Budget-Friendly Graduation Gifts
When graduation season rolls around for high school and college students alike, it's possible that you might have to make room in your budget for several graduation presents. Luckily, there are gift ideas that will be appreciated by any graduate and also keep your budget in one piece.
For the High School Graduate
For the graduate headed off to college, a nice bath towel cross-stitched with their initials makes for a very practical and personalized gift.
The incoming college student will also appreciate a laundry kit. To put this together, assemble everything the graduate will need to do their laundry: a laundry bag, a bottle of detergent and some fabric softener, dryer sheets, a fabric softener ball, and even a stain stick. To top it off, toss in a roll of quarters to help them hit the ground running for life in the dorms.
Speaking of dorms, plastic hangers can be a nice and practical gift for the graduate. There's not a lot of drawer space in most dorms, so extra hangers are a must-have.
Reading lights and alarm clocks are also dorm room necessities for late night studying and getting up for class. Other useful gifts for the new college student include a backpack, an umbrella, a shower tote, bed linens, a small lamp, or even a zip drive or some CDs.
To help them keep in touch with home, consider providing them with an address book with their classmates' and relatives' home and e-mail addresses as well as their home and cell phone numbers.
For the College Graduate
The college graduate can also be given inexpensive gifts that will hit the mark. For example, you could give them some form of alumni memorabilia like an alumni sticker for their car.
Another handy graduation gift would be an assortment of accessories for their laptop. This would include items like a mouse, headphones, and a ten-key pad—anything that will enable them to combine the convenience of their laptop with the functionality of their desktop PC.
The college graduate will also likely have many pictures they will want to preserve from their school years. A leather-bound album for male graduates and a more embellished one for female graduates will provide them with a home for these precious memories as well as a gift that will be appreciated and enjoyed for years to come.
These are just a few suggestions. Use what you know about the graduate to find your own personal, but budget-practical, gift to help them celebrate this milestone in their lives.
