When it comes to low-cost gift giving, I always love throwing something sentimental in a frame, but that’s far from the only option. We asked CoJ readers to share the low-spend, high-impact gifts they’ve given or received, and here are 10 amazing answers…
“I’m a long-distance runner, and for my birthday, my girlfriends compiled a two-hour playlist for me. They texted it to me first thing in the morning, and it made me cry. I immediately went for a run and loved trying to determine which friend picked which song. It led to days of funny text messaging, which was an added gift.” — Joslyn
“My great aunt, Jinny, a human rights lawyer, was a real kick in the pants. She also had a crush on Tom Selleck. One Christmas, I gave her an 8×10 framed photo of him that cost maybe $5 total, and she absolutely squealed.” — Martha
“Four years ago, I decided to get my masters in social work. I had been a stay-at-home mom for a decade, so I was nervous about going back to school. My husband was my sounding board for my anxieties as I worked through the application process. For Christmas, he filled my stocking with school supplies, along with a note saying he had no doubts I could do it. Fast forward to today: I’ve graduated, and I love my work as a therapist.” — Jackie
“My dad passed away two years ago. He’d written me letters for most of my life, and they were a great comfort to me as I waded through grief. A sign-off in one of the letters caught my attention, and I knew he felt the same about my siblings. So, the first Christmas after he died, I gave each of my siblings a framed photo of the two of them together, along with his note in the beautiful penmanship of his that we all loved.” — Fran
“Anton absolutely loves dogs, so I arranged a special time for him to go play with our neighbors’ dogs and take them on a walk. He was thrilled.” — Joanna
“I once curated a ‘book of the month’ gift for my husband by asking 12 of his favorite people (parents, siblings, best friend, work mentor, etc.) to recommend a book they thought he would like or that represented their relationship. His mom rewrapped his childhood copy of The Little Engine That Could with the sweetest note inside.” — Ivy
“I gave these $25 assemble-yourself cardboard bouquets to three of my neighborhood friends. One said it was her favorite gift because it would stay beautiful all through the long Michigan winter.” — Lia
“My friend Holly lives across the country, and she sends the most thoughtful gifts. Most are under $25, but they all make me feel deeply known and cared for. This year was a T-shirt that said ‘I Hope Both Teams Have Fun’ because I really do. Another year, she mailed a poetry anthology with slips of paper marking her favorites.” — Heather
“My daughters made a ‘Fifty Reasons Why We Love You’ jar for my 50th birthday, with notes like ‘I love when you call down for dinner and you sing it’ and ‘If I’m interested in something, you get interested, too.’” — Tammy
“After amassing an embarrassingly large amount of library fines that prevented me from using public libraries statewide, I tried to make it right with offers of volunteer hours, contributing to the food drive, a tear-stained note of apology, but our library branch held a hard line: no borrowing books until I paid up. This kept me away for years. One Christmas morning, I unwrapped a book from my then-boyfriend, and inside was a receipt showing a zero balance. Knowing about my checkered past, he’d driven to the library in question and wiped my account clean. As it turned out, a new director had changed library policy, resulting in a greatly reduced balance of $10.” — Kelsey
Also, did you know that you can make a donation that erases other peoples crushing medical debt via this nonprofit where $10 clears about $1,000 of debt or pay off some lunch debt at your neighborhood school? Would love to chat in the comments about other meaningful gifts you’ve given (bragging allowed) or received.
What would you add? What low-cost gifts have packed a punch in your life?
P.S. The full 2025 holiday gift guide, and TK.
(Running photo by Tracksmith.)
