March has flown by, and this month for me is always one with a lot of gift giving. I absolutely love making/buying gifts and giving them, though this gets more difficult when you have a lack of cash and/or time! If you ever find yourself in this situation, here are a few ideas for gifts for any occasion that the recipient is bound to love.
This idea seems a bit daunting, especially to someone like me who is a complete novice in the kitchen: baking. Yes, you could just buy the cakes ready-made, but making them yourself shows thoughtfulness and you can sneakily eat a few in the process! I decided to bake and decorate some red velvet cakes for my friend's 16th last week as they are our favourite cakes. As I didn't have a lot of experience with baking, I just picked up a cake mix - it seems like cheating, but this saves money and time browsing Sainsburys for all the ingredients! I then found a recipe for cream cheese icing, which is super simple to make, and decorated them with birthday cake flavour M&Ms and freeze-dried raspberries. They (surprisingly) turned out really good if I do say so myself!
If the person receiving the gift is a close friend, you will most likely share a couple of inside jokes. If you're completely lost about what to give them, something that links to an inside joke you share together will definitely be appreciated- you'll make them laugh too, which is always a bonus. It shows you've been more thoughtful than if you just got a generic gift, and it will probably cost less too!
Similarly, something they've been lusting after for ages or that you know they love is always a good idea. For instance, if you know your mum loves a certain brand of perfume or type of flower, getting it for her will show you listen to her and is almost guaranteed to make her smile.
If a friend is part of a group, chipping in to get a group present is an easy (and often cheap) way of giving, you just have to all keep quiet and not let slip what your idea is! Some presents I've chipped in for in the past are Pandora charms/rings and Millie's Cookies with a personalised message, which only cost a few pounds each for a big group.
Another budget idea is filling an old jar with "Open when..." letters. Find an empty coffee or jam jar, decorate with a pretty ribbon, and fill with lots of different coloured cards with different messages on to be opened at a specific time or mood. One could be "Open now", another could be "Open when you're happy" etc. This way, your present isn't used up all in one go but gradually looked back at, and it's bound to be appreciated for longer. In the same way, you could write down memories you've shared with the recipient, or inside jokes. Not only does this look pretty, it shows you've thought of them and doesn't cost anything at all!
If the recipient doesn't live near you, it's a lot harder to send gifts cheaply. My penpal and I experience this struggle every Christmas and birthday, but a few things we've managed to send without extra costs are cosmetics: don't send something that can be easily broken like a palette though, to avoid any nasty surprises on opening. Notebooks are also easy to send as they fit through letterboxes, and if the person is anything like me they will appreciate a pretty book as much as anything else. A funny card, like those from Ohh Deer are also treasured, or you could make one yourself for a cheaper, more personal option.
I hope these ideas help if you're stuck for what to get someone for a birthday/occasion, they're worked for me!
Brit x
