kate's affordable gift guide!

hey everyone, welcome back to the blog!! this post is the part one of my collaboration with my friend pearl christine! check out her blog for her extensive list of gift ideas. together, this is our guide to all the wholesome, affordable (& free) gifts! :) i hope you get inspired & excited <33

and for those who are here for the first time coming from pearl's part two, welcome! i hope we can be friends :)

kate's tips:

 1 ask them what they want !!

 2 ask for their pinterest or style

 3 offer to donate to a cause instead of buying cheap stuff :)

 4 plan a date together doing something fun (free or with a cost) esp for friends who love quality time

5 lean into love languages (more on that below!)

(links are all unsponsored/unaffiliated)

LEAN INTO LOVE LANGAUGES

if you don't know what the five love languages are, read about them here! you can also find quizzes to figure out what your top ones are. here are all my ideas for gifts based on how your friends & family feel loved! see if you can guess what my love languages are :)

quality time

go see a play / visit an art museum / get lunch at their favorite place / plan a special shopping trip / make jewlery together / go rollerskating / get your nails done / go to bakery / do an online (or in person) class together like yoga, art, anything! / buy them a lego set and do it together / travel somewhere new together / make an interview podcast together (just for fun) / go axe throwing / visit an aquarium / camp in your backyard / go skiing / bowling / watch a movie at the drive-in theater / do an escape room / go to the farmer's market / hot air balloons / ice skating / lasertag / window shop downtown somewhere cute / trampoline park / horseback riding / make a quilt / rock climb / martial arts class / make a scrapbook / zipline / book a guitar lesson (or any instrument/voice) / draw things blindfolded / go fishing / get a new game they've been wanting (pearl's post has ideas!) / play tennis or pickleball / take a dance class / go to an observatory / explore a farm or a forest / oragami book / an explosive experiment / spikeball

words of affirmation

write them a long letter / print out quotes and put them in a cute box / record hype messages for different times: sports, school, feeling lonely, self-doubt, etc. / give them a book they love with notes you write, hidden throughout the pages / use a deck of cards to make fifty things you love about them /

ask their parents and friends to write them letters & collect them all together in a cute little book /

write them a bunch of notes to open at different times / buy them your favorite poetry book / make little cards with affirmations on them for their mirror / books!! stalk their goodreads or just ask them !! / make a collage of their vibes / compile pictures of you together and write the special memories on paper pages to make a book / make a list of all the things you want to hear about from their life / buy them a beautiful journal & write in deep journal prompts (look up ideas) / go to a poetry reading / write your own poem about them

gifts

fairy lights / succulents or fake plants / jewelry off their pinterest / artwork !!! off etsy or online shops! you can get affordable prints & support small artists! / posters off etsy for their room / fun cookie cutters or muffin tins / a dress you know they've been eying / cute animal stickers / gold or silver gel pens / make your own or buy beautiful bookmarks / stickers for their mirror

check out pearl's post for more in this category :)

physical touch (sensory)

get them a super soft sweater / or blanket / make them their favorite cookies / some cute fidgets / pick out an adorable teddy bear / cozy slippers / volunteer at a daycare & hold babies if you can / or offer to babysit for a young momma & snuggle her baby / sew them a bean bag to use as a heat pack /

find a silly squishmallow / buy them a cute yoga mat / make them a mug / get them a jade roller & gua sha & dry brush / get them a frisbee & draw on it / a back rub / nice pens like pilot g2 / buy a pack of colorful clay to make little animals & foods together / bake bread together / get them a set of cute rings / a beautiful scarf / aesthetic weights / resistance bands / get them jojoba oil / the best! for athletes: a muscle roller!! / their favorite drink / thrift them a cute sweater / a big hug

acts of service

order pictures for them to make a photo wall / get a mushroom night light / high quality notebooks and cute folders for school / highlighters in their favorite color palette (neutral, pastels, fall colors etc) / order them nice wooden or velvet hangers / buy them their favorite movie / tote bag / cute pencil pouch / nike socks / hair clips, ties, bows, nice comb (with rat tail) / find a date to volunteer at an amimal shelter together / make them art / print off pictures from their pinterest to make them a vision board / get them a beautiful big map to hang on their wall / buy them a puzzle from somewhere they visited / give them a gift card to their favorite store ! / a cute waterbottle / a portable light-up mirror / help them paint their room or do a big project / volunteer to do dishes or other chores for your parents

→ more ideas for artists: check out my post with all my recs!

→ my favorite products: here's the post with my top purchases from last year

be creative!

• make them a gift that has twelve parts: one for every month on their day

• pitch in some money to something big they're saving for

• if you're running out of time, promise to give them their gift on their half birthday hehe (but then immediately get it, store it in a safe location, & set a reminder on your phone so you don't forget)

the point is to think outside of the box. try new things. ask them what they want. give yourself permission to do something different :) gifts are supposed to be exciting, thoughtful, & sweet, not a burden. after all, the fun in presents is giving, not getting <3

thanks for reading! see you next week for my thoughts on Christmas :)

and in the meantime, make sure to check for pearl's part two! it's going to be awesome!!

happy holidays friends! xo, kate <3

p.s. listen to my newest podcast ep here

pss i love love love comments!! they make me so happy! leave your name please so i know who you are :) thanks all <33