We compiled 12 simple DIY presents you can create for $3 or less that will brighten someone’s day, convey your appreciation and make them feel cherished.
You can make the present even more meaningful by enclosing it in homemade gift wrap that looks special while still being budget-friendly.
1. Instagram Photo Album
If your friend or family member uses Instagram, take screenshots of several pictures from their feed and have them printed at Walmart. Using the Walmart Photo app, prints at an in-store kiosk run about 10 cents apiece. Slip them into a $1 photo album from a dollar store.
This makes a wonderful present for teens or college students who might appreciate having physical photos — not just digital copies — years from now.
2. Kids’ Art Photo Album
Photograph your children’s drawings — whether newly made at school or treasured pieces saved over time — and use the Walmart Photo app to print them for roughly 10 cents a print. Place the pictures in a $1 photo album from the dollar store. It’s an ideal present for grandparents.
3. Personalized Directional Signs
A playful, customized gift is a set of directional signs pointing toward the recipient’s favorite spots. Pick out towns, beaches, colleges or other meaningful places, then find the mileage from their home to each location.
Purchase a pack of 25 narrow wooden stakes from a retailer like Walmart. The stakes cost about $9.50, so if you make four sets of six signs, the price is near $2.37 per set. Use paint or paint pens to note the place names and distances on the stakes. They can be mounted individually on an interior wall, attached to a deck railing, a hammock post, or a fence post.
4. Zen Sand Box
Although these often retail for $10 to $30, you can craft a Zen sand box for meditative raking at minimal expense. Here’s what you’ll need to make up to 10 mini Zen gardens:
- A bag of smooth aquarium sand: $5
- Wooden forks for natural “rakes”: $4.39 for 100
- A small empty box (like those for jewelry or tea bags): Free
- Popsicle sticks: 100 for $1.79 at Target
- Rocks or shells found in your yard, park or at the beach: Free
To assemble the Zen sand box:
- Trim the popsicle sticks to fit the four sides of the box, and glue them to the exterior.
- Fill the box with sand, and add your rakes, rocks and/or shells.
- Secure the lid tightly with tape so you can wrap the box. Place the sealed box in a plastic bag before wrapping.
5. DIY Snow Globe
You can fashion a snow globe from small trinkets. Use a tiny ornament for a holiday globe, or personalize it with favorite Lego figures, tiny dolls, or vintage knickknacks found at thrift shops or yard sales.
You’ll also want glycerin — it helps the glitter drift slowly. Glycerin is a non-toxic, odorless, colorless liquid derived from fats and oils used in skin care, and you can usually find a small bottle at drugstores for around $3.
Here’s how to make one:
- Wash and dry a spare pickle jar, jelly jar or similar container.
- Glue the decorative piece(s) to the jar lid and let them dry thoroughly.
- Fill the jar nearly to the top with water, noting how much you used for the next step.
- Add two to three teaspoons of glycerin per cup of water.
- Stir in about a tablespoon of glitter.
- Apply superglue to the lid, then screw it on firmly.
- Shake and enjoy!
6. Family Recipe Box
You can assemble this digitally or stick with a traditional approach. For a digital version, compile a file of favorite recipes and write the file name on a card. If you prefer a physical recipe box, print the recipes on cards or paper and package them together. Add a set of measuring spoons from the dollar store, which run about $1, and personalize them with paint pens if you like.
7. Late Curfew
If you have a teenager, they’ll be ecstatic to receive a homemade “gift certificate” for an extended curfew on New Year’s Eve or another night of their choosing. This present costs nothing — though it might cost you a few gray hairs.
8. Late Bedtime
The same idea works for younger children: offer an elementary-aged son or daughter the chance to stay up an extra hour or two past their usual bedtime.
9. Make Your Own Wreck This Journal
The Wreck This Journal series is ideal for kids ages 5 to 10, with prompts on each page — leave a mark, rub in dirt, write your name with your eyes shut, paint with coffee or color outside the lines.
Make your own by buying a spiral notebook from the dollar store and writing a prompt on each page. Here are some ideas you can include that aren’t in Wreck This Journal:
- Write your name as big as you can.
- Write your name as tiny as you can.
- Crumple this page into a ball and toss it into the trash from at least 10 feet away.
- Draw your house during a snowstorm, a rainstorm and a heatwave.
- Trace your hand to draw a turkey, tear it into eight pieces, then tape it back together.
- Paint on this page using a brush dipped in your dog’s water bowl.
You can also invent your own playful prompts!
10. Custom Spotify Playlist
Create a tailored Spotify playlist for music lovers or nostalgic relatives on your list.
For a sentimental spin, include tunes from films or shows you saw together, songs you danced to, tracks you played on a particular road trip, or songs with lyrics that hold meaning.
For the music enthusiast, research and compile songs they may not have heard but will likely enjoy based on their favorite artists. Write the track list on paper and wrap it. After they open the present, ask to borrow their phone for a few minutes so you can build the playlist in their Spotify account.
11. Pick-Up Sticks
Gather 20 chopsticks over the next few weeks from Asian restaurants to create your own set of pick-up sticks. Decorate them with Sharpies or paint pens using patterns, words or names.
12. Scratch-Off Lottery Tickets
This one isn’t strictly handmade, but it’s an easy, inexpensive option. Three $1 tickets could turn into a big win, and even if they don’t, it’s fun to scratch and imagine.
Katherine Snow Smith is a contributor to Savinly.
