Last Minute Self-Care Gift Ideas Under $50. #GiftResponsibly

Presented by Tana Russell, ECPG Assistant Director and Rob Maya, ECPG Social Media and PR Specialist  

Are you looking for last-minute gifts? Always remember to gift responsibly—lottery tickets are not for children.

We’re at it again—this year we created a new list of last-minute gift ideas that help your friends and family focus on self-care, or even yourself! The goal is to keep the ideas under $50 while providing fun alternatives to gifting lottery tickets. This year we put a focus on helping the gift recipient to relax, reflect, refocus, and to make time for “self”. 

Top Ten Self-care Gifts Under $50.

1. Foot Massage: Try a gift certificate/gift card, some places offer 30 min. to 60 min. foot massages for less $50.  Or you might be able to give one yourself! 

2. Facial: Put together a little gift basket of a face mask, scented soap, lotion, microfiber cloth, and maybe a bath bomb.  Or look for a gift certificate or gift card.  

3. Coloring Book: There are lots of adult or “advanced” level coloring books from mandalas, to plants, to landscapes, sea life, or cityscapes, there’s something for everyone.  And who doesn’t love a new pack of assorted colored pencils, brush markers, or gel pens? 

4. Physical Health Equipment: Not only can you pick up sports equipment (basketball, Frisbee/Flying Disc, badminton, etc.) you can look at a jump rope, exercise band, yoga mat, walking stick, and more.  Do they have a favorite activity? Go with that!  

5. Craft Supplies: Know someone who loves a good DIY project?  A craft store or home improvement store may have a good gift.  But don’t worry if you’re overwhelmed by all the options, gift cards can say, “I support your hobby, and want you to have what you really want.”  

6. Journal or Sketch Book: Do they write, compose, draw, or generally just love to make lists and track goals?  A nice journal or bullet journal, notebook, planner, or sketchbook can be a lot of fun to write in.  

7. Paint by Number: Who doesn’t want to feel like an accomplished artist?  Paint by number can be fun and relaxing and leave them with a beautiful picture that they painted!  Pick something that is meaningful to them, or goes with the colors in their house, so they can paint it and display it proudly.  You can generally find both beginner and advanced level canvas kits, in oil, acrylic, or watercolor.  

8. Puzzle: First, you need to do a little detective work to understand their skill level a bit.  Giving a 100-piece puzzle to someone who does puzzles often would be too easy, but perfect for someone new to doing puzzles.  Gifting a 2000-piece puzzle could be too difficult for most, except the very advanced, or maybe for a family gathering over several days, where assembly is a team effort.  For the average puzzler, shoot for the 700 to 1200-piece range, in a picture they will really enjoy.  

9. Book/Audio Book: Do you see a lot of books in their home?  Do they always bring one on trips?  Then go for a hard-copy book.  If they are a frequent commuter, or often listen to things while working on tasks, then an audio book might be the best fit.   

10. Cozy and Comfy: Think about cozy and comfy spaces. You can pick up a big comfy sweater, hoodie, blanket, or pillow.  And don’t forget about fun fuzzy socks!  

Need more ideas? Read our previous article Top 10 Last Minute Gift Ideas under $50 – giving the gift of memories.   

What do you think? Do you have a gift idea to share? Join the conversation online by following us on Twitter: @EvergreenCPG #GiftResponsibly  

This post is in participation with the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Gift Responsibly Campaign 2021. Learn more