Frugal Christmas - gifts under £20 for the whole family

by Chiara Cavaglieri on 01 December 2011  |  5 comments
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Starting the search for the perfect Christmas gifts that won’t make a big dent in your wallet? We’ve rounded up the best budget buys for all the family...

For Mum

Under £20

For me, the best Christmas presents are the ones that are either really thoughtful, or a bit of a treat. So, although there are plenty of cheap (and let’s face it, boring) scarves and gloves out there, she would much prefer something a bit special. Don’t let that stop you getting a good deal though – right now this faux fur tippet is half-price at Accessorize, now £10, and these lovely plain leather gloves with buttons have £5 off, now £15, or pay £2 more for these leather gloves with a pretty bow.

Under £10

This little Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Mini 60 Second Fix Kit would be a lovely treat for any hardworking mum (pretty much covers all mums then!). It contains two travel-sized hand-care products Hand Recovery (cleanses, exfoliates, and moisturises) and the intensive Hand Therapy hand cream. Buy it on Amazon for only £7 with free delivery.

For Dad

Under £20

You can keep your Dad busy (and out from under your mums' feet) over the holidays with a DVD box set. You can currently pre-order the fantastic Sir David Attenborough series Frozen Planet at ChoicesUK for only £17.99 (RRP £30.63). It is released on 8th December so you’ll have plenty of time to wrap it up!

Under £10

Help him look his best (well his ears and nose anyway!) with the Sassoon for Men Hygiene Trimmer T4000 – it has a Nano Silver Technology blade with anti-bacterial action to trim away unwanted hair hygienically. More importantly for your Dad, it removes hair without pulling by using rotary blades. There are only a few left in stock on Amazon but if you get in quick it’s yours for only £9.97.

For your big brother

Under £20

If your big bro is permanently attached to his mobile, get him a cool case for Christmas. New this year, you can buy the colourful (and scented!) Jelly Belly iPhone (4 and 4S) and Blackberry (8520 and 9300) cases.

You can buy iPhone cases from The Carphone Warehouse where they cost £17.99, while the Blackberry 8520/9300 covers are only £14.99 in Amazon, though there is a one-three month delivery time so pick one up in an O2 high street store, Fenwicks in Brent Cross, or Bentalls in Kingston instead.

Under £10

This Cyber Clean may look like a silly novelty gift but it is actually very useful. It’s made from special putty so you can just push it into the surface of your computer keyboard (also printer, iPod, camera) then peel it up to remove any dirt from all those nooks and crannies. I found it cheapest at Find-me-a-gift where it is currently on sale at £5.99.

For your big sister

Under £20

If you’re buying your sis make-up this Christmas steer clear of the naff sets that only come out at this time of year. Some seem like good value because they only cost a few quid, but they are usually full of tat and she’ll end up chucking it to the back of a drawer. Instead, buy individual items from her favourite brand (ask your mum!) and put them in a pretty gift bag (M&S has some nice ones this year starting from £1.50) to jazz it up.

Nail varnishes are a good start, try eBay for China Glaze bargains and there are some cheaper Models Own items on Asos such as this Smash Up polish for £3.50 (RRP £6). Feel Unique is a good bet too – today you can save an extra 10% on all Bare Minerals Face.

Under £10

Jewellery trees are a lovely gift and there are lots to choose from, but prices can range from under a tenner to well over £30 so pick carefully and if you’re buying online do check the size first. I had a look around and found this small silver jewellery tree from Paperchase which only costs £8.75 and is also available in black and berry.

For the little’uns

Under £20

Games and toys for kids can be eye-wateringly expensive so keep an eye out for any half-price offers and snap them up quickly. On Tesco Direct right now you can buy this Hello Kitty Scooter or Disney Cars Scooter for only £15 (RRP £30) and this Zhu Zhu Veterinarian Playset for only £11.46 (RRP £22.97).

Under £10

If you’ve already succumbed to the pressure of getting your kids a games console, a game for Christmas is a no-brainer. But there can be a huge price difference when comparing the high street to online retailers, so use a comparison site such as www.find-game.co.uk first. There are plenty of older games that are heavily reduced so you can pick up some bargains such as Disney Sing It (Xbox) for £3.97 at Tesco, Overlord Dark Legend (Nintendo Wii) for £5.87 at Clickforgames and Super Scribblenauts (Nintendo DS) for £9.49 at Bee.

For the grandparents

Under £20

If your Grandad loves to travel, this World Scratch-Off Map is a good bet and costs only £12.99 at Play right now. It's 81.9cm x 58.2cm and has a gold top foil layer so that when he scratches off all the places he’s visited, it reveals a bright colour underneath. Great if he has travel plans coming up or just wants to show off where he’s already been!

John Lewis has some lovely food gifts this year such as this Crabtree & Evelyn Mini Biscuits Gift and this Edinburgh Preserves Cheese Box (both £15 each). 

Under £10

Keen gardeners will love this White Christmas Gift Box from Gro Box Gardens, costing only £6.25 plus £3.50 delivery. All you do is plant the box (see how it works here) and wait for beautiful daffodils, chionodoxa, allium, scilla, snowdrops and anemones grow, to return every year.

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