10 Homemade Gifts To Knock Your Fuzzy Socks Off
Learn how to make 10 cheap and easy gifts all from the comfort of your home
These are the “open when letters” I made for my best friend’s eighteenth birthday. The first one is open now and then there are ones such as open when you are lonely and open when you are bored.
1) Memory jar: This is a gift I received from my best friend one year. The premise is pretty simple: write down memories and/or quotes on little pieces of paper and stuff them all in a jar. Decorate the jar in some fashion, you do not have to go to the extreme of painting it as my best friend did, but make it unique to your friendship. Make sure to fill up the jar all the way. It’s a sweet homemade gift that shows you care. So, to total: 1 mason jar is $1.24 at Hobby Lobby, you should already have paper but if not, it’s $4 at Target (cheaper than Walgreens), and that is it. So at most, it costs $6 per jar you make.
2) Open when letters: I did this for my best friend for her 18th birthday. Open when letters mean letters that say “open when” and then when the giver wants the receiver to open them. Such as “Open when you miss me,” or “Open when you are broke.” For miss me, I put an encouraging note saying something like “I’m just a text away.” I said this because we are going to different colleges soon. For the “I’m broke” one, I put some money in the envelope and said something witty like “Don’t spend it all in one place.” Always make your categories specific to the person and always make an “open now” letter to explain the rules and say what they are in case the person has never heard of them. In total, besides the money I put in the envelopes themselves, I think this present cost me maybe $2 for the box, which you don’t need to buy if you have a spare shoebox, and the envelopes were $3. So in total, $5 per present.
3) Picture Book: Once again, as a pattern is being formed, the same best friend made this for me in either eighth grade or freshman year. So it is pretty old, and it has still held up this whole time. My best friend used a dictionary, actually folded the pages so the side opposite the spine looks like an M, and pasted pictures of us together on both covers of the book. A few changes you could make are: you can use the person’s favorite book to add a personal touch or a book with significance within the relationship, and also there are books pre-cut into Letters if you want to go the name route. Depending on what book you get, the price will vary, but it could be a book you already own so maybe $0. A big dictionary is only $10 on Amazon. The letter book was around $5. So the gift is roughly $5-$10.
4) Scrabble Ornaments: Who doesn’t love a good game of Scrabble? Or do you know someone specifically super smart? Or maybe really bad at spelling and want to be ironic? Then it’s time to dust off your old Scrabble game you never play anymore, maybe even get back into it while you’re at it. Depending on whether you already have Scrabble this will either cost you $0 or $13 for the letters. If you don’t have a hot glue gun, that costs $4, and usually, people already have ribbon. So it could be anywhere from $5-$20 but for multiple gifts.
5) Dip Mix Ornaments: Dip mix ornaments are easy, cheap, and super cute. You just need some spices, empty ornaments (preferably plastic), a funnel, and the rest is on the receiver of the gift. All you do is find a dip mix recipe you like. All you do is mix the ingredients, pour them by funnel into the ornament, put the top back on, and you’re done. You can make different ones for different people, or all the same for everyone; spice it up! You can also make tags that say the rest of the ingredients they need, because this is important. So make a cute tag to hang off the ornament that says “other ingredients necessary”, and your friends and family are set for snacking. I would rough this up to $12 total for a pack of 12: $10 for a pack of 12 ornaments and $2 for any extra spices you do not already have.
6) Basket of snuggles: This gives a sweet holiday spin to the classic gift basket idea. You take all things snuggly (fuzzy socks, blankets, stuffed animals, their favorite holiday candy, etc.; anything they would deem snuggly, and put it together in a cute, holiday-colored gift basket. Fuzzy socks are around $6, throw blankets are around $11, stuffed animals are around $10, a package of candy is $10. So in total, from Walmart, your snuggle basket should be around $35, pricey but heartfelt.
7) Color Themed Basket: Similar to the basket of snuggles, this is also a gift basket. Unlike the previous basket, this one does not have to include snuggles, and it is all one color. You choose a color, maybe the person’s favorite color, and add many different small gifts of that one color. Candles are $5, a bath bomb is $5, a face mask is $2, movies at Walmart are $5-$10 (all at Walmart). So, in total, $20-$30, also pricey, but if you think about it, it’s a gift basket, you can always bargain shop.
8) Wax melts: This is a gift that shows a lot of effort and care was put into the gift. The receiver uses it like any regular wax melt. They get the benefit of a personalized gift because you can use their favorite essential oil and color. You can make any kind of shape a silicone mold can come in, so pick a cute shape, and get cracking. The beeswax is $5. If you don’t already have it, coconut oil is around $5, one essential oil is around $5, food coloring is around $5, and silicone molds are around $5 (all at Walmart). So in total, one batch should be around $25.
9) Homemade Men’s Body Wash: Here’s a shout out to the guys in your life. A customizable body wash. Smell as amazing as possible, straight from the hands of someone special in their life. For this body wash, you pick your smell from essential oils. Making this gift perfect for anyone who loves anything organic. One can get a gallon of distilled water for $1, castile liquid soap is $10, fractionated coconut oil is $5-$10, each essential oil (I recommend patchouli or cedarwood for men) is $5, epsom salt is also $5, and vitamin E oil is around $6. So the soap will cost around $35-$40 to make.
10) Personalized mug: For this one, you can draw a picture or write words. All you need the sharpies you want for the picture or saying, a white mug, and your oven. If you are like me, and you collect mugs, this is the perfect gift. Or if you know an avid coffee drinker, also me, then this is once again perfect. Just write or draw what you want and put it in the oven at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. That’s all, you’re done. You now have a score of gifts to hand out. A white mug is around $3 and a pack of sharpies is anywhere from $5-$15. So it will be $10-$20.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Francis Howell Central High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs. FHCToday.com and our subsequent publications are dedicated to the students by the students. We hope you consider donating to allow us to continue our mission of a connected and well-informed student body.
