9 inexpensive and thoughtful gift ideas

A new year brings birthdays and anniversaries around once more, and if you're super organised this January, you might be thinking about what gifts to buy for the special people in your life. Although, with the cost of living crisis at the forefront of everyone's minds, many of us might be looking to spend less on special gifts this year.

Monthly birthdays, special events, anniversaries... They can all add up, especially if you have a long list of friends and relatives to buy for. If you’re wanting to tighten the purse strings, now may be a good time to consider cutting that budget down.

But for those people in your life who you still want to buy a gift for, how can you give something special without blowing your budget? Many of our Mumsnet users claim that their favourite gifts are those that are more personal to them and are often inexpensive. This could include personalised products and cosy gifts for the cold winter nights - especially useful with the rising costs of heating bills this year!

With their recommendations in mind, we found some gorgeous gifts you can give your loved ones this year, making sure to cater for different tastes and all at a very budget-friendly price.

Editor's picks

1. For any family member: myFUJIFILM Premium High Quality Canvas Prints

Price: From £21 | Buy now from myFUJIFILM

“I would likely stick with a classic photo in a frame or a canvas honestly.” JaJoJe

For a grandparent, aunt, uncle or any other family member, a personalised canvas will no doubt be well received. This premium canvas by myFUJIFILM is a modern, stylish print and is a great way to display a much loved photo and memory. There’s a range of sizes available, from 8” x 10” all the way up to 30” x 20”. The image is printed using a water based ink, so your picture will retain its quality and vibrancy for years to come making this a gift that your loved one will enjoy for years to come.

2. For bookworms: myFUJIFILM Square Photo Books

Price: From £6 | Buy now from myFUJIFILM

“The FUJIFILM website was super easy to use and downloading the photos took no time at all. I was able to look at each photo and crop them, which I liked...” Yummum19

Gone are the days of taking your photos to be developed and printed; nowadays, we’ve all got thousands of memories stored on our smartphones but few are ever printed. Which is why gifts like these myFUJIFILM square photo books are a great idea to gift a loved one.

Prices start from just £6.48 for a 4” x 4” mini book. There’s also a 5” x 5” size and a hardcover 8” x 8” option, too. You can choose between 24 to 80 pages for each size, meaning you have plenty of space to showcase special memories for your friend or family member. This will be one coffee table book they’ll be proud to display in their home.

3. For something more personal: myFUJIFILM Wall Hanging Photo Calendars

Price: From £16 | Buy now from myFUJIFILM

“I love our calender! It looks really well made and expensive compared to cheap plastic flip calendars.” DueinJuly22

Nothing quite says you care than with a personalised calendar you’ve carefully designed and taken the time to put together. Bring your loved one’s special memories to the forefront each month, when they can reminisce about their favourite moments.

This 13 page spiral bound photo calendar would be perfect in any family home or workplace, and we also love the fact that each date square can be personalised with an image or note to remind them of special occasions, like an anniversary or birthday.

4. For something sentimental: myFUJIFILM Framed Prints

Price: From £19 | Buy now from myFUJIFILM

“Yes, it was far easier than I'd expected so I can definitely see me using it again, perhaps for Christmas gifts.” munchbunch12

Take the fuss out of printing photos and finding a frame with myFUJIFILM’s new framed prints. Starting from £19.36, these high-quality wood frames are created from sustainable sources and feature quality wall fixings so they can be hung portrait or landscape. The frames are available in black, white and oak so you can find a style that your family or friend will love. After all, photo gifts are always winners. They're personal, unique to you and your loved one and don't have to be expensive.

5. For keen gardeners: Scott & Co. Flower Seed Variety Pack

Price: £13 | Buy now from Amazon

“A packet of flower seeds for one of my favourite flowers (I'm a keen gardener and I love seeds as gifts!) when I had recently moved house.” SillyOldMummy

For your green-fingered friends and family, this bag of 30 different flower seeds will make a really thoughtful gift. There’s a huge range of flowers for them to plant in their garden, including ten different varieties of perennial seeds, 17 annual seeds, as well as three biennial flowers to grow. The bag is suitable for anyone, including both beginner and avid gardeners.

6. For someone who is eco-conscious: Rex London Travel Mug

Price: £5 | Buy now from Rex London 

“Rex London have reusable cups for £2 each, they're lovely. How about one of those, a jar of coffee and some homemade cookies?” clpsmum

Know someone who loves to get a coffee when they’re on the daily commute? Get them this reusable travel mug with a colourful world map design to make their coffee more eco-friendly. Rex London is a good website to head to for fun gifts at a reasonable price. The cup holds 350ml and is made from BPA free plastic, and it can even be put in the dishwasher (on the top rack). And it costs just £4.95! A good price for a fun gift that will also help them reduce their waste.

7. For cosy winter nights: M&S Teddy Fleece Marl Throw

Price: £15 | Buy now from M&S

“Check out M&S teddy fleece throws, about £15 I’m buying Dh one for Christmas. But seriously do a little hamper of food goodies for each of them, or suggest a family secret Santa.”  MissyB1

With rising energy bills, many of us are having to cut back on how much we use our heating this winter, so what better way to treat someone than getting them a cosy throw? M&S’s Teddy Fleece Marl Throw can be bought in two neutral colours, natural or grey, and is medium-sized for snuggling under on a cold winter’s night. The throw is made from super soft fleece and has a marled pattern to give it a textured finish.

For something a little extra, you could pair it with some super cosy socks too. We’re sure they’ll be thanking you for keeping them warm and cosy this winter!

8. For someone with a sweet tooth: Get baking

“My friend makes me muffins and biscuits every year for Christmas and puts them in the lovely box. I love it.” kavalkada

If you want to give something personal while cutting down on how much money you spend, why not get busy in the kitchen and make some gorgeous cakes to hand out to your loved ones?

From a simple muffin recipe to gorgeously spiced mince pies, you can batch cook a load of yummy treats without spending lots of money. Buy some boxes and ribbon and wrap them up so they look pretty and, whether you’re a pro in the kitchen or a novice baker, we’re sure whatever you bake will go down a treat with your family and friends.

9. For someone who has everything: DIY gift hamper

“I also agree with nice foodie bits. I’m doing something similar for my mum this year. Also in Aldi I noticed they had some books for 75p the other day. I got one for my dad. M&S have got some nice food in. The jams are quite cheap & they do some Belgian truffles for £4. You could make a lovely little hamper/selection from a few of these bits. Agree with the recommendation to check the Xmas bargains thread. It’s brilliant.” Daisy829

A DIY gift hamper can make a really thoughtful gift for someone while still reducing how much money you spend. After all, who doesn’t love a basket full of their favourite things?

Get a hamper basket and fill it full of items you think they will enjoy. You can opt for a food inspired hamper, with some of their favourite chocolates, sweets and sachets of hot chocolate. You can design it for different people, whether it’s for a new mum or your grandma, picking up different products that are personal to them and their needs, including practical items like bubble bath and hand cream.

It may require a bit of hunting around for bargains if you want to keep the costs down, but if you start early you can pick up bits as you go.

About myFUJIFILM

myFUJIFILM is the one stop shop for all of your photo printing needs. As our original specialism, photo prints on Fujifilm’s high quality photographic paper are available in a large range of sizes, giving endless possibilities for displaying memories in albums and around the home. Canvases, acrylic glass prints, aluminium prints, posters, panoramic prints and photo collages are also available for creating a work of art for you or a loved one’s home. Photobooks are a great way of cataloguing cherished moments in our lives that will allow us to tell our stories to future generations.