No more crayon-colored date night coupons. Please. My children are starving.
Hello and happy holidays from Clare’s post-layoff existential crisis happy-time-fun-zone! If I see another picnic in the park, fast fashion matching set, or dishes for a week-style coupon book, I may let out a truly blood-curdling banshee scream.
Even if you’re scraping by, you still deserve to get and give cool gifts.
My neighborhood doesn’t lend itself well to my current state of frugality. Between an abundance of artisanal ice cream parlors, cute decor shops, and independent booksellers in my neighborhood—plus NYC’s inaugural Wegmans— I find myself preparing to spend $100 before I even make it down to street level.
Putting out my traditional click-here! buy this! use my code! gift guide feels weird considering making rent (let alone buying gifts) is kinda my Mount Everest this month. I don’t do much affiliate marketing, and even if I did, it’s Hollywood-residual-level pennies on the dollar.
That said, most free/low cost gift guides are, frankly, fucking boring. Let’s change that.
All prices approximate.
Silly Little Air-Dry Magnets
Put those little typing machines you call digits to good use for this thoughtful, handmade gift. Whether you design them yourself or make up a DIY kit for a loved one, less than thirty dollars of supplies can provide dozens of personalized gifts and hours of fun. If your gift receiver is the more practical type, create tiny versions of fridge staples like this to keep track of your ingredients without letting the cold out.
You will need: Air-dry clay, mini-magnets, hot glue, acrylic paint, and Mod Podge. $25
Stick It (2006)
Ken’s long-distance low commitment casual girlfriend, but for all those stickers you’ve been hoarding since before the Lisa Frank renaissance. These books are made from the white paper on the back of stickers, so your craftiest friend can ditch the storage bins and have all their precious stickers ready to use and reuse… or to sit in the book for eternity. Their choice!
Check out this one from Meaggie Moos on TikTok. ~$30
Wine Parent Era
If you’re one to attach sentimental value to a bottle of squished grapes, opt for a more permanent scrapbook.
My friend and near-professional party host Natalie Held loves a wine label “journal” as a housewarming (or anytime) gift. Natalie taught me the importance of making a pile of McDonald’s fries the centerpiece of any gathering, so I trust her with my life.
This gift couldn’t be easier: Remove the label with a luxurious soak in Oxi-Clean and hot water, decorate a Muji spiral notebook, paste down the label, and add a little note. If you’re working with the big bucks, include the bodega’s eight-dollarest bottle of wine, please.
Someone get this for Taylor Swift. $3+
Food, Glorious Food
Take something on their plate. (I’ll be here all week!)
This one may fit into the blood-curdling scream section, but it’s a gesture that may mean a lot to someone who is going through it. “It” may be financially, mentally, or, it’s like, actual mud they’re trying to pass through.
You can find dollar store (or more pricey) recipes all over the internet, or crack open the ol’ Rombauer Bible.
Maybe they’re trudging through a really muddy spot on a hike, or they’re one grocery trip away from a breakdown. Send over some fresh produce and a lasagna anyway.~$20