7 Simple Gift Ideas for Friends

This post is sponsored by Tuesday Morning

One of my big goals when we moved to Utah was to make some strong friendships.

After the closeness and built-in activities with the other MBA families in North Carolina, it was a big change to move to Arizona where most people already had established friendships and where I suddenly was in a new stage of life with children in school and less flexible time.

Within a few months of moving to Utah, I accidentally started a lunch group (one friend invited me to a lunch she had planned with another friend and because I had a napping baby, I asked if they’d mind coming to my house instead – we had such a great time, we decided to make it a monthly occurrence on the spot and invited another mutual friend to join us).

Those three women have become some of my dearest friends and aside from our monthly lunch, we also have family dinners with eight adults and fifteen children once a quarter or so.

I also belong to two excellent bookclubs plus have started to develop friendships with several of the women in my neighborhood.

All of that is to say, gifts for friends are definitely on my mind this year.

I don’t want them to be gifts that break the bank – just something small and special that lets them know how much their friendship means to me (I also like to go small because it makes it feel like they need to reciprocate).

I found a bunch of amazing gift ideas at Tuesday Morning that were all at unbelievable prices – its the perfect place to pick up something special.

7 Simple Gift Ideas for Friends

1. Chocolates. I mean, you just can’t go wrong with chocolate and Tuesday Morning has the BEST selection of well-known brands (looking at you, Lindor Truffles!) and European brands. I . . .may have gone a little overboard. Tie a ribbon around the bag or bar and, voila! Instant gift you know won’t go to waste.
2. Nail Polish. I LOVE nail polish (if you saw my collection, you would know this is true) and my eyes maybe bugged out a little when I saw that Tuesday Morning had a whole collection of OPI nail polishes for less than half the normal retail price. And HOW GOOD are those colors in the photo above? It’s possible I’ll just keep them all to myself.
3. Stationary supplies. I love to give a consumable gift that will get used up and doesn’t have to be stored forever and these cute rolls of washi tape are PERFECT. I bought some at Tuesday Morning for my girls stockings, but I’d love my own set just as much.
4. Makeup Brush Cleaner Mat. My sister Merrick has RAVED about a makeup brush cleaning mat, so when I spotted one at Tuesday Morning, I snatched it right up. It’s a great gift for a friend who has everything, including unwashed makeup brushes.
5. A cute mug or pitcher. All our girls have special mugs and I just bought a new one for Ella for Christmas at Tuesday Morning (it’s a pink flamingo with gold edging – I’ll show it to you on IG Stories this week!) and while I was picking that one out, I spotted a whole collection of darling ceramic pitchers, just right for serving hot chocolate or milk. Add a pouch of hot chocolate mix or these cute hot cocoa spoons and you’ve got your gifts for friends covered.
6. A meal base. I’m never one to turn down a treat at the holidays, but sometimes you ALSO might require a real meal and a shortcut makes for a super thoughtful gift. My Tuesday Morning had a bunch of delicious soup mixes and even this Butter Chicken mix that makes getting dinner on the table during the holiday season super quick.
7. Socks. I admit that I didn’t really understand the appeal of socks when we lived in Arizona. Now that I live somewhere with a real winter? I GET IT. My Tuesday Morning has a huge selection of socks, from athletic socks to no-show socks to cute patterned socks. I bought myself nine pairs, even though theoretically, I was shopping for gifts for friends.

I’d love to hear your best suggestions for simple gifts for friends – either ones you’ve given or ones you’ve received!

And you can find your local Tuesday Morning here – it’s the BEST place to pick up all the gifts for friends you could ever need!

Photos by Heather Mildenstein