Quirky and Inexpensive Gift Ideas for Your Significant Other

So it's your partner's Birthday, your Anniversary, Christmas time, or Valentines Day... Perhaps you just woke up this morning and felt like your partner deserves the world, and you're desperate to give it to them, but you can't. Unfortunately, the world is difficult to obtain single-handedly, and I'll wager, way out of your price range. Still, you want to get your beloved something SPECTACULAR. The figure in your bank account, however, is less than impressive and the ideas you have are lack-lustre, used up, or non-existent. Not to worry. Here are a range of funky gift ideas that are sure to show how much you care, even when the money simply isn't there.

Extremely Low-Budget: £0 - 10.

Alright, so maybe you're a student or you have just moved into a new house and you have NO money to spare. Maybe £5 if you're lucky. That's fine, but it does mean that you might have to get a little bit more creative. If you can't spare a dime but want to show your partner how much they mean to you, you could try:

Activities:

• Picking them some flowers.
• Cooking their favourite dinner.
• Taking them to a scenic spot for a walk or picnic.
• Offer to give them a massage.
• Have a hot bath and scented candles ready for them when they get home from a long day at work.

You don't have to spend money to prove that you care about somebody, and more often than not, it's the effort (not the price tag) that counts. Doing something as small as having your partner's favourite dinner ready for them when they get home will show that you have been thinking about them and that you want to make them happy. If you want to amp-up the romance, perhaps put their favourite movie on (even if it's not something you'd chose to watch, yourself) and have a few tea-lights flickering away in the background. An activity like this doesn't cost much and it's sure to go down well.

Gifts:

First of all, think time, not money. Having a bit of creative flair here will work to your advantage. If you can't afford to buy a gift, try making one yourself. The time you spend on it will show how much you care about your partner, and not only that, the gift will be totally unique and it is more likely to be of sentimental value! Here are some ideas:

• Draw/ paint them a picture.
• Make them a scrap book displaying your fondest memories together so far.
• Take your favourite picture of you both, and frame it. You can buy cheap photo-frames from charity shops, or re-use a picture frame from home.
• Give them a book that holds sentimental value to you, and write a cute message inside the cover.
• Write a little love letter and slip it inside their bag before they go to work.
• Bake them their favourite cookies/ cake from scratch.

TAKE NOTE: Even if you can afford something a little more extravagant, these little labours of love make a nice accompaniment to any bought gift—sometimes the simplest gestures mean the most.

Higher Budget: £10 - as much as you can afford.

Perhaps you're not as strapped for cash as those interested in the 'extremely' low-budget gifts, but you're simply lost for ideas. What new and exciting thing can you possibly get for your partner that you haven't already bought them before? You've been together for 15 years+ and you're both working adults... Everything they 'want' they can buy for themselves, so what do you get them?

Well. They might not need a 'thing' per-say, but how about an experience? New experiences and fond memories are priceless, and the activity, whatever it is, is sure to be more enjoyable for both of you. Forget the purchase of that mediocre object, and get thinking—what would they like to do? Think about things that they keep saying they want to try but would never get around to organising on their own. Obviously, the price of such a gift is entirely dependent on the 'experience' you choose, but here are some ideas to get you thinking:

• Theatre
• Escape Room
• Quad-biking
• Horse-riding
• Off-roading
• Climbing
• Rent a fast car on a race track
• A weekend get-away to a place they've never been
• A full-blown holiday, somewhere exotic
• Helicopter ride
• Have a go in a hot-air balloon!
• Snorkelling
• Afternoon tea at the Ritz
• Drag show
• Go to a musical
• Ballet
• Concert tickets
• Go canoeing or white rapid rafting or caving or...

The options are endless!

Alternatively... If you're thinking of something a little closer to home you could always make a start on that 'project' around the house that your significant other has been nagging about for (what feels like) an eternity. It might not seem like a big deal, but maybe sorting out that garden or making a start on the kitchen renovation that you keep promising (but never do) will have you partner grinning from ear to ear.