We talk a lot on our blog about how to save money as a student, and with the Christmas season fast approaching we thought now would be the perfect time to share some amazing, budget-friendly gift ideas your family will love… and they’re all DIY ideas! So get cosy, have a read, and then get busy…
Homemade Fudge
You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make homemade fudge – you only need a couple of ingredients! Here is a really easy recipe to try:
397g condensed milk
150ml milk
450g demerara sugar
115g butter
That’s it! Melt all the ingredients together, stirring continuously. Then leave it all to cool for around 5 minutes and beat together until it becomes very thick and loses its shine. Pop it in a square tray and leave it in the fridge to set, then you’re done. Cut it into squares and find some clear bags to present it in. You can add other ingredients to mix up the flavour, too, depending on what your loved ones enjoy.
Memory Books
If you and somebody you love have done something really special this year, why not make a scrapbook? Buy a cheap blank scrapbook and some fun stickers, then use a free online printing service (you typically just pay for postage!) to have plenty of pictures printed out. Stick them in, annotate the pages, and decorate as you please. This is a cheaper and more thoughtful way of making a photo book, and you can guarantee they’ll love it.
Air Dry Clay Creations
Air dry clay is inexpensive and can be found in craft shops or on Amazon. You can get cookie cutters or free-hand your designs to create all sorts of things – check out TikTok to see what other people are making. We’ve seen everything from mugs to fridge magnets, trinket dishes to personalised tic tac toe boards! It’s not difficult to do and you can use acrylic paints to decorate further. This one is really creative and might require a lot of patience, but the outcome can be fantastic.
Body Scrubs
It’s easier than you think to make a body scrub, and if you pick up a cheap glass jar with an airtight lid they can make for the perfect Christmas gift for the beauty lovers in your life. Simply melt some coconut oil and mix with some brown sugar – this alone makes an amazing body scrub, but you can of course add some essential oils to give it a nice scent. That’s it! Gift it with a low-cost bath bomb or face mask to create the perfect pamper hamper for somebody.
These are four easy ideas for creating budget-friendly DIY Christmas gifts this year. Not only do they show how much thought you have put in, they are often the cheaper and more sustainable option. Plus they can be really fun to make – you could even get your housemates together for a craft session one evening with snacks and Christmas songs playing…
