Happy Friday: Frugal College Graduation Gift Basket
Sent from reader, Sarah:
My brother’s girlfriend is graduating from college this coming weekend and I decided to put a gift basket together for her since she is about to be starting out in the “real” world. I attached 2 pictures (before I wrapped it and after I wrapped it) because I wasn’t sure which was the best one to send you. Here is the list of what I put in the basket and how much each item cost me…
* Mouthwash-free sample
* Victoria’s Secret hand sanitizer-free after the recent rewards cards
* Bath and Body Works body spray, lotion, and antibacterial lotion-free from my mom because she didn’t like the scents
* Candle-free from a Christmas exchange
* Sally Hansen nail polish-$0.25 on clearance at Walgreens and after coupon
* Hot pink nail polish-free sample
* Nivea body wash-free sample
* Caress body wash-free sample
* Crest toothpaste-free after coupon
* Pantene shampoo & conditioner-free samples
* Floss-free from the dentist
* 1928 earrings and bracelets-$2.50 each
* Basket-free from the Allure rebate around Christmas time
* Tissue paper-free from Victoria Secret
* Ribbon-free from my mom
* Plastic wrap-$0.25 clearance at Walgreens after Easter
* Card-free from Cardstore.com
Grand Total-$5.50 for a really nice gift basket for a college graduate starting out on her own. It took a little bit of thinking ahead for the card, but everything else was something that I happened to have on hand to put in the gift basket. It really can pay off to submit for the samples that you post because if I can’t use the product then I either give it to someone else or hold onto it to give to someone as a present. I can’t wait to see my brother’s girlfriend’s face when she opens it!!!
HAPPY FRIDAY! 
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Great job!!! 🙂
I do these sort of basket all the time for high school graduations. I make a college ‘survival kit’ shampoo, razors, toothpaste, etc. Sometimes popcorn, snacks etc. if i have some that I got for cheap. Then find a dollar store nice basket and a nice towel to ‘wrap’ it in, and a great graduation present!
I do the same. I think it makes a great gift. I know my sons would have liked it and so would I as a parent, because I had to buy all the same stuff for them. How nice it would have been to get it as a gift!
I’ve done a similar gift i call the “Mom box”. Asprin, Midol (for girls), ibuprofen, bandaids, tape, scissors, small tape measure, thermometer, sanitizer, sudafed, cough syrup, small nails, safety pins/straight pins, small sewing kit. You know, all the stuff you would ask Mom for. Or stuff they don’t know they need until they need it!! I’ve had several grads tell me it was the best gift they got! I pack it all in a tupperware container or plastic box. You can add a few tools too, like a hammer, pliers, screw driver…all smaller size.
its very cute and affordable You must really like her !!!Good for You
awesome. I do that a lot also. about to do some baskets for teacher appreciation week with some freebies i got.
Where do you get all the freebies from?
Love it! I just did the same for my MIL for mothers day! Added some Clinique I got as a gift w/purchase, Burts Bees free from Vitacost, and a ton of other high end freebies I’ve been collecting! Hope mine looks as good as yours does!
Collin I think happy friday photo thing is just great …Im always looking forward for it !!!!!!
it wouldnt be a friday without it….
lol
I just made 2 of these today as birthday gifts with a mix of samples,freebies & gifts I bought for really good prices! Sarah, your brothers girlfriend will love it! Great job!
I don’t care how much I liked her…I’d keep those bracelets for myself.
LOL!
Wow
GREAT JOB SARAH!
This is a great idea. I wish someone would do this for me, since I am graduating high school this year.. hehe
Wow! Great idea i love you are using the free samples we find! I am going to start saving mine for gift baskets thanks.
Awesome! Very thoughtful. Hopefully she doesn’t follow this site! lol! ….or maybe she can appreciate it even more!
That is so nice, what a great idea. I was wondering what to do with all the free samples. I have a boxes full and there is no way I can use all of them, but they were free so I couldn’t pass them up.
Great idea! The basket is adorable and filled with items that are both cute and practical!! Love it!
I love Hip2save for the deals and the heartwarming stories of ways everyone pays it forward! If you surround yourself with positive people you will do positive things 🙂
Sarah, your brother’s girlfriend is going to love it! Watch out though it becomes addiciting 🙂 It seems everywhere I turn I am creating a basket.” Fundraisers, shower raffle gifts, graduation gifts. The latest was to create hers/his guest bathroom baskets at my friend’s wedding, along with a personal note from the bride & groom. The guests had everything they needed, if they needed it 🙂
p.s. cute bracelets!
I did this for christmas… saved myself a fortune.. made male/female baskets and EVERYONE loved them.. retail value was at least $100 and each one cost me between 5-10$! (including the baskets i put them in!) i could then focus my christmas budget on the kids.. (where i tihnk it should be anyway!) :o) i was nervous that people would feel weird about recieving personal care products, but they all loved it, and i could see how happy they were pulling out item after item after item!! :o)
Sheena, I did the same this past Christmas and I have already started “collecting” items for this year! I gave every member of the extended family a box full of well chosen goodies that retails for A LOT more what I spent OOP. The savings went towards my children and a nice trip to visit the grandparents! 🙂
I’m glad you wrote this. I wanted to do this and felt weird about it. But I personally like to get things I would use myself. Now I’m going to try and make a note of what products I see in my families bathrooms so I can get ready for Christmas this year.
I did something similar for Christmas for all the girls. They all LOVED them. Unfortunately I’ve cut back on couponing and really don’t have as much but probably by the end of the year I should be stocked up again to do the same thing. I LOVE putting these things together.
Nice job! I bet she will love it. At Christmas I made a gift up with chapsticks, lotion, razors and a freebie makeup bag for my college student sister in law. She was so happy.
You did a great job in putting that together! I put together a birthday basket for my sister last year and wrapped it like you did yours. It was a huge hit! Your brother’s girlfriend is going to love it! Those are so much fun to do!
Sometimes, it is easy for people to start getting greedy after winning things or getting free stuff but it is so refreshing to see people like you who use your freebies to make someone else feel special! Love it. 🙂
AGREE
great job! also love how your wrapped too! it looks so cute!
On a happy Friday note — My 4-yr-old daughter told me today that she likes pickles more than ice cream. Made me think of a certain person’s love of relish!
Yay!! Thanks for picking my picture Collin!! And thanks for all of the sweet comments everyone!!!
🙂
I keep a ziploc bag of samples and goodies in our car for pan handlers. In addition to the chapsticks, gum, and toiletries are a few bucks and a Gospel track. Our church offers free meals twice a week, which few people in need pass up. (Not my original idea, but I love it).
I Love That Idea! Going to make one in the morning, noticed i have an lots of deodorant etc. , just a new way to donate
I did this for my best friend’s housewarming gift with stuff she would need around the house, free samples, cheap to free cleaning products, a brita filter I got through a mail-in rebate, reusable bag gotten for free at a day after thanksgiving give-away etc.. She loved the gift but kept telling me that I shouldn’t have spent that much because I was working a variety of part-time jobs and she knew I didn’t have much money. She tried to take me out to a really nice restaurant for lunch(even though she doesn’t make that much either). I finally broke down and told her that I spent less than $5.00. I felt embarrassed, but she was so impressed she asked me to help her figure out how to do similar things. Now, we both do these things for hostess gifts, wedding showers, holiday gifts etc.
Hopefully, she will be so impressed she will ask you to help her keep this up in the “real world.”
Nice gift set. I am graduating in the next two weeks. Wish someone would give me something nice for graduation
Awesome! You made a beautiful gift for her and I know she’ll love that! All things she can use! 🙂
Any good ideas for gifts for the graduating guy besides razor/soap products? Or for his parents? Youngest of 3 heading to college, so the parents will have some adjusting, too. (especially since they’re both teachers and he may be leaving during the summer).
I include bandaids/first aid kit, gum, pens/highlighters/magnets/sticky notes/paper clips, toothbrush,toothpaste and floss, hair brush/comb/shampoo/conditioner, laundry soap/quarters/stain remover packets, small tool kit/sewing kit, and anything else that I come across that may come in handy for a college student away from home. These items can usually be found quite inexpensively with coupons, etc. As for the parents (and I’ll be in their spot in just a couple of years), just being there for them! I know it will be a major adjustment for me! Good luck and have fun!!!
might be cute to give the parents Tylenol and tissues! 🙂 What a thoughtful gift for the men too BTW!
For my nephew I have a larger cooler with wheels (summer clearance $3.75). I am giving him “cold hard cash”. Along with the frozen bricks of money I will include Dr pepper and a few mugs from dollar tree that have graduation caps on them. I found a cute poem about the cold hard cash that I had laminated to put inside the cooler. Not the cheapest gift but you could do many variations of this idea.
Underbed storage boxes are great for this too. I filled up 2 last year for graduation. Included towels and wash cloths and a bathroom caddy among all the freebies. It was a hit!
I remember when our youngest was getting ready to leave for college. She was worried about us being sad and lonely without her or her brothers. I just reminded her that with the house empty her father and I could run around the naked if we wanted. After she was done being shocked she realized we would be fine. Although we miss our children we are happy to have time for just the two of us again.
Throw in some ramen noodles…super cheap & easy. You could find a fee plastic bowls from the dollar store 😉
Great ideas. Our Target’s dollar aisle has Mountain Dew chapstick in a tiny pop bottle shape right now. 😛
My hubby’s graduating med school next week. I got him new athletic shoes (his fav brand/model – latest year model) using coupon codes for shoes.com through ShopAtHome.com.
I also got him a great personalized card free using the treat.com code. 🙂
He also has a PSP (used), so I may get him a game or movie from Gamestop (used) $5 +/-.
Great Idea! I always fill Christmas stockings with these sorts of goodies. Right now I am working on baby shower gifts… lots of wipes from the recent 75 cent pampers wipes coupons that double at the grocery store. And cheap little powders. Any other good and cheap finds for baby items???
lotins or body wash cheap after .50 q that doubles on the smallest size i think it is 9 ozs and then a bib or undershirt check target clearance online and you can even open the package and roll one bib/undershirt up tied withribbon if you don’t want to give a multiple pack
also the dollar store has baby brushes and washcloths….
Off the topic;but i need some help or idea what and how i can save for baptismal favor and decoration?any thought is help.TIA
This is a great time for that….a couple of years ago I bought a bunch of after-Easter chocolate crosses 75% off, wrapped those, put in a nice basket left on the dessert table and gave those out as ‘favors’ to guests. They all loved them, and the crosses are perfect! I saw a bunch last week at CVS and it reminded me of how well they went over.
wanted to add…they’re chocolate, no “easter” on them, and they’re about 5″ high..so a nice size.
find somebody having a wedding or baby shower or graduation and split the cost of decorations/reuse them if possible. Garage sales are a great place to find paper products/decorations (unused) also for the right price.
Some things my daughter wanted when she went to college was medicine. I know there are a lot of deals out there, so something to think about giving this time of year for the incoming college freshman…hand sanitizers, tylenol, advil, cold medicine, tissues, etc.
Awesome! I am planning to do something similar for my daughter and her best friend for graduation. I’m going to call it their college survival kit and fill it with the stuff they’ll need, plus chocolate. 🙂
My mother gives gift cards for birthdays and Christmas. I realized a couple of years ago it is hard for her to shop for all 30 people because she also likes to put a little something in with the gift card. Since I don’t live near her I have started collecting the little gifts she adds to the gift cards and take them with me on my twice a year visits. During my late fall visit I can get the gift bags from the dollar store and the gifts cards then we just put everything together. I plan to hit BBW today and hope to come away with a reusable tote and the new Malibu Heat lotion they are giving away today with a full size signature item purchase and free fragrance mist with any 10.00 purchase all with the purchase of 1 signature item for 11.00-12.50. This way I can divide these into 3 gifts that my mom can add to 3 gift bags.
I put my stockpiled hygiene supplies in an inexpensive colorful shower tote from Target and along with all the nail clippers, razors, body wash, toothpaste/brushes, etc. I added some ‘room organizers’ from Menard’s (inexpensive after rebate) that had collapsible hampers, laundry bag, shoe organizer, foldable drawers and wrapped up two colorful baskets with leftover ribbon from a fundraiser for my two cousins graduating high school (male and female). They are very colorful and fit into cellophane bags designed for Easter baskets. I can’t imagine the retail price but well over $100 and will go SO much farther than the standard $25 Target gift card that seems to be the go to gift locally.
I love all of these ideas. I have been planning on doing a similar thing for my soon to be sister in law for her bridal shower. I have been stocking up on Bath & Body Works travel size lotions each time they give away free ones. I also got a travel size verison of her favorite perfume for free with one of those free $10 gift cards. I thought it would be fun to give her different types of lotions and other travel size items for her to use on her honeymoon. I hope she enjoys it. I figured if she doesn’t like some of the lotions, she can give them away.
For a baby shower, I put a bag together for the new Mommy – travel size bottles of lotion, shower gel, hand sanitizer, and nail file. All free or almost free from Bath & Body Works. Mommy needs pampering too.
I have the strangest question…I see a hot pink nail polish in the pile which I also happen to own. I received it in an unmarked package with NO BRAND listed. (Assuming it was for some sample I signed up for) I have since used it and LOVE how it goes on and would like to buy more, but I have no idea what company sent it to me. DOES ANYONE HAPPEN TO REMEMBER WHERE THIS CAME FROM? or know the brand that makes it 🙂
(If so, please hit the “reply” button so I get the update)