If you're a college student this holiday season, it's more than likely that you're someone like me: without much money, but with a ton of people you want to give gifts too. So, here are five ideas to help you get into the Christmas (or simply gift-giving) spirit without spending too much money. Enjoy!
1. Mason Jar Baking Mix
This super-simple homemade Christmas present is great for your budget and your friendships. All you need for this one is a mason jar, the dry ingredients for your baked good of choice, construction paper, and ribbon!
Create a tag with the name of the baked good you’re sharing with your friend, hole-punch the construction paper tag, and tie it around the neck of the mason jar with a piece of ribbon. Then, measure out the dry ingredients required for the baked good, and fill the mason jar with them. Use the rest of the construction paper to write out the remainder of the baked good recipe, and attach to the mason jar.
Bonus: suggest a date and time that you can bake together– after all, the real meaning of Christmas is coming together with loved ones.
2. DIY Health and Beauty Products
Break out the coconut oil, coffee grounds, charcoal, and scented extracts! Homemade health and beauty products are a great-smelling way to show a loved one you care. Because they’re homemade, you can ensure that these recipes don’t use the unnatural chemicals that many are trying to avoid. You can also adapt them to suit organic, vegan lifestyles.Plus, many of these use less than five ingredients, many of which are probably already in your pantry. All you need is a small jar, the few ingredients that some of these products require, and an afternoon to experiment and make your perfect scrub or lotion.
3. DIY T-Shirt Totes
Use funky patterned shirts from Goodwill or your closet, and a simple pattern, to make an easy, eco-friendly, reusable tote bag for a friend. Not only is this a unique and stylish addition, but it’ll probably save them 5-10¢ if they want to use it for their groceries. Truly a gift that keeps on giving!
Bonus: do they have a favorite band, TV show, or other fandom? Find a shirt that relates to that and use it to make their personalized tote bag.
4. Friendship Collage/Scrapbook
Get together pretty paper, stickers, ribbons, and of course, photos of you and your giftee! Use a small notebook to create a customized scrapbook of your favorite memories together, and your loved one’s favorite things.
You can even intersperse “kindness coupons” inside. 1 coupon equals a hug, or movies and chocolate, or something else that’s particular to your friendship and situation. Give it to them on Christmas Day, and make a date to look through it together– as I said in idea 1, the most important part of Christmas is sharing love and friendship together.
5. Write Poems/Make Art
The most personal, creative, and in my experience, appreciated gift you can give is something you put your own thoughts and feelings into: and there’s no better expression of that than art and poetry. They’re free, other than the minor cost of paper/ink, and are a physical expression of your love for the person you’re giving it to.
I’ve been on the giving end of poetry, and on the receiving end of both poetry and art. I have to say, nothing makes me feel better than getting art/words that someone wrote or drew just for me, especially considering the amount of time and effort they needed to put into it. Furthermore, seeing someone appreciate my own work always lifts my spirits, especially around the holidays. Out of all five of these recommendations, this has to be my most highly recommended one: it costs next to nothing, and the feeling it creates in the gifter and the giftee is unmatched by any other!
Are you feeling inspired yet? I hope so! No matter how much money you have this holiday season, remember that it's the love behind the gifts we give to those we care about that truly matters. And oftentimes, the most monetarily cheap gifts are the ones most appreciated.
Happy holidays!
