Posted by
I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of gifts to buy. So every year I like to challenge myself to find gifts that will please EVERYONE on my list, for $20 and under.
Here are some of my favorite affordable-yet-awesome items. (Psst: these could also be great for your White Elephant gift exchanges or stocking stuffers!) But most of all, these gifts prove that it doesn’t take a lot of money to give a super-thoughtful gift…
Remember our sponsor Stickygram? I sure do, because I gave everyone personalized Stickygrams for Christmas last year. All this sweet custom magnet goodness is currently only $14.99 with free worldwide shipping!
Any art fans in the house? There’s no way you could afford to get them a Warhol, but you can get them this awesome pop art in a can puzzle for $18.
Got someone on your list who loves tinkering and/or working in the garage? I know my dad loves his Bucket Boss 56-Pocket Bucket Tool Organizer, so I flipped when I found a mini version: the Bucket Boss Brand “Mug Boss.” All the bad-ass organization of a Bucket Boss, but small enough to fit on his work desk, for $6. You even have room enough in your budget to fill the pockets with some small useful items catered to their tool needs.
Got someone who loves to entertain? I found these awesome slate/chalkboard cheese boards for $19, that each have a unique etching to cater to all kinds of personalities.
I don’t have a iPad, but if I did, I would LOVE to be gifted the iBed Lap Desk for Tablets. The gift of lazy days in bed with my coffee, toast, and my RSS feed for $15? Yes, please.
Do you have an “old school” book purist on your list? You might not be able to afford to get them a first edition of their favorite novel, but Penguin Clothbound Classics makes gifting classic (non-first-edition) novels just as awesome with their amazing covers. And they’re all under $20.
Speaking of books… everyone’s favorite web comic, Hyperbole and a Half, is in book form now! Even a fancy hardcover is only $17!
The binary LED watch is an everyday, waterproof wrist watch — the LEDs display the time and the date in an easy to read binary code. It has reviews such as, “My husband said ‘I really enjoy this watch. Being an IT, it is easy to read because I can subnet.'” If you have someone on your list that even understands what that means, this watch would make an awesome gift. I cannot believe it’s only $6!
For the people who love growing things, the I Love You Bean is just about the best gift you can give. Once the bean has sprouted and grown a little, your special friend will see the words “I Love You” written on the bean.
Know someone who’s always talking about their dream vacation, or that really expensive item that you just can’t afford to hook them up with? While you can’t afford to buy them tickets, or laptops, you can afford to buy them a dream-themed bank!
- Trip to Mexico — Day Of The Dead Sugar Skull Money Bank, $15
- New laptop — I’m Savin’ Up for a New Computer Tin Bank, $8
- A house — Design Ideas House Account Bank, $20
- Or get a bank with a chalkboard to write down their special dream fund — Aqua Ball Mason Coin Bank Jar with Chalkboard Tag, $16.
If you know someone who enjoys a glass of wine, they may also enjoy the Vino2Go portable wine glasses so they can sip their favorite wine on picnics, or in the backyard (without fear of shattering wine glasses). You can snag a set of two for around $16.
Or maybe you have a whiskey snob on your list. Now, you can’t buy them their favorite bottle because it’s cray-cray expensive. But you CAN help them enjoy their favorite beverage with these Teroforma Whisky Stones for $19 that, unlike ice, won’t melt and dilute their drink.
Everyone needs socks, so why not find them a pair that’s right up their alley from our sponsor Sock Dreams! Those Speed Demon socks are only $10.
Still not seeing the perfect under $20 gift? Allow me to introduce you to the ultimate crowd pleaser: succulents! They don’t die off like flowers do, they won’t bother anyone’s allergies, they are EASY to take care of, and when they thrive, they just produce MORE succulents! I love these hanging terrariums for $16. With all the choices, you can get a different globe for each person on your list! BOOM! You’re done with your holiday shopping.
What are your favorite gifts for under $20?
BUY ALL THE THINGS!!!
HA. That’s what I’m doing this weekend!
Forget gifts! As much as I miss California, I need one of those terrariums! Oh wait… That’s not the Christmas spirit. Oops 😉
Buy one as an ornament for your tree??? 😉
Thanks for this! I totally just bought the travel wine glasses for my bff. And now I’m thinking they’d be great for my father-in-law AND my sister! So versatile!
I think there should be posts like this at least once a week 🙂
Aw. Yay! I’m so glad I could help you. I love making these gift guides. 🙂
I don’t really celebrate Christmas, but I’ll keep these in mind when I need a handy gift sometime.
I am, however, a bit creeped out by the I Love You Bean. How do they get the message on there, anyway? And would your gift-ee know that the plant came with a message, or would s/he one day have an experience to the effect of, “oh my god, my plant is talking to me!” (which would, I admit, be pretty amusing).
Ha! What if they regifted it not knowing there was a secret message?
If you buy a bank as a gift remember it’s bad luck to give it empty. You should put at least a penny in it to prevent the bad luck. It’s basically saying may you never be penniless.
I’ve heard the same thing about purses, wallets, and the like.
*smacks forehead* That’s right! Thank-you for reminding me! I am giving my godchildren new piggy (and dinosaur) banks for Christmas (was supposed to be for Hanukkah but was told by my partner to save for my parents’ on Christmas Day. The gifts will still be wrapped in Hanukkah paper but who cares?). Hmm…now I am thinking of getting creative with how I start it off for them…. 🙂
It’s also really bad luck to give someone a knife or scissors (etc.) as a gift, because then it will cut your friendship – so you have to get them to hand you back a ritual penny when you give it, cos then it’s not actually a gift, iykwim
You can get the wine cooler glasses at Dollar Tree for $1 a piece. I bought like 6 of them. 🙂
This! I bought like 20 of them for our wedding trolley to avoid spillage. Add decals for more fun (especially since they are only a dollar)
There’s a deal for the Whiskey Rocks on Sweetjack here: http://www.sweetjack.com/products/deal/national/79-off-thermal-stones
Only $7!! Great because my budget for everyone is closer to $10… 😛 I know a couple liquor drinkers on my list who are getting these now!!
These are fantastic ideas! I am too often a lurker but just wanted to jump out of the shadows to say this is a great post.
BIG FAT SMOOCHIES!!!!
I like the stickygram magnets, but when I went to their site I see they are $14.99 per sheet of 9 (although free shipping if you order before Dec 12th).
Oh innnnnteresting. They must have raised the price recently. I’ve changed the price in the article. Thanks for the heads up!
I really love these ideas. I got my fiance a terrarium for our anniversary along with this egg that you can crack open and a love message is inside and he really loved it. He placed the cracked egg and love message inside the terrarium and has it on his desk at his job. It was so cool. If anyone here is interested the website is: http://www.yolkies.com
Anyways, thought I’d share because each individual item was under $20 and it went such a long way 🙂