8 Affordable Holiday Gifts For College Students to Give Loved Ones

By Ashley Paskill on December 11, 2020

Buying gifts around the holidays can get expensive, especially if you have a lot of family members and friends to shop for. You do not want to break your bank, but you also do not want to buy gifts that appear to be cheap. Finding quality gifts on a budget is totally doable if you look in the right places.

Image: Kira auf der Heide via https://unsplash.com/photos/8mj-o2H5PKE

Something sentimental

If you have a special memory with a family member or friend, frame something that reminds you of that thing. It could be a picture, or it may be something like a concert ticket or program. You may even decide to create a shadow box of the memory and include photos and items from the event. Your local craft store likely has frames and shadow boxes, and if you go to a chain store, they may have sales and coupons that can help you save even more money.

Something handmade

Giving something you made yourself is a great way to give a unique gift without breaking the bank. Whether you are good at painting, jewelry making, pottery, or any other craft, giving something handmade can show the other person you care just by the amount of time you put into the gift. If you are already into your craft of choice, you likely have the supplies you need on-hand so you will not need to spend too much more money to buy them. Making gifts also allows you to personalize the gift for what the person likes instead of buying a generic gift that others may be getting.

Lottery tickets

While you may opt to hand these out along with a larger gift, lottery tickets are a fun gift. There are scratch-offs that cost less than $10 and it is fun to see if those you give them to actually win. Many tickets also have holiday-themed games to help fit the holiday spirit.

Mix CDs

This may seem outdated, but coming up with unique playlists and burning them to a CD is a great way to show your friends and family that you know their tastes. You can make a cool CD cover based on what each person’s style is and their favorite colors. On the inside, you may even decide to write out why you chose each song. Pick the songs based on what the other person likes or songs that bring up memories you have with the person.

Coupon books

It may seem cheesy, but you may consider giving your family members coupons for things like running errands and doing chores. You can offer to do these things for your family members when they redeem them, especially when you are home from school. Make the coupons for things you know they dread doing to help them out. Consider not putting an expiration date on the coupons, especially if you live at school during the semester. Ideas for the coupons can include chores, errands, playing a board game, and watching a movie together. You can also personalize your coupons to what your family members like.

Personalized videos

If you are good at video editing, you can interview your family members to create a video about their lives. This would be especially special for your grandparents so that you can learn more about them. Video editing can take time, but as long as you have the equipment on hand, making the video will not cost money. It will take some time, so make sure you have the time to dedicate to the project. The good thing about the video is you can send one to family members no matter where they live thanks to technology.

A puzzle

Puzzles have become all the rage this year, especially with COIVD-19. They are relatively inexpensive and come in a variety of styles and images. You can give a puzzle to your family members as a way to say that you want to spend more time together and build the puzzle as a family. This is especially nice if you are usually away from your family because of school. There are even ways you can mount the puzzle onto canvas and turn it into artwork that can help you and your family remember the time you spent together.

Tree ornaments

Tree ornaments can display what people like, so giving an ornament can really show that you know the person you are giving it to and care enough to look for such a meaningful one. You may even choose to buy the kind that you can decorate yourself. Gifting an ornament can turn into a tradition where you give the person/people an ornament for every Christmas. That way, when Christmas comes around next year and they hang the ornament, the recipient will think of you.

Holiday gift-giving can get expensive, but there are plenty of affordable options for students to take advantage of so they are not hurting their budget too much.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format