
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

If You're On A Budget This Valentines Day, These 6 Cheap Gift Ideas Are For You

Perfect for any college student, or your inner college student!

128
If You're On A Budget This Valentines Day, These 6 Cheap Gift Ideas Are For You
Unsplash

If you're like me, you don't enjoy spending lots of money on this fancy, lovey-dovey day in in the middle of February. Yep, I'm talking about Valentines Day.

But, if you're also like me, you have a boyfriend this V-Day, and/or friends who want to exchange presents.

So, I present to you my own list of super cheap V-Day gift ideas; perfect for the broke college kid, or for your inner broke college kid!

1. Valentine's Day Candy (the classroom edition)

If I had a nickel for every time I heard a fellow college student bring up a memory about exchanging valentines in elementary school, I would have my student loans paid off.

Many of us have fond memories of getting so many valentines in cute, decorated paper bags on V-Day. So, why not reenact these memories and get your person a classroom's worth of candy? Or, if you're not too keen on giving one person a box of 24 candies, take out individual packets and write sweet notes on them, and hand them out to your friends!

Price: $2-$10

BONUS: Make your friends/partner a cute paper bag decorated with hearts and their name so you can really throw it back to elementary school! And be sure to add the candy to the bag!

2. A Haiku

Haikus are probably one of the easiest and cheapest options when it comes to V-Day gift ideas. Haikus are very short Japanese poems that are only 17 syllables long.

The first stanza has 5 syllables, the middle has 7, and the last has 5; Haikus are short, sweet, artsy, and can be very beautiful pieces of literature! Since Haikus are easy to write, I recommend writing a few for each person you're giving them to.

Example Haiku:
My Drew is my love
I write love haikus for him
He is a haiku

Price: Free! (You need paper/supplies, though!)

3. Coupons

No, you don't need to give someone an actual coupon to a store, but rather, a friendly coupon that gives the receiver some service/gift down the road!

Take a piece of paper, cut it, and decorate it as you please. Then, make the paper into a useful coupon involving yourself! Some awesome coupon ideas are:

- Dinner Date (on yourself)

- Free Hug(s)

- Free Babysitting/Petsitting for the Evening (for those with kids/animals!)

- Free Dog Walking for a Day

- Coffee/Tea Date (on yourself)

- Movie Night (ticket on yourself)

Price: Varies on situation

4. A Handwritten Note

This gift works especially well for those who love reading. Handwritten notes are unheard of nowadays; so, writing one and sending it via mail (or giving the note to them) is very special.

Write a nice, page-long letter on lined paper about how much you like the person receiving it. You can write about how great they are, or even come up with a story for them.

Do you have pen smears on the page? Good, that means you were working hard! Bad handwriting? At least you didn't copy and paste some message from the Internet and printed it out for your friend.

Handwritten notes go such a long way nowadays (especially for your girlfriends, boys).

Price: Free! (You need paper/supplies, though!)

5. Dollar Store Toys/Crafts

Everyone, regardless of age or ability to admit it, loves toys. So, what's better than super cheap Dollar Store toys?

Often times, too, these toys are straight out of the 90s; so, you'll enjoy a very cheap gift with extra points given to you for the nostalgia factor.

Do you remember the awesome plastic bubbles you'd make with B'loonies? Or what about the capsules that broke apart in water and revealed tiny foam dinosaurs? The Dollar Store has those!

Or, if your person is more craft-minded, the Dollar Store has the perfect amount of crafting supplies for all of your crafting needs, and plenty of awesome crafting kits (now I want to make a birdhouse...).

Price: $1

6. Chores

The final gift option on my list is chores. Chores? Yes, chores.

Doing someone's chores for them, such as cleaning their dirty dishes or vacuuming their carpet, goes a long way. This simple little "gift" has a lot of meaning to it! People don't like doing chores; it's boring work that has to be done, so get cleaning and do the dishes for your friend/special someone!

I am sure they will be very grateful for this kind gesture and it'll definitely merit you some brownie points with whoever is receiving this gift. As a general note, this is just a nice gesture to do at any time of the year!

BONUS: Turn this gift into a coupon! Make a coupon for chores, vacuuming, sweeping the stairs, etc!

Price: Free!


V-Day may not be the best holiday of the year, but it's the perfect time to make a meaningful impression on your friends/family/or significant other.

Have an awesome, lovey-dovey day, and I hope my list of cheap gift ideas can help you craft the perfect cheap, or even last-minute, V-Day gift!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

49551
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

31553
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

955165
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

180387
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments