I am sharing free gift ideas for all. The best gifts aren’t always the most expensive. In fact, free (or almost free) presents usually require a bit more thought, care, and creativity than a “saw this at the mall and thought of you” gift. Giving of yourself and your time and energy is definitely be appreciated by the recipient—and if you’re trying to save money or budget better, it’s a win-win.
The focus needs to center around thought, care, and creativity. These ideas and gifts below can be used for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, or any other gift-giving occasions. So, you may not be Martha Stewart, but you can pull off something special and meaningful to celebrate your family member or friend without spending very much money. Use her for some inspiration to get you going.
Gifts with Thought
Giving a gift with thought are forever cherished by the recipient. One gift idea is doing something nice in their name. Like spend time volunteering for a charity group that is meaningful for them. I know I personally enjoy serving others at a soup kitchen on behalf of an elderly individual that is just not physically able to do it anymore. This a totally free gift that will actually make you both feel great.
Maybe your family member or friend is into music. Why not make them a 21st century mixtape with all their favorite music on it representing a special memory from the past. Then share it with them via Spotify or another streaming service. Remember that time? Make sure they remember it too by writing down shared favorite memories on small pieces of paper and place them in a pretty jar-labeled “Memory Jar”. Do not forget to get them some blank slips of paper for new members to add. Check out more ideas for here.
It is important to spend time with people we really love. A great gift would be your time spent with them. This could be just sharing a glass of wine with girlfriends catching up. Or a special day away to enjoy a old-fashioned picnic packed with items already in your pantry with family. Whatever the excursion the thought of spending time with others is the most important take-away.
Gifts with Care
Remember the old adage that the only way of reaching a man’s heart was through his stomach. Well, there is some truth in that statement. I have known many couples whose marriages have latest the test of time because of some great cooking by one of the spouses. My grandmother always said to cook with care because it shows others that you really love them. A great gift with care as an ingredient is sharing a secret recipe from your family to another family.
When we were kids we loved going to visit our grandparents in the summer with a selfish plan of picking blackberries so my grandmother would make one of her famous blackberry cobblers. She has since passed, but I can still taste those blackberry cobblers. We did not even mind having to pick the blackberries, too much-minus the briars we had to pick out of our arms and legs later. Somehow eating a piece of that blackberry cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream on top all made it worthwhile.
Another gift made with care is upcycling an old pasta sauce jar and layer in all the dry ingredients for cookies or cake, a killer homemade granola, or another special treat? You can always share homegrown vegetables. If you have a garden, you can DIY a bouquet of lovely bloom just tie with a ribbon or twine and a little note, and you are good to go.
Gifts with Creativity
Everyone can be creative if they want to be. I know recently after attending funerals for years for loved ones the topic of discussion has always centered around the family. We are continuously trying to keep up with who belongs to who. My mother was one of thirteen children. And her youngest brother and sister both recently passed leaving only two living siblings of the original thirteen. With the loss of each sibling, we not only lose a loved one, but always valuable memories and connections. My sister and I have decided to become the family genealogist and start Googling for details from the past. The plan creating a family tree for each sibling to gift to their immediate family members.
We are planning a family reunion with all our cousins for this April. To stop the cycle of only seeing each other at funerals. Celebrating our past loved ones by compiling photos and asking other family members to share their favorite memories. Edit it together (we love Tribute for the ease of collaborating and editing). You will have a priceless free gift for your loved one. Also, in the works is a family trivia game to test the family’s knowledge. Finally, be creative and share your talents. In addition, we have recently found out that several of our cousins can play instruments and sing. Sounds like Karaoke time at the reunion to me.
In conclusion, gift-giving does not have to cost a thing. Reminding me of the song by Jennifer Lopez, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”. Giving of yourself and your time and energy is always the best gift for family and friends. It will be far more cherished than anything you can buy. So, the next time you need a gift use thought, care, and creativity to begin your search and you will be amazing at what you can come up with on your own.
Response Magic