Budget-Friendly Christmas Gifts for 2016

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s never too early to start thinking about gifts for your friends and family. This is particularly true if you have a very long list of people to shop for because you’ll need to carefully balance the quality of each gift with your budget. On top of that, you need to make sure that your give will be appreciated by each of the recipients, and the best way to do that is to make sure the gist is relevant and “hip” for 2015.

Since healthy lifestyles and organic items are all the rage right now, that is probably the easiest place to start. Here are a few budget-friendly Christmas gift ideas that will make everyone smile while keeping your checking account intact.

Recipe Book

One of the easiest and cheapest gift ideas simply involves compiling your favorite healthy recipes into one easy book. People love trying new foods, so putting together some unique, healthy, and totally organic recipes will be a smash hit. Best of all, it will only cost you a little bit of time and the cost of printing out the books. If you want to go really eco-friendly, you could even make the recipe book electronically.

Natural Homemade Soap

Soap is a necessary item in every single kitchen and bathroom throughout the world, so it makes for a Christmas gift that will always be appreciated. Making your own natural soap is actually very easy and cost effective, but you’ll need to carve out a significant amount of time to cook the ingredients together. Also, it takes time to “age”, so you’ll need to start the process well in advance of Christmas time. If you’re like me and you’re short on time, you can buy cold process soaps from a reputable source and take the hassle out of your Christmas giving. It will be slightly more expensive than making the natural soap yourself, but it is still one of the least expensive organic gifts you can give.

Herb Garden

Lastly, you can create little herb gardens for your friends and family to enjoy when spring finally arrives. All you need are some seed packets, some organic soil, and a long container that fits in a standard sized window sill. Herbs are very easy to grow, so anyone can have success and it may even open the door to a new hobby for some of the gift recipients.