Teacher Gifts On A Recession Budget

Photo credit: Wonderlane

One of the most daunting tasks on your Holiday to-do list is probably buying teacher gifts. The main problem is that they deserve wonderful, useful, thoughtful gifts - but since most of us need to buy gifts for several teachers and coaches on a very limited budget, we often resort to the dreaded coffee mug or ornament.

The key when buying teacher gifts is to buy something they can actually USE rather then something they would be expected to DISPLAY. Gifts that fall under the “display” category are often no more than added clutter.

A few ideas for inexpensive, useful teacher gifts:

1. Always accompany the gift with a personal note from you, thanking the teacher for all her hard work, and from your child. The note need not be long. A few words that acknowledge the teacher’s hard work are very appropriate.

2. Consider joining other parents, or organizing the entire class, so that each family contributes a small amount (say $5) that can be joined into a good-sized gift card.

3. Speaking of gift cards, these are great. They don’t take space, are highly useful and highly appreciated. Gift cards to places such as Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or even Target are great. Wouldn’t YOU love to get a $5 Starbucks gift card? The only caveat: gift cards are problematic in an economy that sees a store after store closing down and going out of business. Try to give gift cards to stores that are not rumored to be in trouble, and if you are the recipient of a gift card, use it sooner rather than later.

3. Homemade baked goods are a beautiful, thoughtful gift, especially when nicely presented in decorated jars with a recipe card included.

4. Another option is to beautifully package a few basic office supplies, which teachers are always short of, and present them a a gift. As unglamorous as it may sound, this is one of the most useful, thoughtful gifts you can give to a teacher.

5. If you ever heard the teacher mention something specific that they love, and it’s within your budget, go for it. A couple of years ago, my kids’ swimming instructor told me how good my kids’ goggles were and asked me where I found them. Needless to say, her (much appreciated and promptly used) gift that year was a beautifully packaged pair of goggles accompanied by letters from my kids and from me.

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