5 Homemade Gifts You Can Make For Your Friends Just Because

Sometimes you just want to spoil your friends, because let’s be honest, they deserve it. However, just because you want to gift your friend something special, doesn’t mean you have to break the bank! Here are some homemade gifts you can make for your friends that won’t break the bank.

Everyone loves feeling appreciated and making a gift for your friend just because you love them will brighten their day.

1. Care Package

Making your friend a care package can be so easy, and you can fill it with anything you want! A care package can be customized to each individual friend. You can decorate the box with a theme, quote, or with pictures! You can fill the box with homemade goods or their favorite candy or snack. For example, if your friend is taking classes you could send them a study care package full of their favorite snacks, Advil, essential oils, and words of encouragement. If your friend is at college you could send them a care package with their favorite snacks, lip balm, Febreze, a razor or two, some band-aids, Clorox, and candy. You get the idea! I highly recommend that whatever theme you choose for your care package you include a handwritten letter or card. While writing a card might seem like over the top, this added personalization will make your friends feel special and appreciated. You can fill the card with funny stories, words of encouragement, things you want to do, or a general letter of appreciation for their friendship. These words will have a greater effect than the box itself.

2. Painting

Making your friend a painting is one of the more creative gifts you could make them! In my own personal opinion, no painting can be bad, it’s just… abstract! Making a painting for your friend shows them that you put in time and effort to make something you think that they would like! This is a great gift for friends who have their own apartment, or as birthday presents! You can paint something for them, and they’ll be able to display it in their room. You don’t have to just paint a canvas either! You can paint rocks, water bottles, miniature canvases, wood, etc. There are so many options. The best part about painting too is that it’s fairly inexpensive (of course that depends if you’re using canvases or not, what kind of paint you’re using, etc.). Painting definitely is a gift with a personal touch that your friends will 100% appreciate.

3. Drunk Jenga

One fun thing you can make for your friends is Drunk Jenga (or any homemade party game). I received a Drunk Jenga as a birthday present and now my friends beg me to bring it to every gathering. To make Drunk Jenga you can just buy a regular Jenga set on Amazon, or any store nearest you, and you write prompts on all of the Jenga pieces. The pieces can be anything from “finish your drink”, “make a toast”, and “arm wrestle” to pieces such as “remember to drink water”, all depending on how you want to make it! You can also make a fun Jenga game, not related to drinking, for children or family parties, instead, you can have prompts such as “name all the states that start with the letter ‘A’”, “see how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth”, etc., you get the idea! I highly recommend making your friends a Drunk Jenga because it is something that they will constantly use. You can play off of this idea by making games of your own, such as a DIY “Guess Who?” with your favorite TV show or people you know, or you can even make your own board game.

4. Jewelry

If you have the patience, jewelry is an awesome homemade gift that you can make for your friends! The possibilities for homemade jewelry are endless, you can make the classic necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, or you can experiment with other materials like resin. Whether you want to use beads, stones, feathers, or yarn, you have so many ways you can customize jewelry. One good thing about homemade jewelry is that you can customize it to the person you’re making it for, by using their favorite color, if they wear a lot of layered necklaces or if they prefer bracelets, and more. You have so many opportunities with homemade jewelry. Plus, your friends will appreciate and wear it because you made it for them. There are countless YouTube videos and sites that will help you if you’re a novice to jewelry making.

5. Food

Food, glorious food. One of the most appreciated gifts is when you make food for your friends as a surprise. Whether you’re dropping off dinner or making homemade goods, this is an excellent way to surprise your friends and make them feel special and appreciated. If your friend has a favorite dish or a favorite dessert that can be easily made, go for it! Food is a particularly thoughtful gift when you have a friend who is going through a rough time, as cooking takes a lot of energy, and often when people are upset, they lose their appetite. However, if you were to bring them food it would lift their spirits, and allow them to eat something of substance, made with love. Food tastes better when it’s made with love and delivered from a close friend, even if they used to much salt, or not nearly enough, the fact that they made it for you brightens your day, and you have the power to do that as well. I recommend making sure your friend will be home ahead of time so you can deliver your food fresh. However, even if you live across the country, you can still send your friends food! There are many services that deliver food, and a surprising amount of baked goods travel well!

There are so many small things you can do for your friends to make them feel loved, but homemade goods take the cake. Making something homemade for your friends, while not only being cost-effective, is a way of showing them how much you care about them. So go ahead and try out some of these ideas!