The Affordable Guide : Unique Christmas Gift Ideas for Young Men
Christmas is fast approaching and if you are thinking of unique gift ideas for men to treat the friends and family in your life, we’re here to help you do so on a student-friendly budget. The days of gifts for men only being a gift set, or some DIY tools have long gone. There are some wonderful, exciting, and interesting gift ideas out there for young men this Christmas, from posters, coasters and even eco-friendly Christmas gifts.
Plan and budget well
Before you get started with your Christmas shopping it is important to think about your budget. Student budgets can be tight all year round, and as much as you want to buy your friends and family the most amazing gifts, you might not have the spare cash to get them the most expensive items on their wish list.
Make a list of gift ideas, with potential prices and maybe student discounts that you have seen from various retailers. Also, make a list of every person you want to buy a gift for and think about how many people you can realistically afford to buy gifts for without it causing financial problems (as there is no benefit to over-stretching your finances to put yourself in debt when buying Christmas presents).
Secret Santa?
One way of keeping costs down this Christmas, and having fun at the same time, is to have a Secret Santa with a group of friends. That way, you can buy affordable, fun little gifts that don’t cost a lot of money. Secret Santa works in a way that everyone picks a name out of a hat (a Santa hat if you have one) to decide which person they are buying a gift for, and there is a limit on how much you can spend (this could be as little as a fiver, or around £10 in most cases).
Unique gift ideas for men
Every man is different, and there is a whole world of potential gifts to meet the needs of every type of person and to suit your student budget if you are looking to keep costs down this year when buying Christmas presents for friends. Here are a few examples of budget-friendly, interesting gifts.
1. Film posters
A typical student bedroom has film and music posters on the walls, and if you have spoken to a movie-mad friend and know what their favourite film is, a decent movie poster (with optional budget-friendly frame) is a nice way to show them that you listen to them and care about their interests.
You can get some great movie posters for under a tenner. Whether it’s a poster for Jurassic Park, The Godfather Part II, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or any other movie that they like , a poster for a friend who loves cinema will be a sure-fire hit this Christmas.
A movie bucket list poster is another good idea, with a top 100 ‘Horror’, ‘Greatest Movies of All Time’ or other type of movie theme list to work through!
2. A coaster that’s personal to them
Have you got a friend who’s always drinking a cup of coffee or a mug of tea whenever you’re with them? Help them prevent those coffee stains on the bedside table with a personalised coaster.
There are different ways to go about this, either use stores like Etsy or one of the print-on-demand e-commerce websites to type a message on a coaster (it could be an in-joke between you and your friend) or choose a personalised photo, where there could be a group photo of your friends together and you can then get it printed onto a coaster at various outlets for a cheap price.
3. A reusable cup
If you’re thinking of going down the coaster route it will be because your friend is a big coffee or tea drinker. A reusable coffee cup is a fantastic way to treat your friend, whilst it is also an eco-friendly gift at a time when we should all be doing more for the environment.
There is more benefit to buying a coffee cup than just that though, in some coffee shop chains you’ll get a discount for going in with your own cup, so your friend will be grateful for that too! Helping them to save money with their daily cuppa.
4. A giant stress ball
Life and university might be stressful with all the course deadlines, revision to get through, and just all the normal stresses of living away from home and daily life, so why not give your friend the gift of a giant stress ball?
It’s the best way to relieve some stress, taking a big squeeze of the stress ball, squishing it hard to their heart’s content , rather than punching down on the desk in frustration. Your friend who always gets that little bit tense and stressed will definitely thank you for the stress ball.
5. Touchscreen gloves
Now these might be more suitable for those of you living in Northern universities where the winters are cold and dark. If you have a friend who loves to take selfies all year round but is always wearing gloves because of the cold , touchscreen gloves could be the perfect, unique, Christmas gift.
They are gloves that can work when touching a phone screen, so there is no need to keep taking one glove off to scroll on the phone or to take that quick photo when out for a walk. They are available to purchase on many different online stores, including the big online retailers.
We hope that this guide to unique gift ideas for men has given you some food for thought. There are some incredible gifts that you can by on a budget, and if you are careful with how you plan your Christmas shopping for your male friends, you can gift some fantastic things that they will cherish, without it breaking the bank. Let us know what your favourite Christmas gift ideas are and what you are planning on buying for your friends and family this year.