My favorite $10 gifts ideas…

Depending on how your year’s going… it’s either FINALLY Christmas time or “how can it already be Christmas time?”

But either way now is the time to figure out gifts and presents… and that goes double if you can’t afford it. 

Because if you don’t know how to pay for those gifts, then this is the time to make a plan and determine the best course of action. 

In my hot mess days, I would just procrastinate and hope that it would figure itself out over the next 3 weeks (hint: it never did) and then ended up using my credit cards and spending way more than I should have. 

If you look at your budget and figure it out though,  even if you make the same decisions that you would have if you waited until the last minute and you use a credit card, you’re in a MUCH better place.  Because you’re going to have a plan, you’re going to limit the amount you spend and you’re not going to be “panic buying” last minute. 

Planning ahead also gives you the opportunity to have conversations with people that you usually exchange presents with.  And, it doesn’t need to be an awkward “can we not exchange gifts this year?”… You can approach it like “I read about this $10 Christmas challenge that sounded so fun and amazing… want to try it?”

Let me tell you why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the $10 Christmas challenge. 

Because $10 is enough money to buy something unique and personal, but not enough to feel like you wasted money if they don’t like it. 

It lets you take risks with presents that you otherwise wouldn’t (instead of just asking “what do you want for Christmas?”).

It’s SOOOO much fun to hunt down deals or things you can find for under $10. 

It makes Christmas insanely cheap but, just as much fun. 

Even if you’re not on a budget, you can take the money you would have spent and do something incredible that you really want to do. 

Christmas is about the thought and not the gifts anyway. 

So, on the off chance you decide to go that route this year, I thought I’d list my favorite $10 gifts for 2022. 

My strategy with $10 gifts is usually to get something that the person doesn’t know exists or hasn’t realized how it would help them. If it’s someone that I think will appreciate more of a gag gift then sometimes I go in that direction instead. 

Muted boho highlighters: I just found out about these and I am OBSESSED. 

Magnetic Wristband on Amazon: holds screws and nails and drill bits hands free. 

Hair Scalp Massager: these are also surprisingly big hits with men because it feels so good and is so easy to use with short hair. 

Writing Wooden Lap Desks: Buy these and then stain them and stencil their name at the top. I got this from my aunt when I was 6 and still have it and use it almost daily. There’s fancy ones available now with tufted bottoms and storage but nothing works as well or feels as nice as this simple wooden lap desk. 

Journals:  I love picking these out at Home Goods or Barnes and Noble, but you can find them on Amazon as well. 

Picking Stone: Hear me out here. I have a friend that loves picking. Anything. Pimples. Her nail polish off… all of the things. So when I saw this I immediately thought of her and when I saw how many reviews there were and how popular they were I wasn’t surprised.  

Or, you can make your own picking stone… 

Specialty Popcorn: We buy popcorn in bulk from Amish Popcorn on Amazon.  You can try specialty kernels like Ladyfinger and Midnight Blue (my favorites!).  Both of these are small and extra crunchy which are SO MUCH BETTER than yellow or white kernels like you buy in the store. 

 Microwave Popcorn Popper – I use this almost daily- drizzle it with a little bit of olive oil and shake in some salt after and it’s the best popcorn you’ve ever had in 3 minutes and it’s soooo cheap when you buy it in bulk and significantly healthier than microwave popcorn. 

Leather Fitbit Bands – I’ve used this one for years and love the look and feel. It’s a huge upgrade from the rubber straps it comes with and the price in unbeatable. 

Bubble Clay Mask – This went viral on Tiktok so we tried it on our last girls weekend and I surprisingly loved it. It starts bubbling fast on your skin and just keeps growing until you kind of look like a monster. DO NOT LET IT GET IN YOUR NOSTRILS. Just trust me. But it’s super fun and actually makes your face smooth. 

Sketch Book – You can get a general sketchbook with a cover you think they’ll like or you can get an artpad specific for water color or whatever their favorite type of art is. My favorite though is the specific sketchbooks that have prompts like this fashion one. 

Scalp Massager– these used to be super popular for giving you a spine tingling massage that feels different than anything else, but they also have a lot of benefits likes relieving tension headaches and stimulating new follicle growth. 

Humping Animals Adult Coloring Books: NSFW (not safe for work) but very funny. 

Lightsaber Chopsticks -Someone get me these please? Also- this is probably the best way to get kids interested in learning how to use chopsticks. 

Beanie Hat With Light – This one was a huge hit my then 8 year old boy who still loves it as an 11 year old. He wears it camping and RV-ing and just generally running around in the dark. 

Black and Gold Diamond Waterproof Playing Cards – If you have friends or family that loves playing poker and has a pool- these are AMAZING. Because you can now play poker in the pool. 🙂 They have cheap floating card tables like this one (about $25 or you can get really nice floating poker tables like this one for about $90) 

Bad Parking Cards: Where you get 50 cards to lay on someone’s car that say things like… my grandmother parks better than you. 

Crafting With Cat Hair Book: Most people buy this as a joke but are surprised at how cute the cat hair finger puppets are and how the author was completely serious when she wrote her guides. 

Diamond or Gem Art- These are so much fun for kids. They get to use a special tool to glue down gems or “diamonds” to form a picture, They can also be used as sun catchers. 

Pocket Monkey Wallet Tool – These are THE BEST! They slide into your wallet so you always have it on you- it’s a ruler, bottle opener, Philips head screwdriver, letter opener, hex wrench, flathead and micro screwdriver, lock slip, and phone kickstand all in one. 

Dreamdecor Funny Socks With Photos – I got Jon these with my face along with our best friend’s faces and he calls them his lucky socks and where’s them everywhere. 

DIY Tutorial Kit: Find a Youtube tutorial that you think would interest them and get them the supplies.  I love this water color landscape tutorial and the water color and brushes are less than $10. 

Other Ideas for a cheap and easy DIY kit: 

• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Rock Painting
• Crafts
• Thrift Store Upgrades (like painting a lampshade or renovating a picture frame) 

Depending on the person receiving it, you can do the project yourself and give it to them or give them the unfinished project as the gift. 

Gold Rub n Buff: Which lets you turn anything gold with a cloth and a few minutes.  It dries in  15 minutes too. You can easily update door knobs, drawer pulls in minutes or, find a thrift store project like a mirror to upgrade. Here’s a tutorial to use it… 

Cast Iron Anything: If they love to cook, go to any thrift store and buy cast iron (don’t worry about the condition) and then follow these instructions to re-season and make it as good as new. You can also include a few hand written recipe cards for cast iron recipes. 

Aldi Quarter Keeper: If you know an Aldi lover this is a great gift! 

Wood Slingshot for Felt Balls: The “ammo” is cheap and won’t hurt anyone. 

Wax Seal Kit: I love these so much!  I add the wax seals to everything from handwritten birthday cards to love letters and I’m not ashamed to tell you I even wax seal my bills (because it makes paying bills way more fun). 

Personalized Wall Art: (do the digital file and then print and frame it yourself).  You can customize the people and the quotes or sayings. 

Pura Vida Bracelet Sets: These are usually $40 but they’re $10 when they do sales – I wear the style pack bracelet’s all the time. 

Squishmallows:  These are all the rage for the young girls.   I’ve been finding them at Aldi, Five Below and Target for $10 and under. 

Something You Love That They Haven’t Tried: Like your favorite mascara or MiO Liquid Water Enhancer or, a foreign chocolate from World Market.  Because these are cheaper- you can usually include a few in a “My favorites” basket. 

World Market Giant Liquid Hand Soap: HUGE containers that are reusable (the photo doesn’t do them justice- they’re 33 oz. each), and they also sells bags of soap that you can quickly and easily refill these by just squeezing the bag in seconds. I love these so much because they’re massive but gorgeous and you only have to change out the soap every few months.  Plus, the refill bags make refilling so easy! 

Cookbooks or Recipe Books – You can tailor this to their tastes if they’re vegan or dairy free or have busy weekdays. The cookbook linked here is one on my own “wants list”. 

Hope that helps! 

Other Ideas for a Cheap and Easy Christmas… 

Cheap DIY Christmas Gifts That Don’t Suck 

21 Christmas Traditions To Enjoy on a Tight Budget

$10 Family Christmas Tradition Explained 

P.S. If you have $10 Christmas gift ideas, add them below in the comments and I’ll include them in future updates to this post.