Do you have a few hard-to-buy-for people on your list this year? You know… the ones who have everything, need nothing, and say “don’t get me anything” but you know you need to get them something.
Yeah, I thought so!
Thankfully, I have a short list of simple gift ideas I pull from whenever I’m unsure what to give to someone who has everything.
If you’re struggling with a few gifts yet, pull some ideas from my list below (and please share your gift ideas in the comments.)
1. Food
Assuming the person does not have food allergies, food can be a great gift option for those hard-to-buy-for people on your list.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking (there are hundreds more though!)
- Homemade bread (whole grain or quick bread)
- Bars, fudge, or truffles in a cute gift box
- Christmas cookies
- A dry brownie or cookie mix (with instructions to make the goodies)
- Home-canned jams, tomatoes, applesauce, etc.
- Homemade hot chocolate mix
- Cone bags filled with popcorn, candy, or trailmix (here are some exampes)
- Homemade (or storebought) cheesecake — or another cake or pie they really enjoy
- Gourmet coffee or tea (skip the mug!)
- A bar of nice chocolate with a homemade wrapper (look up ideas on Pinterest)
- A big bucket of all their favorite snacks, candies, and treats (great for kids!)
- A homemade meal (contact them ahead of time to arrange this)
- Fancy meats, cheeses, and crackers
- A favorite wine, craft beer, or other favorite beverage (our kids love getting Gatorade)
- A “fruit bouquet” — like something from Edible Arrangements (or try making your own).
NOTE: You could pair your homemade goodies with a gift card to their favorite restaurant or grocery store to increase the value.
The important thing with giving food gifts is that you actually think about what types of food your recipient enjoys. Don’t just throw some leftovers from your freezer or pantry together at the last minute.
2. Cleaning & Personal Care Products
I often use this option if I know the person well enough and think they would be happy to receive cleaning products or personal care products.
Not only are these types of gifts non-perishable (so I can prepare them in advance) and consumable (not cluttery), they can also be tailored to fit almost any preference and budget.
Here are a few examples I’ve used recently:
A few years ago, I gave the women on my list a container of Method dish soap and a fun bamboo kitchen scrubber. It was a cute set, it was fairly frugal to put together, and since many of the recipients were newlyweds and new homeowners, it was also extremely useful and practical.
I love gifting a clothes basket filled with cleaning supplies and household staples for wedding shower gifts (see examples in this post).
I also regularly gift bars of Bend soap with a gift card on the back (they are the PERFECT size to “hide” a gift card!
If I know a friend, relative, or teacher really likes a particular scent, brand, or product, I’ll keep an eye out for good deals throughout the year and stock up so I can throw together a quick, yet thoughtful gift any time of the year.
3. Photo Gifts
Mugs, bags, t-shirts, mousepads, wood, metal, plastic, paper — you name it, you can probably get a photo printed on it and gift it to that special someone who needs absolutely nothing but would love another cute photo of your kids, your pets, or even a beautiful sunset.
We often give photo calendars or magnets to grandparents and great-grandparents. Photo ornaments are also a fun idea and they can be packed away with the Christmas decorations.
Of course, some of these require a bit of computer knowledge and a week or so of advance notice to get them printed and shipped, but they are one-of-a-kind!
You might also consider doing something like Storyworth with a close friend or relative, or giving a faraway relative a digital picture frame like Skylight, so you can regularly upload more pictures from afar.
And of course, you know I love digital photo book gifts!
4. A Subscription
From a clutter-free standpoint, I’m a big fan of subscriptions (especially digital subscriptions like Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, Netflix, etc.)
Magazines and newspapers are good too (our kids love these) and also things like a membership to the local zoo, a trampoline park, a theater, a sports team, or even Costco.
You could also gift a subscription to a Bible reading program (like She Reads Truth or the Dwell App), a photo editing program (like PicMonkey), a fitness program (like Every Mother), a food-of-the-month club, a membership to a nail polish club, or even a Craft club!
There are hundreds of subscription and membership-type gifts that are SO simple to sign up for and a really great gift option for people who already have everything.
5. A hand-written note.
Our kids enjoy making cards and pictures for many elderly people in our life — we mail them out regularly, and more often than not, the kids get another letter or a phone call from the recipient!
I’m confident most adults (and even college students) would appreciate this simple gift idea… you could even pair your letter with custom stationery or a cute pack of note cards.
Here are a few prompts if you’re not sure what to write about:
- something you appreciate about the other person
- a few reasons you are thankful for them in your life
- a memorable event or fun story from your shared past
- something you look forward to doing with this person the next time you’re together
- a few of your favorite things about this person
- a story of how they have impacted your life (possibly even without knowing it).
With a little bit of thought, I’m confident you can come up with a fantastic gift for all the hard-to-buy-for people on your list.
Still looking for MORE gift ideas? Try some of these clutter-free gifts for all ages and all budgets.
What are YOUR favorite simple gift ideas for the people who already have everything?
Stephanie borgeson says
These are some really nice ideas. We enjoy making cookies and gifting them to people in our lives that are special! I think we might try some of those fudge recipes this year!
Dorinda Miller says
Thanks so much for all your ideas and sharing them. I really enjoy your blog! Merry Christmas!
Jen says
Love your thank you notes…can you please share a link if you got them online?
Andrea says
I just “designed” them myself and printed them from Vistaprint.com as “postcards” they were VERY frugal!
Jen says
Ah…such a great idea! Thanks!
Julie says
We (husband and myself) are not gift givers to one another. We never found the need to give to one another on “special occasions”. We are intentional with our time together and simply enjoy doing stuff together. We will usually buy when we need/want something rather than fretting over giving the “perfect gift” for whatever occasion arises. He comes from a large family and I a broken family. We always found that homemade gifts or photo gifts worked best for our parents/grandparents. For our kids, they received a few needed and a few wanted gifts from us. Once they became adults they receive a couple gift (usually gift cards). For our grandkids/nieces & nephews we do PJ’s as well as a trip (Great Wolf Lodge) or experience. We are attempting to do just a big family trip for each of the 3 family groups vs more gifting junk.
Andrea says
Dave and I also don’t buy gifts for each other — we never have.
Now the kids want to see us giving each other gifts for Christmas and birthdays, so we just buy something we want and give it to the other person to wrap so the kids feel good about the situation! They feel sad if we don’t get gifts — LOL!
Also, we LOVE the idea of a small trip/experience gift versus lots of junk toys, etc. great job grandma!
Brandi M Camp says
Great ideas! I love the ideaoif giving useful items.
L says
Thanks for the ideas, I needed some for family that I want quite sure what to get!
S says
These are all gifts I’d love to receive but when it comes to giving them for some reason I hesitate! Time to work on that double standard 🙂 Great ideas!
Andrea says
people love them! I promise!
Linda Sewell says
Such great suggestions Andrea. I love your blog even though I am in a completely different stage of life (mid 60’s). You do a great service by reminding us that life can be great with less. Less of Everything! My kids know that I don’t want gifts but if they feel so inclined I want to be able to eat it, drink it, use it up somehow, or fit it on a tiny shelf. Little do they know I am doing them a favor by not collecting mass amounts of things that they will likely have to help clean out someday. Keep up the great work and I know you and your lovely family will have a peaceful holiday season.
Andrea says
yes, you’re so right — you’re doing them a favor by not collecting lots of stuff that you don’t really need. Enjoy those food and drink gifts!
Katie Hassevoort says
Love your gift ideas! I’ve been gifting the bend soap company products since I seen you had them on your blog last year!
Mary says
Great ideas! It’s fun to share some more unique gifts with those who might not try them on their own.
Rebecca C says
Your comment “not to just throw leftovers from your pantry” made me laugh! These are great gift ideas. Merry Christmas!
Amy B says
My in laws love photo gifts of the grandkids! We also got them travel items this year as they are retiring and go on lots of mission trips!
Elaine says
Great ideas! I always want simple, yet practical ideas for gifts for friends and family and these are great! Especially the photo gift ideas! Will be using several of these.
JoAnn C. says
One gift I know is important is the gift of time. When my mom was still here, she looked forward to a weekly call from my brother, who lives in California. He couldn’t make it to Michigan as often as she would have liked, but those Sunday calls meant the world to her. I would fix her a cup of tea, and they would talk for an hour or so. A simple ten-minute call to a senior or other loved ones in your life could mean the world to them.
Happy birthday to Dave and Nora!
Andrea says
yes, I never call people anymore — this is a good reminder! I’ll pass your birthday wishes along to our two special birthday people!!
Tara Koole says
Love these ideas for hard to buy for people. I think they will remember these gifts longer than a store bought gift.
Susie says
All of these are great ideas. I need nothing, and would love to receive anything off your list. I appreciate your ideas to simplify life, a great goal for 2022. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to your sweet family.
Janice says
Wonderful ideas! I will use some of these this Christmas season!
Reva says
For the hard to buy for teen, I gift movie gift card and include a tin of popcorn or a box of microwave popcorn. Something to open and something to do on their own.
Karyn says
Great ideas!! My daughter and I are making small stockings this year for the girls at church. Because they’re small, we only have a little room to fill. A few special treats should do the trick. For the boys we usually make big sugar cookies and decorate them.
Andrea says
love this — and yes big cookies for the boys are sure to be a hit!
Christie says
These are great ideas for so many on our list! Thank you for sharing!
Colleen says
Happy Holidays to your family! Thanks for all you do!
Jen says
Thanks for the ideas! I love to give and receive practical consumable gifts.
PS) I also use Bend Soap products now, thanks to your recommendation. I just placed my third or fourth order when they had their 25% off Black Friday sale.
Andrea says
yay — I’m thrilled you’ve enjoyed the Bend Soap products!
Brenda H says
Great ideas! Thank you
Bianca says
Love these practical gift ideas. Know I know what to gift my Mother-in-Law!
Becky J says
Thanks for the great ideas…yes, I love getting practical gifts and mixing a little antique item with something new and top with a gift card for the receiver of the gift to use in the future…Merry Christmas!
Melissa says
Thanks for sharing these ideas. The basket of cleaning supplies is a great idea for newlyweds.
Andrea says
oh I love doing this too — practical + antique + gift card!
Casey says
Yes! These are my go-tos for gifts as well. It’s usually food–I love that when I give an edible gift I know that it’s not creating clutter or guilt in the receiver’s life. They can simply enjoy it and then it’s gone. The best!
Nancy says
Parents, once down-sized their home, are super hard to shop for! We’ve tried these all as gifts. Solid list. Also, experience gifts (eat in an igloo, go to a show)
Andrea says
yay — glad to know my ideas work for all ages! Thanks for sharing… also, “eat in an igloo” is definitely a new one for me! I might have to look that up to see if there are any of these in my area! LOL!
Cathy says
Great ideas! I’ve loved giving subscriptions recently. I got a monthly book one and an art/craft box one for my daughter last year and Storyworth for my mom last year.
Robyn Norbeck says
Pick me!!!
Great gift ideas!
Shelley says
Hi, love all these ideas!! Something that we started doing a few years ago for my husband’s parents was getting some “nice cuts of meat” from a local butcher-you know, the stuff that you simply wouldn’t buy for yourself.
Andrea says
yes, we’ve done this too — and then the family invited us over for a meal! Score!
Connie says
Picked up some great ideas I hadn’t thought of! My Sunday school class is making Christmas stocking for our shut-in members. When I volunteered to make homemade cookies the organizers eyes popped open in delight. I think a lot if people don’t have or take the time to make homemade treats.
Andrea says
homemade food is ALWAYS a winner — except for kids with allergies, but I’m in favor of homemade food 🙂
Rebecca says
This is a great list! I’ve given photo calendars and homemade biscotti for several years. The grandparents look forward to it.
Andrea says
My seasonal “staple” is fudge — everyone loves my fudge (and it’s SOOOOOOOO easy!)
Kaethe says
Great ideas! I love the reminder that a handwritten note is always appreciated. It’s my go-to for teacher gifts, along with a small treat or a consumable gift like hand soap from Bath and Body Works
Jennifer B says
Thanks for the ideas!! Your life w your family seems a lot like ours, a hike for a birthday celebration, wrapping gifts with standard paper…four kids!
Andrea says
you’re welcome — and yes, we sound like we have very similar families (lucky us!)
Ci says
What a great list of gift ideas! I plan to use a couple this year.
Kara Urschalitz says
Great gift ideas! Thank you
Yvonne Wilson says
Great ideas! So much better than just stuff that won’t get used. Thanks, Andrea!
Andrea says
you’re welcome — and win-win for clutter-free gifts!
Mary Madden says
I love these ideas! I really like the method dish soap with a sponge. Such a cute idea! Thanks!
Lisa says
I’m so glad that you mentioned a hand-written note. We’ve had a couple relatives say that they don’t need or want anything, but that they would love my kids to make them a drawing. 🙂
Andrea says
oh yes — it’s even better when the letters come from little kids!
Toni Burton says
I love the ideas. I’ve been saying for years I want to start doing annual photo albums. I need to just bite the bullet and start doing it!
Andrea says
just start with 2021 and don’t worry about all the years prior. Once you get in your groove and figure out how you like to make your albums, you can decide if you want to go back and do previous years — but don’t overwhelm yourself trying to start from the beginning!
Allison Christians says
Great ideas Andrea! I recently came
Across this idea from uncommon goods—a monthly subscription for history lovers! Every month they receive a historical document with information explaining its significance.
Ann Warren says
Thank you for great ideas. We’ve done the photo books since we retired now 7 years. We also receive the photo calendar every year as a gift. We have had to look back on these books and calendars to remember what year things happened. Great to give and receive.
Andrea says
so cool!