8 Go to Gift Ideas for Friends

I’m not a natural gift giver. Gifts are DEFINITELY not my love language, but I aspire to be a good gift giver and I want to be the friend who stops by with a little birthday gift.

I remember shortly after I moved to Arizona, Becky, a new friend from the book club I’d just joined, showed up on my porch with a copy of her favorite book (Gift from the Sea) and a bar of fancy dark chocolate. I’ve never forgotten it – it was the nicest thing!

(After she left, Ella said to me, “Do adults mainly like dark chocolate so they don’t have to share it with their kids?”).

I aspire to be a friend like that!

I want a gift that’s not terribly expensive (usually around $20 or less), that is useful and a little bit fun.

Here are a few gift ideas for friends that make the cut for me:

(P.S. With the holidays approaching, these would also all make great gifts for a favorite things party!).

8 Go to Gift Ideas for Friends

1. Neck Booklight. I was SO dubious about this book light when I tried a million different book lights last year, but after everyone raved about them, I gave them a go and they’re clearly superior to every other book light. I tested them on my kids, my husband, and some friends and everyone agreed – way better than any book light that clips to your book. And perfect for doing puzzles, embroidery and any other close up work.
2. Hero Cosmetics Sunscreen. I am OBSESSED with this facial sunscreen. It’s a fraction of the cost of the Supergoop ones, is a mineral sunscreen instead of a chemical one, rubs in super easily, and has a slight green tint to combat redness. You can buy it on Amazon or from Target, but if you buy it on their website, you can use my code EVERYDAYREADING for 15% off which makes it the cheapest place to buy it.
3. Mini box cutters. This is one of my standard gifts and it’s just SO GOOD. I know it seems totally dumb (why would you even need box cutters?) but I promise, once you have a few of them, you’ll never go back. They’re so handy and the perfect little inexpensive gift when you don’t want something flashy or over the top, but that will 100% get used.
4. Stance Socks. My sister-in-law gives Stance no-show socks as her standard birthday gift to all the sister-in-laws and I love them so much I wrote an entire post about them. They’re that good. And I’ve also fallen in love with the Stance tabbed athletic socks – they’re the kind of sock that once you get them, you don’t wear any other socks in your drawer because they’re just so much better.
5. Stoneware Platter. You know those products that look WAY more expensive than they really are? This platter is one of them. It’s massive and perfect for doing s’mores or fondue or chips and dip or a fruit platter. I have two of them and use them constantly. It looks like a $50 item but it’s only $20!
6. Book Journal. If you have a friend who loves to read and it’s too tricky to figure out what book to give them, this book journal is the perfect solution!
7. Mini Lash Serum. This is the BEST eyelash growth serum and the mini is the perfect size for a little gift. Use my code JANSSEN for 20% off!
8. An easy houseplant. I’m a houseplant lover (my sister just gave me one for my birthday and I love it so much! A Pilea is one of my favorites because it’s so easy to keep alive and looks so fun. I bought this one back in January or March and it’s more than doubled in size since then!).

Do you have any go to gifts ideas for friends? I’d love more suggestions!

 

if you liked this post about gift ideas for friends, you might also like these other posts:

• 30+ Great Gift Ideas for Men
• The best $5 Gifts
• My Top 12 Beach Reads