We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Secret Santa ideas for various spending limits

MSE_Laura_F
Posts: 1,611 MSE Staff

I'd love to get some ideas for Secret Santa presents going. What would make a good gift for each of these price points?
- Free
- £1
- £5
- £10
- Other amount
1
Comments
-
Idea for the £5 bracket:
Lidl's gingerbread house kit, £4.99
2 -
In terms of my workplace Secret Santa, our budget every year for the last five years or so has been £1, with the added cavet that no food in allowed.Some gifts that I have bought/ have received:
- Pack of pens
- Travel size toiletries
- Calendar
- A mug
- Lotto ticket/ scratchcard
- Novelty glasses/ other budget XMAS stuff
- Book
- Torch
- Budget toys
- Keyring
1 - Pack of pens
-
Panettone Lidl £5
Vintage annuals - charity shop £1-3 each
Charity shop Preloved or still in packaging itemsAchieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £172.5K Equity 36.11%
2) £1.6K Net savings after CCs 14/8/25
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £25.6K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 31.4/£127.5K target 24.6% 1/9/25
(If took bigger lump sum = 53.3K or 41.8%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise)
(If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/251 -
£1
novelty socks,
box of short bread (Iceland)
note book,
chocolate,
Christmas pudding (Aldi)
A chocolate reindeer (Aldi but I think they’re 49p)
Gin and tonic tin (Aldi actually really nice)
fingerless gloves - primark (also wool hats)
Face mask
Hot chocolate sachet and custard creams
I do a lot of £1 gifting, this year I have bought 2 x 50p Bombay mix, named socks, gin tin, shortbread, stickers, and popcorn.Life happens, live it well.3 -
Bit late now, but the other year my Husband needed a secret santa gift for his office colleagues. He wasn't given a name or gender. I got him a small bottle of wine from Tesco, a wine glass from the poundshop and an inexpensive pair of socks from ebay with the words, if you can read this, bring me more wine, printed on the bottom. I can't remember the exact amount but it was well under a tenner and was appreciated by the recipient.2
-
Thanks, some great ideas on here. I bought some florists christmas cellophane one year (ebay) and some red ribbon, and made up some nice mugs with a couple of sachets of hot choc and a little pack of chocs inside. I love the wine glass, wine and socks idea - something to drink and things to keep and wear as well
I've also bought some choc chip shortbread as a small gift. I could really do with a small gift for nephew's girlfriend - I'm thinking maybe a facemask, candle etc. (sort of a diy spa).
"Think of many things, do one"
Mortgage 30 Aug'25 est. £209,500 £309,749 2020 (current ends 2038)
Seven Goals; 12.5lbs lost in 4 months (5.5lbs to go); walk/run/exercising/weights/yoga0
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351.6K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.3K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.9K Spending & Discounts
- 244.5K Work, Benefits & Business
- 599.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.2K Life & Family
- 258.1K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards