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$5 gifts that aren't junk?

6K views 87 replies 72 participants last post by  EnviroBecca 
#1 ·
Our extended family has decided that due to the increasing number of cousins, we are going to give fairly small gifts this year, since the kids get so many gifts from grandparents, etc. Does anybody have any ideas of gifts around five dollars that aren't just junky crap? I would love to give something neat but the dollar amount is a challenge!
 
#2 ·
If it were me, and I had to do a kids gift for $5...I think I would make something for them. I crochet and sew, I think I could get away with a lot for that amount.

The thing that gets me, we've done some shopping before for those gift exchanges for family and friends. I wind up getting things on clearance, or on sale for $5...and give it away. Then people always make comments on how I went over
which I tell them, I didn't! After a few years people started to ask around which gift was mine
.

I also did a chocolate gift box set I made up for a $5 exchange at DH's work once....I really had some elaborate things in there. Fresh cookies, fudge and caramel that I made as well as hot chocolate mixes and chocolate brownie mix in a jar, etc. All of that plus a nice chocolate bar. And, a pregnant woman wound up with it...she said she was beyond thrilled! LOL
 
#3 ·
I'm not pregnant but would also be thrilled with that gift!!!

In some ways $5 doesn't get you much,but if your able to shop at thrift shops you may be able to find something great! Is that an option? Buying slightly used gifts? The place near me has all there purses for about $5 and most are in pretty nice shape,some even brand new.

The $ stores always have bath and body stuff that a teenage girl may like. If you have kids that do crafts you could get them a little bag or basket full of craft supplies at a $ store. If you have one who likes to sew,scrapbook,bake etc.. or has shown an interest in learning to you can get them a little "starter kit" that you put together with $ store items.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
YOu can go to a dollar store and buy several nice items for a dollar each or even several under a dollar. But you have to basically find a good dollar store. We have lots of them here but only 2 or 3 stores carry the really good ones like: Disney characters flash cards (adding/multiplying/division), jigsaw puzzles, building kits, matchbok cars, sport cups, crafts stuff, etc. It think that if you can put together a bunch of items that is of interest to the child, then the dollar amount is not an issue. TBH, dd rather get craft supplies as gifts then Polly Pockets or My Little Ponies or Barbies but people seems to think that all little girls want them.
 
#6 ·
Target carries the Rose Art brand of craft stuff, and it's really cheap. Like a 8 color watercolor paint set is $.92. You could easily make a small gift bag of craft supplies with that.

If you sew, you could make kids those see through bags with beads, where they look for all the little objects. If you made them for all the kids, I'm sure that you could make them for way less than $5 each.

A giftbag of homemade soaps or candles for adults. Again, if you make them in bulk, you could probably make quite a few of them for pretty cheap.
 
#9 ·
Depends on the age of the person you're buying for...our local $1 store has a ton of great coloring books and craft supplies, I would probably make a gift bag with things like that. At craft stores there are little kits where it has all the supplies in a bag for $1 or $2 and the child assembles a little seasonal craft item, those are cute too
Playdoh and a few cookie cutters would be good too. For older kids/teens, the $1 stores often have name brand makeup, they might like something like that.
 
#11 ·
I like the dollar section at Target. They always have some wood toys. Right now I think they have vehicles. And they always have fun stuff for girls. I got DS a cute onsie, a bib and mittens there the other day.
 
#12 ·
*Books from the bargain bin at Barnes & Nobles, Borders, etc
*watch CVS and Walgreens ads for items that are free or almost free and put together a gift basket
*dollar stores often have nice coloring books (actual characters kids would recognize), puzzles, and even books (apparantly, these books weren't best sellers, but they are $1)
*clearance section for toys, clothes, etc
 
#14 ·
You've got some great suggestions but I also wanted to throw out the idea of a gift card. $5 to Jamba Juice (or similar) would be great for most kids.

Fuzzy socks? Here Fred Meyer has all socks & slippers 50% off the day after Thanksgiving.

How about something personalized? Sets of pencils, necklaces...

How many kids do you have to buy for? What are their ages? Sometimes Costco will have a large (9) set of ornaments or teddy bears or something like that.

A last suggestion (for the future). If there are enough kids, you might want to suggest a name draw. My kids are two of 19 first cousins and they just name draw. Each kid draws another w/a limit of $25. It makes each kid able to get something they will really like, it also lets each kid really feel invested in picking out a gift.
 
#15 ·
For young boys, get 5 matchbox cars. For older girls, candles. You could even get the good one from Yankee for $5, get a votive and then a candle holder from Walmart. Playdough. Littlest Petshop or My Little Ponies for girls about 4-8. I also shop the clearance section all year long. One year I found $20 playdough sets for $4. Reading books, coloring books and crayons. My DD (6) would love girly stuff like lip gloss and nail polish.
 
#18 ·
Do you live any where near a Five Below? There's a lot of junk, but also some very nice stuff. None of it is over $5.

Around here, all of the craft stores have weekly coupons in the papers. The coupons are generally for 40%/off, but sometimes they go as high as 60%. The stores have all sorts of stuff for kids, including puzzles, craft kits, craft supplies, and toys. There are even some books.

You could also hit the after Halloween sales for good deals on dress up clothes, if any of the kids like those. Similarly, you could try the local thrift shops. Around here, it's not at all uncommon to find brand-new toys.
 
#19 ·
Card games

A cool pair of knit gloves

Not really healthy, but my sister gave me a yard-sale candy dish filled to the brim with Dubble Bubble green apple gum from the penny candy counter at the book exchange. My sister did this for several people and it was a very popular gift.
 
#24 ·
For the kids you can order craft kits from Oriental Trading Company. :) They would probably be less than $5 so each child can get 2-3 kits.
 
#25 ·
We've done stocking stuffers only celebrations in years past. One year I got socks for everyone. That was kinda fun.
We play lots of cards, so a new deck of cards is always a good gift around our family.
I've done home-made craft kits/projects for kids - cut cards and put with envelopes, a stamp, and a stamp pad; beads, wire, string, needle; t-shirt (from a multi-pack of undershirts) and fabric crayons; cloth bag and fabric paint
Framed pictures of our son were easy and inexpensive.
 
#26 ·
awesome thread!
We really like to buy board books from Bare Books and give them with a pack of markers. There are different sizes priced between $1-2. There is a minimum purchase of $20 I think, so you do have to order a bunch at once. But look around the site, there are also blank game boards and game accessories, hardback books, and blank calendars. We have ordered from them several times and everything has been high quality and fast shipping. My daughter loves to write short stories for people and then make and illustrate a book for a personal gift to give grandparents and cousins.
Oh, there are also blank comic books, they come in packs and are also pretty cheap.
 
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