- Graduates who are planning to move on to college will need a number of things for their room, so look for inexpensive gifts they can use around their new dorm such as frames or pretty storage bins. Try to be creative and make gift baskets out of ordinary items. For instance, fill a pop-up hamper with a bottle of laundry soap, a box of dryer sheets and a roll or two of quarters. Another thing graduates love are items that bear the logos and colors from their new school such as a T-shirt, sweatshirt or mug.
- If a child is moving away from home for a job, choose gifts that the graduate can use around the home such as dishes, towels or cooking utensils. Gift cards are always useful for someone starting anew, but to get the most for your money, keep an eye out on social buying websites such as Groupon or Living Social. For example, in the past, these sites have sold a $50 gift certificate to a well-known department store for $25, a $30 gift certificate to a popular book and merchandise website for $15. While some offers, such as those just mentioned, are nationwide, others are location specific, so look for Groupons or Living Social deals in your graduate's new hometown, as well.
- Fellow graduates or siblings may not have a lot of money to spend, but they can still give gifts that will be highly prized by the recipient. For instance, burn a CD of music that is special to the graduate -- one that will remind them of good times in high school or growing up. To make it extra special, create a personalized cover for the CD case. Pictures are another good choice for a creative, inexpensive present. Decorate a frame with sentimental ideas and put a picture of the graduate in it, or create a montage poster of pictures from high school. For a fun present, buy a couple of older inexpensive DVDs that the graduate likes and place them in a gift basket, along with some packages of microwavable popcorn.
- If you are crafty, it is easy to take simple everyday items and turn them into inexpensive but special graduation presents. For instance, for a child who will be attending college, buy an inexpensive fleece blanket or a sweatshirt in the school's colors and then either stitch on the name of the school or use iron-on letters. Another idea is to buy fleece in the school's colors and cut it into a scarf, snipping the bottom edges into fringes. For a girl graduate, take a pair of cheap plastic flip flops and tie inch-long strips of fabric in the schools colors around the shoe straps to create a fun-looking shoe (see Resources).
- Personal notes and items can be worth more than anything money can buy, especially from good friends or family members. A dad can write a long letter telling his child how much he has meant to him, or a mom can put together a laminated recipe book with family favorites for the child to take to school or to a new town. Create a memory book of family, pet and friend photos that the child can take with him to remember those who love him while he is away. A Bible or other religious tome -- with a personal note from you in it -- is another inexpensive gift that may come in handy when things get tough for the new graduate.
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