The No-Spend Gift Guide
subverting capitalism through earnest giving and crafts
It’s suddenly mid-November, only one week after getting nonstop emails from Kamala and one week before receiving endless brand promos. In late-stage capitalism, Black Friday is no longer a singular day but instead a nauseating, late-month stretch.
As I get older, I begrudgingly begin to appreciate the most practical gifts. Throughout the year, I compile lists of tactile items that are not time-sensitive. Plates, forks, a small food processor, socks, etc. Call me overly pragmatic, but the most meaningful gifts are ones purchased directly via my shared notes-app wishlist links.
Within the next few weeks, I predict an influx of highly curated gift guides filled with $100 mushroom shaped lamps, $300 SSENSE sweaters, and $1000+ yassified mini fridges for some reason. This is the first holiday season since the pandemic that I’ve been unemployed, which naturally leads me to be more financially conscious. But overall, I just generally hate waste. I despise watching gifts collect dust in the depths of a closet, piles of wrapping paper crowding the wooden floor, and ultimately resorting to a trick as old as time: regifting.
Whether for the holidays, birthdays, housewarming parties, or anniversaries, I urge you to experiment with non-consumeristic modes of gift giving. Hopefully, your loved ones will appreciate the ease of integrating these thoughtful gifts into their everyday lives.
Plant cuttings
Christmas and Hanukkah are 6 weeks away, which means this is the perfect time to snip some cuttings of your most luscious plants. I collect empty kombucha bottles and jam jars primarily for this purpose: clipping a strand about half a foot long and submerging it in water until it grows roots. When buying new plants, I tend to buy the smallest size available (least expensive + most rewarding to watch grow) and save the small plastic pots for potting propagations for friends.
Some of the easiest plants to propagate in my experience have been pothos, monsteras, zz plants, money trees, snake plants, and succulents. Don’t have any houseplants? You can propagate fresh basil in water on a windowsill.
The most worthwhile part of gifting cuttings is watching a piece of your home expand into another. The holidays are natural milestones and you can watch the plant’s progress from year to year.
Jazz up an unwanted article of clothing
Some of my favorite clothes are creatively repurposed, otherwise neglected pieces of fabric. I have enjoyed dying clothes with turmeric and embarking on beginning embroidery, but don’t personally trust my own crafting abilities. Luckily, many others are more talented than myself in this arena. If that’s you - please go for it!
Creations by skilled friends:
Some of my treasured, crafty clothing items:
Playlists
While I’d still prefer the ritual of burning physical CDs, no one (myself included) knows how to insert them into a modern laptop anymore. Playlists on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, or wherever you stream your music can be just as special! I think playlists are the best gifts for long-distance friends or partners, since there is no chic way of exchanging something digital in-person. Regardless, it’s the thought and curation that counts!
DIY floral arrangement
A handful of autumnal flowers are still thriving outside in community gardens and across public land, offering some foraging potential for arrangements. Alternately, dried flowers are an even longer lasting gift.
Throughout the year, I bundle flowers and herbs and dry them upside down. I love spreading them out across the apartment. I recommend herbs like eucalyptus and lavender as fillers, which will exude slight but fragrant scents even once dried.
Cookie boxes
There is truly no gift better than a freshly baked, variety box of treats. This option is only free assuming you already have basic ingredients stocked like flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, butter, and eggs. Yet I am famously a restock freak, frequently referencing this viral Jewish video about replenishing.
Baking ginger molasses cookies has become a yearly ritual for me, especially appreciating the King Arthur Spiced Rye Ginger recipe. I like putting spins on a classic shortbread cookie by infusing herbs or tea into the butter, rolling the logs of dough in sugar, or adding chocolate chunks. The holidays are the perfect time for baking experimentation, with loved ones gladly willing to taste test new creations.
And lastly, packaging your gift with a homemade card and repurposed wrapping materials can make all of the difference.
PS: I typically only bake for fun (running a bakery isn’t in the cards for me), but I’ll be selling a limited supply of cookie boxes this year for local pick-up in Brooklyn. This Substack will always be 100% free, but if you have ever wanted to support my creative endeavors you can stay tuned for updates here.
Arianna this is so good
Thank you kindly