Honestly, this time of year comes around, and I have money bleeding out of my wallet even though I don’t have any money (especially not in my wallet). I’m not saying buying gifts for people is not fun, it’s just too much fun. Since this season have no money what so ever, I tried to come up with some gifts you can give without actually spending any money. I have decided this year, that my family will not only get the gift of my presence, but also gifts full of sentimental value.

Give your friends a promise

Friends are almost the most difficult when it comes to giving gifts. This year, I decided to give my friends a promise. I promise them that we will always make time for each other. No matter where you are in the world, we will always take time out of our lives and go on amazing trips together. A friend of mine and I wrote up a contract between the two of us with all our promises to each other, and then we signed it. To make this gift even more special and exciting to open, get a small map (draw it yourself, steal it from somewhere, or buy a small really cheap one somewhere) and then mark all the places you have been together and make a list of all the places you want to go so you can cross it off when it happens.

This is a great gift because you can play with it and make your own twist to it. Add some glitter on the map and you’ll be golden. Also, I like this because with friends literally spread all over the world it can be hard to spend time together. I don’t care if I only see someone once a year, as long as we still see each other and talk like no time has passed.

List of other cheap possibilities:

• Homemade friendship jewelry (always a winner)
• A calendar (I got the most awesome calendar from a friend in A3 paper size to write on and hang on the wall, this you can make yourself and put some encouraging words or phrases on it)
• Movie date (use coupons to get cheap movie tickets and take your friend)
• Homemade baked goods (I. WOULD. LOVE. THIS.
• Friendship diary (this is my favorite thing ever. Think the sisterhood of the traveling pants and get a book instead where you and friends can write about your life, then send it to each other every month or so. This will create some great stories for all your friends to read)

Give your parents something creative

The good thing about your parents is that they always put themselves ahead of you, so they will like anything you get them. One year I asked my dad what he wanted and he said he needed a new toilet brush (and some nicer things just to be clear) and I got him his toilet brush. This might be as far away from a normal present as it comes, but he was happy because he truly needed it, and now he didn’t have to get it himself. With little to no money, I have this year decided to get them something creative.

Since I am lucky enough to live in New York, I can walk around and find so many different street artists selling they drawings and paintings for not that much money. The trick is to find one that draws with a pencil because they are usually really good at drawing, and they don’t charge that much for the drawings. If this is far away from what you would give, then be creative in another direction and give them the gift of cleaning the house, or making a full dinner for them, or something else that will make them very happy.

List of other cheap possibilities:

• Self-made paintings (get some paint, a huge ass piece of paper and just start filling it with some of your parents favorite colors, can’t paint? No problem call it an abstract painting)
• Write them a long thank you letter (nothing means more than having your child write down how much they love you)
• Ask their friends to write down, or record a few nice words about them (you can use various tools on your computer to make this into a video message and ass everything from their friends)
• Time (yes I do mean time. Give your mom and dad together or separately a day where you do everything they want and go with them to whatever they are going to, you might actually get to know your parents better)

Give your sibling something sentimental

So pretty much anything you give to your sibling can be sentimental. Think about it, you guys have been through everything together. I could pretty much pick up a rock and say, “remember that time I got that rock in my shoe..” and my sister will know exactly what I mean. Something sentimental can be something you own from before but you know your sibling loves it, or you could go to a yard sale and find something old that reminds you both of your grandparents or a crazy aunt or something.

Some years the best gifts my sister and I have given each other have been gifts of meaning, no matter the value. She gave me a really nice teacup and really good tea one year because she knows I love to sit down and relax with a cup of tea. That gift meant the world to me.

List of other cheap possibilities:

• A keychain with something from your childhood (Lego keychain for example)
• A necklace with both your letters (doesn’t have to be expensive)
• Confess something (tell your parents something you did and blamed your sibling for, this might be something only you two remember but that makes it more fun to think about how big of a deal you made it)

Give your boyfriend/girlfriend a love letter

I know so many of you threw up in your mouths right now but I don’t care. I can promise you that no matter how corny you think this sounds, it will be amazing. First of all, when you put pen to paper, you might realize you can express yourself in a way you can’t out loud. On top of that I have said it before, and I will say it again, we women need to start writing more love letters to our men. I know all of you know that there are way more famous love letters from men to women, than the other way around.

There is nothing wrong with expressing feelings for someone you love, and even though social media is a great way to tell everybody else how happy you are, you should also tell the person next to you. For the guys I know this much sound worse to you, but don’t think about it as a poem or a serious letter, think about how you want to say something. Write it down as song lyrics, or rhymes if you want to, but trust me your girlfriend will melt.

List of other cheap possibilities:

• Make your own Christmas sweater (or holiday sweater. My sister did this with her boyfriend and it was amazingly hilarious)
• Make him his favorite dinner
• Give him a night out (take him out or encourage him to a boys night, you can be his reward when he comes home)

Hopefully this can be an inspiration to those of you who feel lost because you have no money. Also remember that grandparents will always just be happy if they get a new photo of you, so that’s easy (but keep in mind they prefer the eighth grade pose).

Happy holidays, whatever holiday that is, and maybe your wallet will be happier than last year.