How to Make a $50 Holiday Gift Feel Like $100

Each month, NerdWallet suggests one wallet win to help you feel more confident about your money. This month’s topic is making holiday gifts feel more valuable, and we’re going to show you ways to elevate a gift without overspending.

Making an inexpensive gift feel fancy is a winter challenge I relish.

As a relatively frugal person who often gets sticker shock when shopping for gifts, I’m always looking for creative ways to save money without diminishing the present. Over the years, I’ve developed a few strategies to make a $50 gift feel like it’s worth at least double that.

In the spirit of the season, I’m sharing these strategies with you. I hope you — and your recipients — find them as celebratory as I do.

Personalize the gift

What does your gift recipient love to do? It helps if they have a favorite hobby, sports team or other interest.

Let’s say your recipient likes to fish. Giving a gift card to a niche fishing store makes it feel far more valuable than the standard Amazon card because it shows that you considered who they are. And there are specialty stores for every hobby these days.

Maybe gift cards aren’t your go-to. You can easily enhance other gifts, too.

Paying $5 extra to engrave or embroider their name on the gift — whether it’s stationery, jewelry or a backpack — makes the item feel far more valuable than its price tag because it’s customized to the individual.

If you choose a gift that couldn’t have been given to anyone else, it increases its value.

Time required: A few extra minutes to think about your recipients’ preferences and apply them when shopping.

Wrap it in something that’s also a gift

A vintage or thrifted scarf can be a wrapping paper alternative that also functions as a gift. Similarly, you could wrap a gift in tea towels, artwork or online prints that can be reused by the recipient.

Another idea: Wrap a gift in printed sheet music that contains a special meaning for the recipient.

Customizing the presentation of the gift elevates it without adding much to the expense.

Time required: Since you have to wrap the gift anyway, this method doesn’t need to take extra time. You’ll just need to find the cloth or paper you plan to use.

Inject your own creativity

One of my favorite gifts in recent memory involved turning a family photograph into a Jane Austen-era image set on a bucolic English estate with the empire-waisted gowns to match. My mom is a big fan of Jane Austen, so I knew she would appreciate seeing the family in a Regency-style photo.

I hired an Etsy artist to transform my original image, but you may be able to do it yourself with a photo app. Similarly, you could create a custom song, illustration or other form of art made specifically for your recipient.

Adding your own creative spin on a gift shows you spent extra time thinking about the recipient to make something extra special for them.

Time required: Applying your own creativity can be time-intensive, but the process is enjoyable so it goes quickly.

Combine purchases with homemade items

I like to call this technique the hybrid gift approach: You buy something, then get crafty to transform the gift into something one-of-a-kind.

One of my favorite ways to do this is with a photo. I’ll buy a nice but inexpensive frame and then put a photo of the recipient, or the recipient alongside loved ones, inside it.

If the person you’re buying for posts on social media, you might not even have to ask them for a photo in advance. Instead, you can find a favorite one that they already shared and surprise them.

Here’s an edible option: Make homemade granola or cookies and place them in a decorative tin. Other ideas include drying flowers that you grow in your garden and making a bouquet, or using your woodworking skills to carve initials or other designs onto a purchased wood product like a sign or cutting board.

The options are endless, especially with online tutorials to help hone your crafting skills. Adding your own customization to a purchased gift makes it feel special, but doesn’t have to cost much.

Time required: Baking, crafting or creating can take several hours, but again, it’s an enjoyable process.

Add a gift of your own time

Experiential gifts tend to go over well, and you may even get to have some fun, too.

One year, I gave my mom a membership to a nearby art museum and tacked on an offer to attend an exhibit with her. We had something on the calendar to look forward to together, and she got the option to visit more times throughout the year.

My parents have given me memberships, too. More recently, they gave me one to a local nature center. It’s great because I can visit on my own or attend kid-friendly events at a discounted rate. It makes me feel part of the community, and I love supporting an organization that helps kids learn more about nature.

Another option is to donate to charity in a loved one’s name and then make plans to volunteer at the organization together.

Experiential gifts help create more family memories together, which is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays.

Time required: Setting aside time to visit a museum or other destination can take an entire day, but it’s time well spent.

The bottom line is that giving a highly personalized gift adds value without eating too far into your own budget. Spend $50. Make someone feel like a hundred bucks.