$50 and Under Ultimate Gift Guide
Is there anything better than getting the perfect gift for someone? But if you’re like me, it can be stressful to think of an intentional gift each year! This is my simple, no-fuss, intentional gift guide for this year.
For some items on this gift guide, we may receive a small commission when readers purchase items through our links at no extra cost to them.
Gift Guide For Kids
There’s not better place to start off a gift guide than with ideas for the kiddos in our lives! We typically go very simple as far as gifts for our kiddos at Christmas. Most years we follow the, “something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need” format. We have also spread out our kids’ gifts over the week leading up to Christmas so they get to enjoy one thing at a time. It also helps cut down on meltdowns from being overstimulated by a bunch of gifts at once.
I also love the idea of gifting experiences to your kids. Last year, we gave them coupons for special one-on-one dates with mom or dad, including time spent swimming at the YMCA. When you’re in a family with 4 kids, that time with mom and dad is equally precious as a gift! But I know many of you will at least buy one gift for your kids or other kiddos in your life, so I wanted to give you some ideas. We have a child whose love language is gifts, so while I love the idea of experiences, some of our kiddos DO feel most loved by some form of gift. Here is the kids portion of our gift guide (from gifts for younger kids to older kids):
1. Bear Books
These give me some serious nostalgia from childhood and my 3 year old LOVES them! We have this one and this one. I’m planning to snag this one for her this year for Christmas. I also like the Christmas one!
2. Bible
I could do a whole post on Bibles for kids, but I’ll give our 3 favorites. We love this one and this one for toddlers and preschoolers. For elementary aged kids, I recommend this one! I’ve heard great things about Kaleidoscope Bibles for preteens and teens and plan to snag one of those within the next year for our oldest kiddos.
3. Inchbug Labels
We get compliments all of the time on these labels for our kids’ water bottles. My friend told me about these. I’m actually going to order a few more for our youngest kiddo this year!
4. Slippers
My kiddos love soft and cozy items, so slippers are something they ask for every year. We’ve gotten these ones for toddlers and these ones for the toddler/preschool age.
5. Crafts
I have a daughter who LOVES all things crafts! We love these foil crafts and sticker by number crafts. She also loved these Bible verse coloring books.
6. Origami Books
I didn’t expect I’d have a kiddo who is obsessed with origami (thanks to a few classmates who didn’t grow up in the US!). We have this book by Melissa and Doug, as well as this larger book. It’s a great idea for quiet time or a calming activity.
7. The Chronicles of Narnia Book Set
If you’re my local friend, you know we’ve been reading the Chronicles of Narnia with our 7 year old this year. I promise you won’t regret getting this gift set. It has been such a sweet thing for our family to read together! Then once we finish a book, we have a family movie night. We get to talk about how we see Biblical themes in each of the stories. Highly recommend!
8. Magnetic Tiles
All of our kids play with these magnetic tiles every week (and some even daily!). I learned a fun trip that you can stick them on your garage door for outdoor play as well, which is so fun!
9. Creative Clay For Kids
Katie is a Mama from North Carolina who designed these sensory clay kits for kids to teach them the Bible. The content is fantastic and it’s a great way to keep your kids engaged with learning God’s Word. You can used code Jen10 for 10% off!
10. Sand Art
My kids got a sand art kit as a favor at a birthday party and it brought back memories of doing sand art as a child. They LOVED this activity.
11. Whitin Shoes
Have you hopped on the wide toebox shoe trend yet? Our 3 oldest kiddos each have a pair of these and they will thank us later when they don’t have foot and toe problems in the future from wearing shoes that are too narrow! (My PT heart approves of these shoes :))
12. Unicorn Jewelry Box:
We got this jewelry box for a friend’s birthday party and her mom said she loves it!
13. Robe:
I don’t know how my oldest kiddos got obsessed with robes (I think it’s a sensory thing for him) but we got this one this past year and he wears it all of the time. Can’t go wrong with a cozy clothing item!
14. Light Sabers
Our kids play with these light sabers all of the time (we’re Star Wars people over here!), and they’ve also doubled as the perfect Halloween accessory. The quality is really great on these and they’re so fun to play with.
15. Roller Skates/Blades
If you’re looking to teach your kiddos a new skill, we got these roller skates for our daughter and these roller blades for our son. They love trying to balance with them, just make sure you wear a helmet and other protective gear!
16. Scooters
Our kids have literally rode their scooters to pieces (they’re in need of new ones this year!). These 3 wheeled ones are perfect for younger kids and this 2 wheeled one is great for older kiddos.
17. Snow Gloves
We got these last year and the quality is fantastic! These are waterproof and great for sled riding or playing in the snow.
18. Soft Touch Volleyball
This is the best volleyball to start kiddos with when they’re learning to play. It’s lighter and softer, which is especially nice for practicing passing!
If you’re looking for more of our favorite kids books, check out this article I wrote!
For Men
This is always the most challenging section of a gift guide to put together. Guys can be the hardest people to shop for! I’m hoping this part of the gift guide gives you a few ideas for how to shop for the guys in your life.
1. Blue Light Blockers
If you have someone in your life who does work on the computer or is watching screens in the evening, these glasses are a great gift idea to help with better sleep.
2. The Intentional Father Book
I recommend this book to every family I know. I love Pastor Jon Tyson, so I read through it and was inspired to disciple my kiddos in a deeper and more intentional way!
3. Fighting Shadows: Overcoming 7 Lies That Keep Men From Becoming Fully Alive Book
This is Jon Tyson’s newest book talking about the most common pitfalls men experience in our current day and age. It would be a great book for guys to read together or in a small group setting.
4. Desk Calendar
We get this calendar for my husband every year. It’s a sentimental and personal gift that he looks forward to every year! He keeps it at his desk at work.
5. Back Scratcher
I have several kids (and a husband) who are addicted to back scratches. This back scratcher would make a great stocking stuffer!
6. Slides
I have the women’s version of these Under Armor slides and I wear them daily. They’re a great gift for guys!
7. ESV Study Bible
If you have a guy (or gal) who loves to deeply study the Bible, this Bible would make a great gift for them! It’s the Bible I’m using right now and I love the commentary in it.
8. Rice Cooker
If you ever eat rice, you need this rice cooker in your life. My husband got me hooked on them and we use ours all of the time!
9. Whitin Shoes
My husband (and I think all of his co-workers!) have these wide toe-box shoes. They’re a fantastic price for a solid shoe.
11. Multi-Charger
My friend saw this multi-charger at our house and said she needed to get one, too! It’s great for all the electronics in our house that need charged. From phones, to baby monitors, watches, and ear buds.
12. Stainless Steel Shaker Bottle
We have 2 of these and we use them daily! It’s nice to have a non-plastic option for a cup you use all of the time.
13. Car Charger Holder
I don’t know what I would do without this car phone charger. That’s all I have to say haha
14. Leather Journal
If you’re looking for a nice gift for your husband, this journal is great. It’s such good quality and it’s something you could pass on as an heirloom one day.
For Women
This was the the most fun section of this gift guide to write because I basically got to talk about all of the things I love or the things on my wish list 🙂 There are a lot of great, low-price options in this section of the gift guide to put on your own Christmas list or to help you shop for the ladies in your life. I also included an above $50 section at the end, but I truly think those items are worth it!
1. Joggers
My favorite joggers that I wear weekly! I have the olive green pair and am debating about getting the black vs. burgundy pair. There are tons of color options, just make sure to SIZE UP 1 size!
2. Owala Water Bottle
This is the water bottle everyone is raving about these days. They’re cute, stainless steel, and have a ton of cute color options!
3. Notebooks
Can you go wrong with a great notebook? There’s nothing better for me than getting a new journal! This one is a great price for a 5x8ish choice or if you like a slightly larger journal, this one would be great.
4. Pens
I like these fine point pens that my mother-in-law introduced me to and these pens for journaling and writing. I also have these ones and use them all the time!
5. Highlighters
These are my favorite highlighters to use for Bible Study!
6. Facial Kit
Put together an easy facial kit with a charcoal bar of soap, facial scrubber, eye mask, and facial mask for a simple gift.
7. French Press (and other things for coffee drinkers)
We LOVE a good french press in the morning. This one is a great option or the larger size like we own if you are regularly making coffee for a group. We also have the ninja coffee bar that was gifted to us by a friend. I also recommend a good frother to mix in collagen and protein into coffee or to make lattes.
8. Slippers
Everyone is buying Ugg slippers like these ones for indoors or these ones that can be worn inside or outside (reviews say size up!) Truly these off brand slippers have great reviews and look cozy, too! (The Uggs are over $50, but the off brand ones are under!)
9. Jen Wilkin Study
I have the Revelation study on my list, but there are so many great options! She also has several great books including this one and this one that would make a great gift.
10. Cross Body Bag
I use this bag all the time! I also love this one for a bit dressier vibe that my mom and sister have. (It’s going on my Christmas list!)
11. Crockpot
Put this on here because ours needs replaced. I may have put it on a hot burner and it singed the cord. I would get this same one next time!
12. Pen and Highlighter Case
I got this bag to store my daughter’s markers in, but you could use it for a small travel makeup bag or a variety of other things. Great quality and cute color options!
Ok, ok these ones aren’t $50 and under, but I couldn’t resist putting them on the gift guide! In my opinion, they’re worth it. Don’t sue me for false advertising just yet…
13. Hair Dryer Brush
My hairdresser recommended this hair dryer brush to me and I’m hooked on it now. It’s a low-fuss options to smooth out and dry your hair while giving it a little extra volume. Way cheaper than the brands recommended on social media.
14. Air Fryer
I swore I didn’t need an air fryer, then we got this one gifted to us and we use it all the time!
15. Roomba
This was another thing I thought I didn’t need, and now I’m a believer. We love our robotic vacuum. It cuts down our nightly clean-up routine down so much.
16. Wet Dry Mop
This is another thing on my wish list! This mop is recommended by several people I know.
For Readers
It was really difficult to choose a few of my favorite books from the last few years. But I love reading so much it wouldn’t make sense to make a gift guide without a section for some books that I love! I’m sure I’m missing some, but here are a few that came to mind.
1. Atomic Habits by James Cleer
This is just a solid book to read and have on your bookshelf. So many practical tips for life, building habits, and making changes in your day to day.
2. Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World by Tom and Joann Doyle
If you want an incredibly inspiring book that you will devour, this is it! Amazing stories from missionaries of women in the Middle East.
3. The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
For the history buffs, I love this book. You’ll fly through it. Another great book for history lovers is the story of Corrie Ten Boom. I’ve also got Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s biography on my to-read list. I love reading biographies and memoirs! His book, The Cost of Discipleship, is a must-read for all Christians in my opinion.
4. To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers and Liturgies for Parents by Kayla Craig
I’ve gotten this devotional for two Mamas now after having babies. It makes a great gift, but also has beautiful prayers and liturgies that you’ll reference again and again.
5. Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers, and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family throughout the Year by Kayla Craig
This book is by the same author listed above and I’m planning to get it soon (If not before this article comes out). A friend told me about some of the discussion questions and it sold me!)
6. Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer by Tyler Staton
One of my favorite books on prayer that I’ve read lately. I have thought about things in this book constantly since I read it. I also love this book on prayer.
7. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright
Totally changed how I think about heaven, what happens when we die, and what happens when Jesus comes back. It’s not a light read, but well worth it. He’s one of my favorite theologians!
8. Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Early
I really like Justin as his perspective as a former missionary and current lawyer are so unique. He’s been super inspiring to me and his other book is also a great one!
I hope this gift guide will be helpful to you as you do your holiday shopping this year (or shopping anytime throughout the year!) If you have a great gift idea that I missed, you can leave it in the comments below. My friend Lana also has a video with some simple gift ideas that’s helpful if you’re looking for more ideas. Thanks for checking out our gift guide this year!
