HO, HO, HO! Christmas time is here! This is my favorite time of the year, I love Thanksgiving too but I like giving presents even more! Last year our spending habits went a little crazy, my hubby wanted to spoil his family a little bit which I was fine with and we spent a little more than we probably should have. This year we are buying gifts for my family which is a bit easier because on my dad’s side we just do a Christmas exchange and my mom’s side consist of three people!
With my dad’s gift exchange we have a spending budget of $50 no more, no less. In the first few years we did gender-specific (guys bought guys and girls bought girls), but last year we finally did unisex gifts. We had to switch because we are women dominated family and the guys only had 4 players, it was no fun for them. Also, no fun for the women watching, because guys don’t steal gifts as us ladies do, we are more entertaining! Since this gift exchange has been going on for six years I have seen great gifts exchanged for $50 and here is a list of my favorite split-up between men, women, and unisex.
Men
Desk Organizer
Do you have a handyman in the house? This awesome desk organizer is a little over $50 but I think it is worth it. This would be awesome for men who have a home office or even a work office. They can show off their manliness to their coworkers (hehe). Click Here, to find it online.
Winter Set
Hats, gloves, and scarves. These items can be mixed and matched to which one you want to spend more on. They are also normally one size fits all (except gloves) so for a gift exchange, any guy could get them. But if they are for a specific guy just try and find out if he has big hands or small hands, shouldn’t be too hard.☺
Roku
This is a cool little gift that is right around $50. If buying a Smart TV, WiFi DVD player, or any other internet connecting device for a TV is too expensive and you know a techy guy, Roku is a gift to buy. This little guy will connect to WiFi give you access to Netflix, Hulu, and any other online app for TV. If you aren’t going to buy it for anyone I would honestly get one for yourself! You can find it HERE!
Grilling Accessories
Who doesn’t love to grill out on Sundays with football on the television and your boys are winning (hopefully)? Give your guy some new accessories to go with that grill. So if the team isn’t doing that great, you can say “At least the new spatula handle doesn’t break off as the old one did” and he has one less thing to get frustrated with!
Whisky Set
Now, this gift is for the men who have the whole drink area set up with his best scotch and whisky. Or you know maybe just the guys who like whisky but keep it in a cupboard. Either way is fine. For this gift, you can combine new whisky glasses with whisky stones. Both of these have a wide range in price so you can decide which ones you want to splurge on.
Women
Pasta Basket
Who has an Italian female in the family? We do. One year someone put together a pasta basket for our gift exchange and no one even tried to fight her for it because we knew we would lose. In the basket was a colander, two boxes of pasta, pasta sauce, and a nice bottle of wine. The wine was probably the most expensive out of it all but it was a great idea!
Purse/Wallet
For a gift exchange, there might be a little harder because different women have different tastes and there are so many kinds of purses and wallets to choose from. In this situation, I would go for a more middle ground, nothing too over the top with colors and style. On the other hand, if you know who you are giving this too and you know she likes crazy bright colors and all kinds of elements on her things then go with her style. Check out TJ Maxx, Michaels, and Ross for great purse deals!
Pedi/Mani Basket
This basket could have a multitude of different items in it. Around the holiday season, you can usually find box sets of a variety of products inside it as a starter or even as the whole gift by itself. If you want to start from scratch here are some items you may want to add in there; pumice stone, nail clippers, toenail clippers, nail polish, topcoat, bottom coat, file, cuticle pusher, lotions, and anything else you can think of.
Picture Frame Set
This is for the photographers of the family or even just the moms who insist on getting family pictures done every year. Picture frames can come in sets or you can even just pick the ones you think that person will like and make your package. Try and get a variety of sizes especially if that person has a lot of blank space on their walls.
Winter Set
The same as guys you can mix match hats, gloves, and scarves. Again they are normally one size fits all (except gloves) so for a gift exchange, any girl could get them. But if they are for a specific girl just try and find out if she has big or small hands and what colors she might like.
Unisex
Movie Night Basket
I know what your thinking, “Ummm Videos are expensive?” Well yes, they can be but even if you only get two videos at $20 a piece that’s $40 which leaves you ten dollars to get some popcorn and some movie candy. A simple easy gift idea that all you need to worry about is what movie to get. I would personally stick to the most popular ones out at the time, or if you know someone who has been waiting for specific ones then grab those!
Drink in a Mason Jar
This gift I made myself last year and it was a huge hit! These guys are pretty easy I just stuck with combinations like Jack and Coke, red bull and vodka, baileys and coffee, etc. You can find the instructions and everything you will need at this lovely ladies blog Something Turquoise.
Coffee Basket
I made this one last year as well for my boyfriend’s $50 gift for the gift exchange. I also found this idea on Pinterest. I didn’t give myself any time to think of gifts last year and just went to Pinterest to help myself out, haha! This blog post has a few other ideas for gift baskets that include a movie night and spa day. She has printable’s to make them pretty and perfect for whoever receives them. You can find the post at The DIY Mommy.
Crock-Pot (3 sets)
This is a gift I received last year from the gift exchange. I have let my stepmom use it for a family gathering we had and I have yet to get it back, probably never will. She had a nice fondue set up with two types of cheese and chocolate. It is great for cookouts, so if you have anyone in your family that likes to have Superbowl parties or cookouts in general, this would be a great gift for them.
Scratch Map
Finally, the last gift idea on this post is for the family traveler. Whether they like to keep it in the country or the like to go across the globe they got one. I found a United States scratch map HERE, and world scratch maps HERE.
I hope these ideas can help you stay on budget this Christmas. Don’t forget to check out my other blog post 5 Ideas for Saving Money this Christmas to help you out this holiday as well. If you are one of those people that feel horrible for getting someone a smaller priced item than they got for you, just talk to your family and let them know that you are keeping on budget this year and you don’t want them to spend more than you are. I am sure they will understand, and honestly, probably be relieved.