20 Holiday Gift Ideas Under $20 (or Free)
With Our List of Curated Goodies, It Really Is the Thought that Counts
When you have a limited amount to spend, it can pay off to focus on your power of creativity to give personal, thoughtful gifts that cost little more than your time and energy. Our list is broken into four categories, including Craft and DIY, Snacks and Sweets, Experience the Love and Thrifty Gifties. Scroll through for distinctive ideas to get you inspired, along with a cost range and suggestions for who each gift might best fit.
Craft & DIY
If you’re a maker, this is the category for you. Really, the ideas are endless and the online tutorials equally abundant. Pinterest is a great partner both for ideas and execution.
Handmade gifts from the heart, crafted with love
Homemade ornaments create lasting memories, especially if you include the year. Classic salt dough is a versatile option, or try making a macrame star. You could also fill or paint plain hanging ornaments, or collect pinecones and spray paint them. And don’t forget the most treasured sentimental approach – a current photo of you inside any kind of mini frame, complete with a ribbon loop for hanging on the tree.
- Supplies: your choice of crafting supplies
- Cost estimate per five ornaments: $20 or less if you use natural items or some supplies you already have on hand
- Gift to: parents and grandparents
Friendship bracelets are a lasting reminder of your love for your besties. Choose the style and technique that matches your current style vibe, be it knotted, braided or beaded. Craft stores should have all the supplies you’ll need, but be sure to make a plan before you go so you don’t overspend on specialty sparkly beads. In most cases, the cost to make one bracelet and the cost to make ten is about the same. That “economy of scale” makes this a solid choice when you’re gifting for a group
- Supplies: embroidery floss, beads, stretchy elastic beading cord
- Cost estimate per five bracelets: $20, depending on style of bracelet
- Gift to: besties, sisters, moms and aunts
To upcycle clothing, you can either give it new life by turning a hole or a stain into an adorable design element, or transform a castoff piece into something entirely new. Does mom or dad have a favorite sweater or pair of jeans with an unsightly hole or tear? Very simple visible mending techniques mend the rend with pretty, colorful patchwork and embroidery stitches. Or cut up a pair of discarded jeans into strips and repurpose it into a sturdy coiled basket. Check out Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube for inspo and tutorials for both visible mending and coiled baskets.
- Visible mending supplies: fabric scraps, a sewing needle and embroidery floss
- Cost estimate per one visibly mended item: free if your mom has a sewing box or fabric bin with the supplies you need; otherwise $10 or less
- Upcycled coiled basket supplies: old jeans, tapestry needle and cotton yarn
- Cost estimate per one upcycled coiled basket: under $10
- Gift to: parents
Propagating plants is addictively fun for budding botanists and equally treasured by the houseplant fans in your life. Depending on species specifics, this may require a few weeks or a month of advance planning. Jade plants and pothos are perfect for beginners. Ask Google or your favorite AI chatbot to show you the steps, then pot your propagation in a thrifted pot or a painted terra cotta one. It’s free if you pick a plant you already own and repurpose a pot you don’t need anymore.
- Cost estimate per one propagated plant: free, or the cost of a terra cotta pot, around $2 for a small one
- Gift to: friends, parents, sibs and any plant parents
Embroidered handprint art will be a treasured memento for a lifetime. Trace each family member’s hand onto a piece of embroidery fabric, layering the outlines so they nestle and overlap. Then pick a different color of embroidery floss to stitch over each hand. Add the year and your family name, then frame it. Allow at least a few weeks to work on this project, and check out YouTube for embroidery tutorials to learn one or two simple stitches.
- Supplies: embroidery floss, needle, embroidery hoop, embroidery fabric, 8x10” frame
- Cost estimate per one framed piece: $20
- Gift to: parents and grandparents
Snacks & Sweets
Love to cook and bake? Spend some time in the kitchen to whip up inexpensive yet delicious gifts that will be gobbled up with great appreciation. Half the fun here is a pretty presentation, so make sure to plan how you’ll package your culinary creations.
Festive gifts to feed the holiday spirit
Chocolate or peppermint bark is simple to make, and a blast to customize. You can go with milk, dark or white chocolate, then pair with mix-ins and toppings of your choice. This is a smart choice to make in a big batch and divvy up between multiple recipients.
- Supplies: baking chocolate, peppermints, various extracts, nuts or other mix-ins, cellophane bags and ribbon for packaging
- Cost estimate per five bundles: $20
- Gift to: friends, neighbors & teachers
Fudge is a no-bake option that’s pretty quick to make on the stovetop. You can find recipes in a plethora of flavors, then pick two to mix-and-match for several different recipients.
- Supplies: chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract (for chocolate fudge)
- Cost estimate per 3 bundles (approx. 12 pieces of fudge each): $15
- Gift to: friends, neighbors and teachers
Holiday cookies are a classic choice for good reason. Whether your family makes gingerbread men, elaborately decorated sugar cookies or festive snowballs, pick a tried-and-true recipe and bake a big batch (think double what you bake for family consumption). Cellophane bags tied with ribbon are ideal for one or two cookies, or buy white paper boxes and tissue paper to accommodate bigger batches.
- Supplies: Butter, sugar, flour, eggs, spices, cookie cutters, icing, cellophane bags or white paper boxes and tissue paper
- Cost estimate per four dozen cookies: $15-20 including butter plus any other specific ingredients, as well as cellophane bags or white paper boxes and tissue paper
- Gift to: friends, neighbors and teachers
Chex mix satisfies salty, crunchy cravings. Choose your favorite recipe and make a gigantic batch (you can even find slow cooker recipes). Package it up in individual bags for a tasty gift with enormous bang for your buck.
- Supplies: three boxes of cereal, mixed nuts, pretzels, bagel chips, plus other pantry seasonings and ingredients, as well as baggies for packaging
- Cost estimate per 12 individual servings: around $20
- Gift to: friends, neighbors and teachers
Spiced nuts are a go-to for slightly more sophisticated palates. You can go spicy, herby or even a little bit sweet. The nice thing about this gift is that you can package them into small bags to make a single batch stretch a long way.
- Supplies: large container of mixed nuts, pantry spices and olive oil
- Cost estimate per five individual servings: $20
- Gift to: friends, neighbors and teachers
Experience the Love
Your time, attention and a sense of connection are truly the gifts that will mean so much to the ones in your life who love you most. These ideas don’t require you to open your wallet – just your heart.
These gifts are free to create, yet priceless to enjoy
Handmade coupon books that can be redeemed to spend time together throughout the year will be treasured. Think experiences, with a mix of ways you can help around the house and fun outings you and your recipient can enjoy together. For example, if you’re gifting the coupon book to mom, you could include: 1 afternoon of gardening, 1 ramen noodle dinner, 1 bathroom cleaning, 1 visit to the art museum, 1 hike in the park. Go for quality over quantity – around five coupons can be plenty.
- Supplies: paper, drawing supplies, stapler
- Cost estimate per coupon book: free!
- Gift to: parents and boyfriend/girlfriend
Creating a custom playlist on your favorite music streaming platform, like Spotify, will put a song in a special someone’s heart. You could compile a playlist to show your love, make someone laugh or bring you together over a shared appreciation of, say, 90s pop music. Bonus points for uploading original cover art created by you.
- Supplies: a computer, a streaming account and your imagination
- Cost estimate per playlist: free!
- Gift to: parents, sibs, friends and boyfriend/girlfriend
Write a series of “open when” letters all addressed to a special person. Think about him or her as you land on the “moments.” You could craft a letter to “open when you’re sad,” or “when I’m growing up too fast” or even “when I make you really mad.” Or maybe “when you wonder how much I love you” or “when you need a good laugh.” Get creative and match the “open when moment” to the recipient. You don’t need to do many – two or three would be very impactful. Even a single letter would melt hearts.
- Supplies: paper, envelopes, a pen and your very best handwriting
- Cost estimate: free!
- Gift to: mom or dad, or parents together
Write a personalized poem using the letters of the recipient’s name to start the first word of its related line. These poems can be visually beautiful as well, with the trick being to work in drafts. Write the lines on scratch paper, then carefully print them onto high-quality paper. You could write the letters of the person’s name in stylized block letters or even calligraphy.
- Supplies: scratch paper to work through initial designs and drafts, pencil, marker, a sheet of high-quality artist’s paper
- Cost estimate: $5-10 if you need to buy paper and nice markers
- Gift to: parents and grandparents
Fill a clear lidded “why you’re awesome” jar with folded slips of paper bearing messages about the things you love most about your recipient. A glass mason jar or even a spaghetti sauce jar washed with the label removed work well for these. Add a sweet tag or even paint the lid for a thoughtful finishing touch.
- Supplies: used glass jar, paper, scissors and pen
- Cost estimate: free!
- Gift to: parents, grandparents, sibs and boyfriend/girlfriend
Thrifty Gifties
Spending a little extra time to score a truly one-of-a-kind gift at a secondhand, thrift, antique or used bookstore can pay off in two ways. First, the price is totally right. Second, you’re guaranteed to find unique items that are not available in a standard department store.
Unexpected finds to be treasured
Used books can be meaningful (and economical) gifts for readers. The key is to choose a title thoughtfully. Before heading out on a book hunt, ask the recipient to share his or her favorite authors or genres so you can find something they’ll truly enjoy. Look at used bookstores, or even check out the sales table at your local library branch. You can also find gorgeous vintage coffee table books at thrift stores that may dovetail with your recipient’s hobbies.
- Cost per used book: $1-10
- Gift to: book lovers
Mugs are plentiful in thrift stores, and they run the gamut from quirky and funny to gorgeous handmade pottery. You can find them in every style, from Mid-Century Modern to 70s and everything in between. Pair up your mug find with a tin of tea or a premium bag of coffee, depending on your recipient’s preferences.
- Cost per mug + tea/coffee: $10-20, depending on your coffee or tea selection
- Gift to: parents, grandparents and friends
Picture frames are generally pretty pricey to buy new, but you can score something super unique for a handful of dollars at most thrift stores. The key to finding fabulous frames is the ability to overlook the really bad photographs or artwork currently behind the glass. Slip in a sweet pic of you and the recipient for a gift that will earn a place on a desk, dresser or side table.
- Cost per frame: $1-10
- Gift to: parents and grandparents
Vases and other vessels that can be used for floral arrangements are always welcome gifts. From milk glass and jadeite to studio pottery, crystal, porcelain and enameled tin, you’ll find tons of options in thrift and antique stores. You get bonus points for gifting the vase complete with a DIY floral arrangement tied with a pretty ribbon.
- Cost per vase: $2-20
- Gift to: moms, grandmas and aunts
Vintage tableware, from secondhand Fiestaware to Pyrex mixing bowls, are fun finds for cooks, bakers and entertainers on your gift list. Antique malls are generally your best bet for colorful pieces in good condition. If the recipient already collects a certain type of item, try to score an addition they haven’t found yet.
- Cost per item: $5-20
- Gift to: parents and grandparents
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