10 Great Budget Friendly Gifts For Everyone
Guess what? It’s October 7th as I type this my Christmas shopping is done! Now that I’ve wrapped that up, I thought I’d share some great gift ideas for those who have a hard time coming up with something useful to give friends and loved ones at Christmas.
“Useful? Who said a gift had to be useful?” Well it doesn’t, of course, but if I spend money on someone I would rather it be something that will come in handy for them or improve their life in some small way. I’m just not big on buying things that collect dust and I really prefer receiving utilitarian gifts, so that is what I like to give as well.
I realize that as the years go by it becomes harder and harder to come up with ideas, so I thought I would share a few things that I’ve purchased for those on my list this year in hopes that you might find some ideas for folks on your list. Note: I own every single item on this list and purchased it for myself and in many cases, others. These gifts are not gender specific. You’ll find these ideas can work for yourself, your spouse, parents, children, friends, neighbors, and even grandchildren here.
These are budget friendly ideas for the special folks in your life, all of them under $40, with many of them costing less than $20.
To see any items below on Amazon, simply click on the photograph or the title
Swiss Army Knife
Price: Model Shown About $35
Timex Weekender Watch
Price: Models Shown are about $25-$30
Click here for my gold polka dot watch
Click here for my royal blue polka dot watch and a cute pink version is here.
Click here to see the paisley one I bought (It is also available in a larger face, I have the smaller one)
See all the weekender watches available (large and small faces) by clicking here.
Back in my younger days I held many jobs: Checking out groceries at Winn Dixie, making sandwiches at Subway, selling Hardware at Sears, Selling handbags at McRae’s, and even selling jewelry (again, at Sears). When I was working the jewelry counter, the items we sold the most were watches. We also replaced batteries for folks. Out of all the fancy brands avaialable, the one brand I kept seeing sold the most that never needed anything other than a new battery from time to time was Timex. I would have people come in with watches that were older than me to get new batteries, and the watches were still going strong. You just can’t beat a good Timex watch, in my opinion.
An added benefit that a lot of folks don’t think about (especially younger people) is that wearing a watch drastically extends the battery life of your cell phone. Have you noticed how many times a day you check the time on your phone? I started wearing a watch again a few years back and on one trip with my husband my phone (an identical model to his) lasted twice as long as his. He was skeptical when I told him it was due to my wearing a watch, until he got one!
This is a great model of Timex called “The Weekender”. J. Crew sells a similar (almost identical) Timex watch for $96 with the same interchangeable band. You can just buy your watch from Amazon for $20-$40 and purchase bands from either JCrew, Ebay, or Amazon for about $10 each. Click here to see the bands on Amazon.
They’re also indiglo, so you can easily tell time in the dark.
♥Perfect for anyone who needs/likes/wants to know what time it is and has a wrist handy.
Electronic Earmuff Headphones
Price: About $20
Lodge 10″ Pre Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Lodge 10″ Pre Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet Price: About $20
Anker Portable Charger
Price: About $10
Ever find yourself out and about with very little juice left in your phone? This handy little device is one that I keep in my purse at all times. When my phone runs low, I just plug it up and stick it back in my purse or pocket while it charges. Everyone in my family owns one of these and my son puts his in his pocket each morning. Adults and kids alike (grandkids, too!) will love the convenience. We’ve had this particular brand for a few years and they still perform really well. The small one will fully charge a phone so you can go about your business while your battery goes up rather than down. Excellent stocking stuffers.
Black and Decker Spotlight
Price: About $20
I love flashlights, just ask my husband. I am always, always, always on the lookout for my next great flashlight. I’ve even dubbed the one I carry in my purse “my precious baby“. It is a whopping 800 lumens with striker face and one of my prized possessions (seriously, I’m that into flashlights). This spotlight cost a lot less than “precious baby” and runs on AA batteries so they are easy to have handy. I’ve had one of these hanging in my kitchen for a few years now and have only changed out the batteries once. I use this when I take my dogs out at night or if I hear something in the yard and need to check it out. It is powerful enough that I can even shine it through the windows and see well into the corners of my yard. I found it so useful for this purpose that I also purchased one as a gift to my sweet next door neighbors.
Stanley Camp Mess Kit
Price: About $15
Thank you for this list! The items are the most useful and affordable I’ve seen (not like the gift lists often printed in women’s magazines). Yes, I would personally find these useful, besides being great ideas for gifts, because you know the recipients would actually appreciate and use them frequently! I already own the Laura Ingalls Wilder book…I was thrilled when I first discovered that it had been recently re-published by the South Dakota Historical Society. (Also on the TV Genealogy Roadshow program, I saw the most heartwarming story about a little girl who found out that she was descended from the Wilder family! The little girl’s facial expression when the genealogist told her this information would melt your heart!)
Oh my goodness, I am going to have to go watch that!!!
Christe,
This is really helpful, thank-you for your suggestions. I hope that your daughter enjoys her BD.
take Care,
Penny
Thank you so much Penny!!
Christy, I just want you to know that I really enjoy all of your posts. My four year old loves your storytime posts. He will ask to watch “a christy jordan”, or he will ask other people of various ages if they watch Christy Jordan. We were wondering if you would be able to post another storytime soon. Thank you. Pam & Brent
Hey Pam!! I have some books ready, I just need to find the time to sit down and make the video. Please tell your son I said thank you for watching and I will do my best to get one up as soon as I can!! That just means the world to me!
My Brady was born Dec 19, and decided as a little guy after several sparsely attended birthday parties, that hid new b’day was Oct 19. It was so much fun to celebrate early and not have to schedule around Christmas! Happy October Birthday Katy Rose!!!
love my frother……won’t spend $$$$ at Starbucks…..good list….
I’ve become the same way! I keep thinking “I should get a starbucks sometime, that would be nice.” but it has been several months, possibly as many as six, since I had one. Every time I find myself near I think “Eh, I can make it at home for free.”
Tell me about the frother? Do you use it very often? Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.
I use it whenever I want a latte. I just heat my milk like I showed in that video and then froth it and add it in. Most mornings I start with a regular coffee but some afternoons and evenings I make a latte with flavored syrups as a special treat. It’s lasted years so far!
Hi Christy,
These are wonderful gift-giving suggestions. I just ordered nine items from Amazon. The portable charger and darling watches were really super ideas for people on my list. You just helped me in checking off a few people as “done” on my list. Thank you!