Cheap Gift Ideas for the Office

If you exchange gifts with friends and co-workers at the office, you might need some creative, cheap gift ideas. Gifts that make you look...well, creative instead of cheap. And nobody wants any more candy. Here are five cheap gift ideas, most of them from the dollar store.

1. Muffin wrapped in a pretty dish towel, tied with a ribbon and a cinnamon stick or candy cane.

A girly cheap gift idea. Your holiday card says, "Be sure to clean up the break room after you eat the muffin. Happy Holidays!" You can find a red-and-white dish towel at the dollar store, and bakery muffins will only run you two bucks. (Wrap the muffin in plastic, then add the dish towel.) I gave these to my co-workers years ago. You wouldn't believe how many people still have the dish towel.

2. Deck of playing cards.

The dollar store always has these. Your holiday card says, "Hoping you get lucky next year. Happy Holidays!" Assuming your co-workers are the kind to appreciate low humor, this cheap gift could reap benefits if you start a penny poker game at lunch time.

3. Pair of kitchen shears -- the kind with the orange handle.

The dollar store always has scissors, and you can't have too many pairs. Your holiday card says, "Let's cut to the chase next year: Bonuses. Happy Holidays!" Or, think of other things they can cut. Hopefully not your job (gulp).

4. Stress ball -- preferably the one with the smiley face.

The dollar store doesn't always have stress balls, especially with the smiley face. But you run across them often at drugstore checkouts for a buck or two, so it counts as a cheap gift. Your Holiday card says, "Stress this. See you next year!"

5. A loaf of delicious wheat bread from your favorite bakery.

Okay, this one isn't from the dollar store. But at $3 or $4, it's still a cheap gift, and it was a big hit a couple years ago at my office. It is simply delicious to eat a piece of bread with plain peanut butter during the holidays, instead of another cookie. Your holiday card says, "We're not on the bread line yet. Happy Holidays!"

Oh, and here's one cheap gift to avoid: Lottery tickets. You'll never want to walk through the office door again after somebody becomes a millionaire off your cheap holiday gift. But you'll have to.

So, that's a roundup of my best cheap gift ideas for the office. Share yours!