Simple. Everyone is good at something. You can offer someone a service of some kind to whoever you wanted to buy a gift. You could ask what kind of service can one give anyone as a gift? You can babysit. You can pet-sit. You can offer to do some internal decoration for someone if you're good at that stuff. You can fix something which needs some repair if you can handle hammer or some other tools. There are so many things you could do. Even if you can't buy a gift, let that not keep you from giving your time/services as a gift.
I think that a simple card or e-card would do, because some people may not be willing to set aside their time because they might be busy themselves, right? I also think a pizza or a box of donuts can also serve as a gift, after all, they're not really that expensive.
The thing I could offer a a gift if I were broke is a nice home cooked meal. I can take 10 bucks and turn that into a nice homemade dinner. One can never go wrong with pleasing the stomach. That's of course if you can cook. Here's the breakdown on that; 5 dollars would get me a pack of chicken legs, one dollar for a can of green beans, and two bucks for a box of creamy mac and cheese, and a dollar for a two litter bottle of pop. This will be a night to remember! LOL!
And to make this interesting, why not create/print a personalize coupon along with it. Like saying "This entitles the bearer 1 day of babysitting." or something similar. =) But for me, I would probably give a coupon that says "Free Blog or Website Set-up with Tutorial" and mention that the coupon is transferable.
I did this as child and gave my father on Father's day a booklet of vouchers, (all handwritten and stapled together) saying , "This entitles you to a child being good for one day." Now I offer to cook a meal or do a task they would have to pay someone to do, like clear a closet. It is more useful and what they need, especially when people need cat sitters or someone to help to move furniture.
You can also use just few dollars and buy some crafty supplies and make a gift. Dollar stores have a fair amount of thing like candles, candle holders, ribbon, fake flowers. If you are creative, you can find a few items that together create unique but simple gifts. One idea I have is to find ribbon in colors the recipient likes and use it to dress up simple candles. It gives them that special little flare and shows that you took the time to personalize it for them.
To be honest, when I am broke, I tend to be quite stressed, looking for ways and means to quickly acquire some cash. Spending a lot of time helping others during those times, doesn't always sit well with me. I am always honest and tell people that I would like to offer something of real value, but just not when I am low on money and energy. That often leads to people wanting to help me instead, offering cash, food or services. In the end, we can usually help each other in some way.
Some kind of written greeting, a handshake or a hug is what I gift when broke. I don't offer gifts to many people, just to family/close friends. And this is why I can afford to tell them that I'm broke and sorry that I cannot offer more. It's better to just communicate instead of buying uninteresting stuff just so you can say "Hey, I bought a gift". Plus, if you buy a gift when broke, can you guess who's having even less money?
One of the popular and cheaper gifts that gets passed around my friends and family are photo slideshows with animation and music. They are fairly cheap to make and you could even make them yourself if you know how or have access to the right software. I think it makes for a great gift because it's very personal and it's very fun to look at photos that way with background music as it adds much more to the experience of reminiscing.
Great post and I agree. I've done this once for my friend when I couldn't afford to get her a gift and watched her kids while she went out with her husband for the evening. The only part that sucked for me was the fact she didn't return until well after midnight! Anyway, I am very good at doing crafts and making jewelry and bracelets. I love drawing portraits and actually gave a painting I did to my mom for Mother's Day 2 years ago. There are so many creative ways one can show their appreciation even when they don't have money.
I agree that giving someone your time is a great idea. Help them out with a project or cook them a meal. If you're really strapped for cash, a hand written letter is great too. You can tell the person how much you value and appreciate your friendship. It's thoughtful and they will hold onto it.
Sometimes I will give away unused items that I already own. For example one year I gave some dumbbells as a gift, while they were second hand they were as good as new and would have cost £15-£20 in store, and I didn't have to lose money for it.
Well, when I am broke, I just write a card. For me, that is way better than nothing. You'll also be surprised at how people become happy and excited when they receive cards.
I forgot to mention this one time when I use to work as a food server in Private Dining, I had a call from my sister, who worked at the front desk, she asked if I could pick roses at the front of the hotel and take off all the thorns. I asked why. She said a kid had called had called and didn't have any money to buy a anniversary gift for his parents. So my sister gave him the roses that picked for him. Wow....smart kid. Got a specialize gift for nothing.
I always made a card or some other craft when I'm broke. My dad liked medieval type things so I papermaced him a shield out of newspaper and cardboard and painted a dragon on it.
Some great advice here. Wanted to follow and send my thanks. I'm a server engineer by trade, so I can often fall into the "repair something" for any family members, and it's a pretty good gift. It seems everyone's computer always needs a tune-up anytime I'm around, funny how that works.
Offering to help someone out is a great gift! It doesn't always have to cost an arm and a leg to be awesome! We have friends that offer to watch our kiddos so we can have a date night and that's the best gift anyone could EVER give us. Another good idea is to make something homemade. Usually you have things in your house that you can re-purpose and make into something great. Remember, it's not about how much a gift costs it's the thought that truly counts! Danyel
Those are all good ideas OP, but something personal with the person you're giving a gift is often so much better received than an expensive gift. With all my friends now, we pretty much just get each gifts reminding us of great memories from the past or inside jokes. And while getting an Itunes gift card or something of that nature has more monetary value, the gifts I appreciate and remember are those hand-made gifts or ones that have a lot of thought put into them.
So true, who says you have to spend a ton to express a sentiment? Even if you're not incredibly crafty, most people can do *something* DIY...if not something artistic or crafty, maybe a nice meal, a card, etc. There really is more to holidays and special days than just spending money on gifts.
