Gifts for Under $20 for Service People

Many people provide services in your life such as your garbage collectors, mail carriers, your hair dresser or barber, and many others. Sometimes you want to get them a small gift at holiday time but you just aren't sure what would be appropriate.

Usually these people are grateful to get any gift because it's always nice to feel appreciated. But, if you really want to find a gift that they will find wonderful, without spending a fortune, I have a few suggestions!

Candy or home-made cookies or other goodies are usually a hit with just about anyone. For people you know very well, I'm sure that home-made goodies will be accepted and appreciated. It will require a lot of work on your part to bake but many people do this type of baking anyway so a little bit more won't be too much trouble. For those you may not know as well, like the garbage collector, you may want to stick with a box of candy, not only because it is easier but also because they may feel more comfortable accepting such a gift.

If edibles are something you would consider but you'd like to be a little more creative, try making your own "Movie Night" basket which can include a couple of bags of (unpopped) microwave popcorn, a bag of candy and a gift card for a local movie rental place all placed in a cute little basket. A "Movie Night" basket could also include tickets to a local theater instead of the gift card for a video rental.

Baskets can be customized to almost any theme as well. You might make a basket of hair accessories for a female service person that wears a lot of different hairstyles. You could make a basket of lotions and perfume. You could make a basket of almost anything if you think about it hard enough.

But, if you are not creative enough to put together your own baskets, you might try to think about the job that the person does for you and get them a mug filled with candy that might be appropriate. Thus a mail carrier might get a mug that says something about how "My Mail Carrier is GREAT" and the hair dresser would get one that says some appropriate saying to her profession.

Seasonal plants or flowers make a nice gift. Poinsettia are always so pretty at this time of the year and would cheer up anyone's house. Holiday themed items are also quite popular thus a wreath or candles decorated for the season make nice gifts and none of these items are very expensive. Additionally, you could choose ornaments for the Christmas tree that are themed to match the persons profession. You can buy these fancy ornaments at craft stores and often at card stores or if you are very creative, you can make your own!

Of course, you can always leave money in an envelope for service people and anyone is sure to enjoy that. If you want to be just a little more creative, you could purchase gift cards to local grocery stores or to local restaurants and that would surely be a treat for people who work so hard for us. Even if the gift card that you purchase wouldn't cover the entire cost of a meal, it certainly would make a meal out to dinner much cheaper and thus much more affordable for the person who receives it.

There are many people who work very hard for us every day. They may not often get gifts from those that they work for and thus are most often grateful for whatever gifts they may receive, no matter how small they may be. They realize, I'm sure, that you must buy for many people and that you can only spend so much per person. Rest assured that your gift will be appreciated!