Last-Minute, Cheap Wedding Gifts
Let's face it, guys: weddings are fun, but buying expensive wedding gifts is no fun at all. Cheap wedding gifts that seem expensive are the trick to being able to go to a lot of fun weddings without breaking the bank.
Cheap Wedding Gifts - Re-gifting
The cheapest wedding gift of all is the one that costs nothing. Most of us have, in a cabinet or closet or garage somewhere, an opened box of something we know we will never use. Giving one of these items to the happy couple - a practice known as "re-gifting" - is a way to give a brand new item to a couple without spending a dime. True, you would lose any money you would have gained by returning the item, but you know that returning gifts is a hassle, and you'll never do it anyway, so why not just re-gift the item and save yourself the trouble.
Of course, you can't re-gift just any old item. Clothing and personalized gifts, for example, make terrible cheap wedding gifts. Anything stale-dated, like an unopened calendar, is out of the question. Picture frames, candle sticks, knick-knacks, kitchenware, and gift cards that have not expired are perfect for re-gifting.
Cheap Wedding Gifts - Services
Another great idea for a cheap wedding gift is to offer your services to the bride and groom. The only cost to you is the paper and ink it takes to print the certificate or write it up as a hand-made gift. Whatever service you choose to offer is up to you, but don't be afraid to be creative. Research has shown that very few recipients of these kinds of gift certificates ever redeem them. Go ahead, offer to hand-wash their car ten times, cook them a gourmet meal, babysit their firstborn child for a weekend, or walk their dog every day for a month. You'll have a nice, fat envelope to take to the wedding and put in the gift room, and you can dance the night away with that attractive, single member of the wedding party.
Cheap Wedding Gifts - Art
Calm down, all you artists out there. I am not implying that art is cheap, only that some art, like stock photography, can make an excellent cheap wedding gift. For less than $10, you can purchase an amazing stock photo, or several of them, online. Print them out on your home photo printer. Pick out as many simple black frames as you need at the Dollar Store, and you have a sophisticated wedding gift that costs well under $20.
