Are you looking for ideas for useful gifts for that Frugal Person in your life?
Most frugal people don’t want you to buy them THINGS just for the sake of things. Many are super practical and want everything to have a purpose, specifically a money-saving purpose. Frugal people enjoy getting useful gifts that they can use.
Frugal friends are the hardest people to get gifts for because they don’t talk about everything they want.
They may not even want anything. How do you come up with a good gift that they will appreciate and won’t just re-gift, resell or donate? Buy them a useful gift that will help them with their frugal lifestyle.
Here are some ideas for useful gifts that your frugal friend will appreciate.
Useful Gifts for Your Frugal Friend
Croc-pot
I love my croc-pot, and so do most frugal people I know! Croc-pots are great for meal prep and other home cooking recipes like cider, stews, and sauces. A croc-pot is a mainstay in every frugal person’s home so that any frugal person will enjoy this useful gift.
Instant Pot
The instant pot is the new fun gadget that everyone loves. It’s a croc-pot and pressure cooker combined in one, and you can do so many versatile things with it, like make homemade yogurt. If you have someone who heavily relies on a beans-and-rice diet, this is a great gift because it cooks dried beans quickly and easily.
Costco Membership
Buying in bulk is a frugal person’s dream, and the best place to do it is Costco. After Aldi’s, I think Costco is on the top of the frugal personal favorite store. Since Costco is a membership-only store, the initial cost can be less frugal in the purist of frugality. A Costco membership is something your frugal person will enjoy!
Canning Kit
Does your frugal friend want to start canning? Then get them a starter canning kit to help them can their delicious garden fruits or veggies.
Glass Jars for Storage
Frugal people love storing things. They love saving leftovers and cooking in bulk. They love buying dry goods in bulk as well, and glass jars are a great way to store these types of things. Glass jars are eco-friendly, healthy, and keep various things well, so it’s a great and versatile gift.
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Warm Sweater to Keep Out the Chill
You don’t need to turn the heat on when you can layer with a yummy and warm sweater. A nice, cozy sweater will be perfect for keeping your frugal person warm all winter long!
Gardening Set
Gardening is a great and eco-friendly activity which can be frugal once you get over the set-up costs. It’s one of those things that sound great and cheap but have pretty high start-up costs and make it prohibitive for someone who is frugal-not-by-choice. A gardening set can help start them off on their gardening journey.
Indoor Planter
Micro-greens are a great thing to plant in your home if you don’t have an outdoor area. If your frugal friend lives in an apartment or other space with no place for a garden, they can still grow some of their own food with an Indoor Garden Kit.
Food Dehydrator
I was just gifted a dehydrator, and I make so many things with it! Homemade beef jerky is delicious and saves so much money. We take fruit going bad and dry it for a great snack that doesn’t have sugar like so many store-bought fried fruit seems to have.
Blender
Soups, baby food, different kinds of butter- there is so much that a good blender can do. My favorite thing is to make a yummy power smoothie for breakfast. It’s healthy and much cheaper than at the store.
Sourdough Starter
Sourdough bread is healthy and delicious but needs a starter to get started. Gifting someone a starter can help them make bread without the hard part of growing their own from scratch.
Good Socks
Frugal people love practical gifts, and socks are as practical as they come! Really warm socks are also great for the “won’t turn on the heat” people.
Gift Card
Gift cards are always appreciated, especially for the minimalist amongst us. Why? They can buy the practical thing they need instead of receiving something they don’t want. A gift card is a tad impersonal but very rarely is unappreciated.
Moka Pot
As any frugal person or personal finance person will tell you, they LOVE making coffee at home. As tired of the “make coffee at home” trope is, frugal people, appreciate a delicious cup of coffee made from their own beans and with their own machine. While your frugal person may not splurge on a Moka pot or fancy coffee beans, that does not mean they won’t appreciate them as a gift.
Wool Dryer Balls
So I am uber-frugal and don’t use dryer sheets at all, but many do, which can add up every shipping trip to a small and wasteful amount. Wool dryer balls are a great one-time purchase that can save money every load and make your laundry all nice and fluffy. It can make a great useful gift.
Quality Kitchen Knife
When you cook a lot at home (remember: takeout is not in a frugal person’s lexicon), you need quality kitchen stuff. Here is a case where people struggle with being frugal versus being cheap. Good kitchen stuff is often expensive but will last significantly longer and be worth it. One excellent kitchen knife is the Victorinox knife (I love this and use it constantly) or a nice J.A. Henckels knife that will hold up well for a lot of cooking that probably happens in your frugal friend’s kitchen.
Recipe Books
When you cook a lot, cook often and experiment with many whole foods (the frugal person’s mantra), then cookbooks are a necessary guide to helping you make all the things you want from scratch. A nice cookbook can give you recipes for the things you want and inspire you to try new and fun things. I have this cookbook and I really enjoy it!
Crafting Supplies
Frugal people love to make things themselves, whether it’s holiday decorations or home decor. If your friend is crafty, then new supplies for her preferred form of art will always be appreciated.
Tool Set
We love DIY, and we insist on fixing rather than buying something new. A toolset is a must-have for any frugal person to do home repairs, furniture flipping, or minor fixes. A good-quality toolset is a nice gift that will last and be extremely appreciated.
Something Luxurious
I am speaking for myself here: especially if you are frugal-not-by-choice, then your friend probably does not spend money on him or herself. They might like antique jewellery even if they don’t purchase it. They may love luxurious products but do not purchase them for themselves. Just because they are frugal doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate a pampering as much as the next person. They just can’t or won’t buy it for themselves. A good friend can realize when someone needs a little pampering and can provide that as a great gift. It definitely won’t be something they already bought for themselves!
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Robyn Goldfarb
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.
This list is the best. Frugal people are soooo hard to buy for. I see some good ideas I would love in here, (especially eyeing the Moka pot as I had a similar one that got left on the stove too long, whoops).
Ha ha, you are so spot on! We frugal people tend to not spend money on ourselves. And I actually own the dryer balls so you really did make this list for people like me! I’m laughing at myself… Well done!
Glad you enjoyed it!