Anyone else struggling with gift-giving for those weird species in our lives known as TEENAGERS?
I have TWO of them in my home – and I struggle with getting them gifts all year long – because for some reason they have Lambo wishes but I have a Hyundai budget.
Here are some gift ideas to help you (and your teens) have a great year without breaking the bank.
MERCH
My kids love merchandise from their favorite influencers, bands, or their favorite games.
- Here are some influencers they talk a lot about:
- Both of my kids play an app game called Among Us – it’s a game where you work with a team to find an imposter before you are “killed” off. It’s a very popular game and online you can find stuffed animals and clothing from the characters in the game.
- Merchandise gifts are typically less than $40
PERSONALIZED ITEMS
I love getting my kids something no one else has. So, I like to get things personalized. You can do this pretty inexpensively if you plan ahead. You can personalize many items with the help of a stencil or a die-cut machine like a Cricut (ask around – many ladies in our area run small businesses making personalized gifts).
- Tumbler cups
- Cell phone cases
- Wooden signs/plaques for bedroom
- Clothing, hats
- These gifts can run between $20-$40
TECH GIFTS
Our kids live in the age of all things device/technology. Anything that helps make their life “easier” with their devices will be great gifts.
- Multiple charging station – a one-stop shop for all things tech. [search: multi charging dock station]
- Earbuds (this is a gift for YOU and them)
- Charging animals – a small “critter” that helps protect your charging cords from fraying/breaking at the end [search: cable critters]
- Gaming headset/controller
- These gifts can vary in price depending on price and name brand.
SPLIT THE COSTS
Sometimes, my teens just want something that we feel is too expensive. It has been my experience that when my kids buy something with their own money — they treat it with more respect than if we just give them whatever they want.
So, if they want something with a very high value – we offer to split the cost with them.
Here’s how that looks:
- teen ask extended relatives for “cash” as gifts
- teen saves own allowance
- Parents contribute 50% of the cost of the very expensive item while teen pays the rest with their own money.
We did this with our son when he wanted a personalized, custom made surfboard. And we helped our daughter get a MacBook laptop.
SMALLER ITEMS
- $5 gift cards to their favorite fast food places
- Funky socks
- Favorite candy/munchies – this gift is the easiest and they love it
- Colorful “scrunchies” hair holders
- Wallet
- Bath bombs for the girl
- Body spray for the boy
- Small hand sanitizer bottle with a unique holder for backpacks
- These items are typically under $10 each
