DIY Gift Ideas For Your Bestie When You’re Totally Broke

One of your love languages is probably giving gifts and, if so, you can be assured I’ve got gift ideas for your bestie…because gifts are definitely my first love language! But, if you’re feeling flat broke because, maybe just maybe, you spent too much on gifts in the past (the overspending club is currently taking new members…come join me!), I’ve got a list of meaningful and useful DIY gifts you can give that cost little to no money. After all, we know it’s the thought that counts! (And I’ve thought a lot about this, so that you don’t have to!)

Gift Ideas for Your Bestie

It’s your bestie’s birthday or maybe they’re just having one of those days and you want to cheer them up. And if you love shopping, this could also cheer YOU up! But for whatever reason, there’s no way you need to be spending a lot of money right now on gifts for your bestie (even though it would be a blast to do so!), plus you’re trying to be more eco-conscious anyway. I see you!

Creative, DIY gift-giving is actually so much fun because you can use your imagination and personalize to your heart’s content. And this makes it more memorable and one-of-a-kind…just like your bestie!

This post is all about DIY gift ideas for your bestie when you’re totally broke.

Presentation is a Part of the Gift

A breathtaking photo of the ocean is one thing and quite lovely. BUT, what if you added a story to it about the time the two of you took a walk after dinner, sunk your toes in the sand, and reminisced about the times you did this and that and the other? Presentation, people!

Or maybe you want to give your friend a vintage lantern for their collection. What would make it even more awwwww inspiring? Fill it with sentimental treasures like old photographs and little tchotchkes that represent your friendship or an inside joke you share.

Part of presentation is making it pretty, but I think the other part is making it meaningful.

Gifts for Those True Blue Besties

My mom always said that you’re lucky if you have one good friend. When I was younger, I kind of understood that, since young friendships can definitely come and go.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve REALLY understood that, since adult friendships can also come and go!

If it’s taking a while to know who your true friends are, that’s actually very normal. I’ve had a lot of friends over the years that I genuinely loved. We had hilarious, fun times together and I learned a lot from them. But for various reasons, we’ve gone in different directions. It’s bittersweet, but that’s just life, I think.

BUT THEN, there are the friends who stick. These are the true blue buds, the kindred spirits, the besties. These are the people who turn into family. These are the people who don’t need gifts because our friendship is gift enough.

Which, duh, makes you want to get them gifts even more!

When Giving Gets to Be Too Much

Having a generous heart is always a thoughtful way to live, but when your generous heart spends too generously on the ol’ credit card because, well, those 147 unique T J Maxx finds were irresistible…then you may need a new way to show your friends you care.

Have you given gifts over the years to people who are literally nowhere to be found today? GOSH! How annoying, right? Not that you regret giving something beautiful to another human being while showing off your stellar gift personalization skills, but after friends have come and gone, you might want to change a few old habits. (I know I’ve had to!)

And if your credit card balance has been around longer than that friendship, it might be time to not stop giving, but to give in new ways.

How to Know What to Get For My Bestie

Giving good gifts is about paying attention. And paying attention is the first step to having empathy! Here are some questions to consider before DIY-ing a gift for your bestie.

Gift Ideas for your bestie: Where to Start

• What are their interests?
  • Cooking
  • Baking
  • Fashion
  • Reading
  • Foodie adventures
  • Gardening
  • Music
  • Gaming
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Movies
  • Fitness
  • Animal welfare
  • Spirituality
  • Environmental advocacy
  • Collecting art, vinyls, rocks, you name it!
• Are they an introvert or extrovert?
• What do you talk about when you’re hanging out?
• What are their favorite restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, or ice cream shops?
• How do they like to relax?
• How do they like to celebrate?
• What would be their idea of a perfect day?
• What would be their idea of a crappy day? (Avoid this!)

Sentimental Gifts

• Make a friendship bracelet.
• Curate a digital album of your favorite photographs of the two of you.
• Write them a song or poem.
• Write them a letter and share all of your favorite memories.
• Wrap up a piece of jewelry you’ve treasured and that you know they’d love. Tell them the story of the piece or why it would be perfect for your bestie. For example, “You have the best taste in sparkle and I thought this friendship heirloom would be a great addition to your collection.”
• Gift them a quirky figurine, one that represents your friendship or has a funny story attached to it. Again, this could be something out of your personal collection.
• Frame a menu from a restaurant where you’ve had a ton of conversations and laughs.
• Frame a photo of a place you traveled to together.
• Create a time capsule of relics from your friendship.
• Give them something iconic from your wardrobe.
• Knit a scarf with colors that are linked to a fun memory you share (example: turquoise for the time you went to Florida together).
• Sew a headband or create a hair accessory out of an old brooch.
• Make a bookmark and tuck inside their favorite book.

Home Gifts

• Crochet a rag rug out of old strips of fabric.
• Sew a quilt with meaningful patches that refer back to your friendship.
• Crochet a potholder.
• Make a Christmas ornament out of found objects: cool key chain, bell, seashell, action figure, jewelry
• Sew an apron out of an old dress.
• Fill a glass cloche or vessel with seashells from a trip you took together.

• Upcycle your greeting cards or stationery to make recipe cards! Detach the card’s cover, flip to the blank inside and handwrite your recipe like Grandma used to. One side will have the recipe and the other will have a lovely design or illustration!
• Make a cookbook out of an unused journal, spiral notebook, or 3-ring binder. You can even add personal stories about the recipes inside.
• If you’re an artist, draw a picture or letter a meaningful quote. OR if you know an artist, subtly bribe them to draw something for you, like I “subtly bribed” my husband to draw my bestie’s most dapper greyhound, J Boy.

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Garden Gifts

• Pot a plant straight out of your garden! Easy plants to transplant that they’ll dig: Hostas, red bud saplings, Rose of Sharon saplings, lemon balm, catmint, mojito mint, English ivy, wisteria, lilac cuttings
• Take a boring pot and decorate it by painting it or simply tying a ribbon around it. Pop a plant inside.
• Create a new houseplant with a cutting. Pothos plants are perfect for this, especially neon pothos.
• If you grow veggies or fruit, bring you bestie some of your harvest in a cute basket! When I grew a surprise front yard pumpkin patch, I brought my white pumpkins to a few friends.

• Collect some of your beautiful seashells, place in a burlap gift bag, and suggest ways to use them in their garden: I like to add them to my bird baths to give birds a place to stand and assess the water’s depth.
• DIY a bird bath! Got a beautiful, shallow platter just hiding in a cabinet somewhere? These make perfect bird baths! You can make a stand out of an upside-down planter pot or just a stack of stepping stones. Place the platter on your unique base, then add rocks or seashells, pour in water, and watch those feathery friends stop by.
• Snip some blooms from your cut flower garden and arrange in a wine bottle vase or Oui yogurt jar.
• Construct a birdhouse.
• Create some garden art, like a seashell wind chime or paint a pretty rock.

Food Gifts

• If you’re a cook or baker (yeah, make sure you’re one of those before proceeding to the kitchen!), make a homemade dish or dessert.
• Put together a basket of all their favorite snacks or candies.
• Invite them over for dinner and prepare a beautiful meal you can share together.
• Have them over for a coffee break. You be the barista! Whether you have an old-school coffee maker or you’re fancy with a cappuccino machine, this is a delightful way to spend time together and give your friend a treat!
• Gift a mini champagne or wine bottle along with a charming vintage wine glass. If you have quite the collection, present your bestie with one of your own or find a treasure at an antique shop. You could do the same kind of thing with a mini whiskey and teacup! (As always, please drink responsibly, dearies.)

Gifts of Time

• Visit a museum together.
• Do lunch in the park.
• Host a wine tasting at your home with an old school slumber party, too.
• Get another friend to do a besties’ photoshoot for you.
• Do a movie night and binge a bunch of classics.
• Make a craft together.
• Do a clothing swap from your closets.
• Go to a free concert, play, or poetry reading.
• Attend a book signing.
• Pet puppies at a dog adoption event.
• Visit an art festival.

Donation Gifts

If you only have a tiny bit of money, but not enough to get what you want to get and it feels super weird to hand your friend four dollars and thirty-seven cents, then donating to a cause is a perfect option!

They don’t have to know the amount, but you can drop a few bucks toward an organization that your friend loves. Then, that organization will either provide a note to let your friend know you contributed or you can make your own pretty card!

Worthy causes

• Animal shelter or rescue
• Environmental foundation
• Organizations that help children
• Community food pantry or garden
• Human rights associations
• Disaster relief
• Church, synagogue, or mosque
• Carbon offsets: Not very familiar with carbon offsetting? Read my article here.

DIY Gifts for a Special Fur Friend

• Add peanut butter or treats to a Kong toy.
• Roll up a bunch of old socks and play tug or fetch.
• Knot up old strips of fabric to make a snuffle mat. Here’s one for reference.
• Create an outfit for them out of old fabrics, clothes, and jewelry. Then, do a photoshoot. (This is more of a gift for you, though!)
• Take a walk together or play fetch in the backyard.
• Play tug with an old towel.
• Let them sit on a doggie bed and pull them across the floor like they’re riding a magic carpet.
• Make homemade treats.
• Rub their belly (probably not wise for cats).
• Use an old pillow or old linens to make an impromptu bed to snuggle on.

Cheap & Sustainable Ways to Wrap a Gift

• Scarf or tea towel
• An old picnic basket or gift basket
• Mason jars (for candies, seashells, jewelry, etc.)
• Teacup or mug
• Newspaper or magazine pages
• Greeting cards (fold into a tiny box)
• Pretty platter or dish
• Reusable Amazon gift bags
• Small purse
• Colorful tote bag
• Jute string as a ribbon with a single flower from your garden tucked into the knot
• Cloth drawstring bags that pajama pants are packaged in
• Cloth bags that sheet sets come in
• Fabric wine bottle bags
• Soft storage bins or boxes

Bestest Gift Ideas for Your Bestie

If you’ve felt inspired after reading this list of gift ideas for your bestie, then hooray! I love gifting, but I don’t love being broke, so that means I’ll probably never stop thinking of cute surprises on a budget.

Most of all, please enjoy each day you have with your bestie and remember that time spent is really the best gift of all.

What DIY gifts spoke to you? Please let me know in the comments!

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