Ballin On A Budget Birthday Gift Guide

We all want our loved ones to know how much we care about them through the most perfect, thoughtful gifts on their special day. But as college students, we may not be able to afford the expensive presents they desire the most. That’s why we’ve gathered a list of gift ideas that will surely put a smile on their faces and not make a dent in your wallet!

For Grandparents Or Parents: Homemade Condiments

Most people no longer have relatives that make things like homemade jam, pickles, mustard, or salsa. You can create a batch of one of these items and buy a carton of pretty jars to give to everyone you know.

It will only take a few hours of baking on an afternoon and the gifts will end up costing less than $5 each.

For larger gifts, make your own set of three different flavors of something like jam or mustard. Here’s a huge list of other cheap gifts you can make with jars.

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For Your Partying Friends: Liquor

Who doesn’t need a drink after months of adulting and responsibilities?

Buy a few handles of vodka, infuse something interesting into it, and redistribute into pretty (smaller) bottles you can buy at any craft store. You could make Bloody Mary-infused vodka, candy vodka, or Bacon-infused bourbon.

For Your Sentimental Loved One: Photo Album

Make your own mini scrapbook full of photos and magazine cut-outs/sharpies. Signing up for emails from photo printing websites and Groupon will enable you to get something amazing produced for a fraction of the price.

It might seem lame, but in a few years, your loved one will look back at it and it will be an encapsulation of some of the greatest times you two spent together.

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For The Adventurous Ones: Free Outing

Cheap/free things to include:

• Going to a museum or flower garden
  
  having a beach day
• Going to an apple orchard or corn maze
  
  hiking to a local scenic location
• Borrowing a friend’s equipment to do something new like cross-country skiing, biking, or camping
• A homemade pizza/hot wings/fondue competition
• Tour a brewery or winery in the area
  
  rent a projector from the library and watch a movie outdoors

For Your Bae: An Amazing DIY Massage

Use the internet to learn how to give a killer massage. Buy a nice essential oil (like lavender) and give massage coupons to everyone who it wouldn’t be creepy to massage.

Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.