Last Minute Inexpensive Christmas Gift Ideas

It’s down to the wire now! Just a few more shopping days left in the holiday season.

What’s a procrastinator to do?

Well, I’ve cobbled together a few more inexpensive Christmas gift ideas designed to please even the pickiest recipient. Because these items are among the category of things ‘always needed,’ I prefer to think of them as essential gifts, rather than ‘last minute!’

Socks--$2-$10 You can never go wrong here. I actually had a reader say they wanted to see socks on a list, so here it is! The reason this is such a great gift is the utility factor. You know they are going to get used, so they make a great gift for anybody in your family: Moms, dads, sisters or brothers. Another reason is that some people absolutely hate buying this sort of thing. I’m a shopper, so I don’t understand that, but I’m sure there are good reasons!

There is nothing like giving a gift that always says, “I’m thinking about you, and I want your feet to be nice, warm and comfortable,” after all.

Soaps, Perfumes & Cologne--$2-$40 This is always a welcomed gift, as long as you know your intended’s taste. These sorts of items also adjust well to the gift buyer’s budget, because quality, good-smelling products can be found at every price range.

If you are thinking to go with ‘inexpensive,’ you might gear your choice away from such things as perfume imposters, knock-off versions of expensive scents and aerosol colognes that have a decidedly metallic, ‘cheap’ fragrance. Instead, go for fruit toned fragrances, sandalwood notes, or florals, which generally always smell lovely, despite the cheap price tag.

Earrings or Cuff Links--$5-$50 Jewelry of some sort or another is always a classy gift, and can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want to make it. Of course, it is much easier to find nice looking inexpensive earrings for a woman than it is to find cuff links of any quality in a similar price range.

If you know what he or she likes, then this is easy for you to impress him or her with this kind of gift. If not, sticking to basic and classic designs is a rule of thumb.

Meat and Cheeses or Jellies and Sweets, etc., Boxes--$5-$50 Everybody loves these special food samplers at Christmas time. They have a long tradition which originated with the gifting of hard to come by food items like citrus fruits before the advent of refrigeration.

I don’t know anybody who wasn’t pleased with a gift such as this, since everyone likes food! There are even specialty boxes geared toward coffee lovers or the health conscious, for example, as well.

Omaha Steaks Food Samplers--$20-$70 This is generally a very welcome gift, since the quality of the food items are top notch, and are actually quite inexpensive--$20 will buy a very nice variety sampler that can be delivered to the recipient’s front door.

Samplers include steaks, of course, stuffed chicken breasts, fish fillets, cheese cake, and side items, freezer wrapped and arriving on dry ice. I can highly recommend them, since we received this as a gift last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Shipping is even free at this time.