Sometimes, times get tough and as much as we’d like to shower the ones we love with material gifts, we can’t.
That doesn’t mean you can’t show them that you care though. Here’s some free and thoughtful gift ideas that you could give, instead of stealing from our local store.
Give the gift of time
Time is a precious commodity and nothing says ‘I care’ more than gifting some of it to those that mean a lot.
Whether it’s taking their dog out for a walk when they’ve had a busy day, babysitting so they can have an evening off, or a simple visit to show them that you care, time is something none of us ever seem to have enough of. Giving a friend a little of yours will always be appreciated.
If you want to get creative you could even make an ‘I owe you’ voucher, redeemable for whatever you feel best fits.
Do something nice on their behalf
If there’s nothing that you can think of to help your friends out in their own time, why not spend some of yours doing something nice on their behalf?
From volunteering at a shelter, to planting trees with a charity, or helping clean up their local beach, you can let your friend know that you helped make something nice happen in their name.
If you’re able, you could even take some photos to prove it.
Grow something
A gift you’ve grown yourself is one that can’t be bought from any store.
If you’re savvy there’s lots of ways to get seeds for free, including: signing up for seed catalogues, visiting a seed library, seed exchange events, free off-season seed bins at garden centres and free seed packets from websites running save the bee promotions. Sometimes you can find seeds for free on social media too, or try collecting them from your own, a friends or a communal garden.
Some good choices include:
- Sunflowers.
- Chili plants and other vegetables.
- Propagated succulents.
Have fun with it, decorate the pot or give the plant a funny name. Remember, it’s not just a wilted stick, it’s ‘Tree Diddy’, ‘Plant Armstrong’ or ‘S Shrub 7’.
Collect some mementos
It’s the memories we make with our friends that are often treasured the most, so why not try to help them hold onto the good times.
Whether it’s a picture of a fun experience you’ve had together, a collage of bits and pieces to remind them of good times gone (and those yet to come!), or a time capsule in a shoebox for them to re-discover in the future, a thoughtful memento can be a great way to remind a friend of what they mean to you.
Some easy things to collect include:
- Photos of a time you spent together.
- Corks or bottle tops from a drink you shared.
- A receipt or napkin from somewhere you went on a night out.
- Tickets, wristbands or marketing material from an event you enjoyed.
- Some (non-living) bits a pieces from a walk you went on.
Just make sure that you’re okay to take them.
Plan a day of fun
It’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s a lot of fun that can he had for free too, so why not plan a day of it for you and your friend.
- You could go for a walk or visit the beach
- Take them on a trip to a free gallery or museum
- Challenge them to a board game night or a quiz you’ve created
- Plan a night in watching your favourite films
There’s loads of places, attractions and home activities that you can do for nothing other than the time it takes. If you want to get creative, make them a ticket for your eventful day.
Cook for them
Everyone likes to have food made for them, so why not take on the role of cook.If you really can’t afford it, you could turn it into a challenge by telling your friend that you’ll attempt to cook anything they want, so long as they provide the ingredients.
If it turns out bad at least it’ll be a laugh. Alternatively, you could sit down together and plan a meal to cook together.
Get crafty
If you’re feeling creative you could try and make something to give as a gift.Whether it’s a simple thank you card, a bird box made from recycled wood, your best attempt at a Bob Ross painting tutorial, or an epic monument to your long lasting friendship made out of egg boxes and milk cartons, it’s up to you.
You never know, it could lead to some interesting (or funny) creations, so don’t be afraid to go wild.
Remember the context
We know that to some people a lot of these ideas might seem a little bit lame. But, with most things - it’s the people you do it with (or for) that makes it fun - not the activity itself. What’s the worst that can happen?At the very least you’ll be able to laugh about the time your tried and failed to make beeramisu, about when you went to the railway and mining museum and then it rained all day, about the god-awful friendship statue you made out of lollipop sticks, or the poor, decrepit tomato plant you grew with your own bare hands and gifted to your friend, just before it died.
So, next time you find yourself thinking ‘nobody will notice if I just take it’ (we will notice by the way)... stop, and remember that a thoughtful gift is worth much more an expensive one.
Your real friends will appreciate the effort and they’ll understand that sometimes life’s a bit difficult when you’re hard up too. They’re not your friends because of the fun shaped mugs and pop culture merchandise you buy them, they’re your friends because they like spending time with you.
When things are looking up and you can afford to shower your mates with fun shaped mugs, quirky home decor and pop culture merchandise, we’ll be here for you at Happy Piranha.
p.s... We know that most of your reading this don’t fall into the category of thief and instead fall into category of lovely customer, but we hope these ideas might inspire a gift idea all the same.