Between traveling to visit family, picking up the ingredients for a latke feast or a Yule ham, and buying all those presents, the winter holiday season can be expensive. What if we told you that you could save money holiday shopping this year while supporting other female entrepreneurs? Here are our top 10 affordable holiday gifts for 2025.
A print from Lucky Horse Press
Designer and printer Michele Lee founded her business with the mission to create general happiness for all. Lucky Horse Press makes fun, funky riso prints in bright 1970s-inspired palettes – all for under $25.
“You Are The Perfect Partner” ($24.00) could work for your lover or your business partner and “Let Your Heart Be Your Guide” ($24.00) is a great reminder for almost anyone on your list.
A houseplant miracle from Southside Plants
If you’re shopping for a houseplant lover, don’t buy them another plant – buy them a tool to make their existing collection even more fabulous.
Sisters Emily and Ann Marie Montes of Southside Plants sell Crazy Keiki Cloning Paste ($16.99), their mom’s proprietary mix of plant hormones that stimulate branching and offshoots in a variety of houseplants from orchids to pothos.
A puzzle that’s not like the others from Apostrophe Puzzles
Apostrophe Puzzles owner Mandi Masden sells puzzles by living artists of color – as a Black woman, she was tired of never seeing herself or her interests represented in puzzles. Apostrophe Puzzles feature diverse, breathtaking contemporary art in styles from abstract to hyperreal.
Give Talkin’ All That Jazz ($36.00) to the Coltrane and Davis fan in your life or Island Hopping ($36.00) to the puzzler who wants to get lost in colorful abstraction.
Latte luxury from Teaspressa
Save yourself and the Starbucks drinker in your life some money with a milk frother ($30) from Teaspressa – no need to buy a latte when you can make one just as good at home!
Though Allison DeVane’s beverage venture is mainly focused on making tea cool, the milk this frother foams will work just as well for coffee and way better than that $2 IKEA milk frother languishing in the back of the recipient’s kitchen drawer.
Hard-working hand cream from O’Keeffe’s
If you’re shopping for someone who works with their hands, spends a lot of time outdoors or simply gets a bit crusty in the winter, you can’t go wrong with O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream ($8.69). Pharmacist Tara O’Keeffe dreamed up this hand cream for her diabetic dad’s dry hands.
Buy a tube as an understated stocking stuffer and watch as your giftee comes back to you in a week with silky-smooth hands, saying “Where did you learn of this sorcery?” Or, put together a gift basket with some nourishing lip balm ($6.52) and lavender night treatment cream ($8.97).
Sustainable sipping from Simply Straws
Dental hygienist Cyndi Sladics launched her glass straw company Simply Straws with an eye to sustainability and oral health. In addition to their mouth safety and reusability, we just think they’re pretty!
Give the Iridium set ($19.99) to your friend who’s all rainbows, or Cote d’Azur to a loved one whose kitchen is all pastels. The straws are dishwasher-safe and every set comes with a cleaning brush. Add the Mason Jar Straw Lid ($26.00) and a Mason jars for an eco-friendly vessel they can drink from anywhere.
Very cheap to $0 gifts for 2025
If money is really tight, you still have present options. We suggest:
- A movie night. For the cost of a bag of microwave popcorn, a box of candy, and a visit to your library’s DVD section for their favorite movie, you can make someone’s night extra special. If you don’t have a DVD player, try Hoopla, Kanopy, or Archive.org for free library-supported movie streaming.
- Babysitting. If your gift recipient has kids, a night of free time might be worth more to them than the fanciest present you can imagine.
- A skill share. Are you great at organizing closets, hair braiding, car repair or graphic design? A hand-drawn “ticket” for your services is a fun way to offer your own services as a gift.
- A nature adventure. Many parks and hiking trails are free, and local libraries often have discounted or free passes to ones that cost money. If your giftee loves the outdoors, take them on a trip to a pretty spot nearby.
It’s possible to make Hanukkah or Diwali happy, Christmas merry or Kwanzaa joyous, even on a tight budget. We hope you find the perfect affordable gift for everyone on your list…preferably on sale.
Looking for even more affordable holiday gifts? Here are more creative gifts under $30 to help you find the perfect match.
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