‘What cost you £15 or less that’s changed your life?’ – 22 low budget treats that are far too good for Secret Santa
The time of year is upon us to RSVP to the work Christmas do and solemnly promise ourselves that we will not too absolutely plastered this year, even though we know we will.
And our thoughts must also turn to what to get for the office Secret Santa. Whether you know who you’re buying for, or it’s a complete surprise, do them a favour and don’t go for the usual Prosecco and chocolate or novelty socks. Give them something genuinely useful.
Over on the CasualUK subreddit, user Medical_Translator_6 asked this:
‘What cost you £15 or less that’s changed your life? Work’s Secret Santa – I’ve drawn out the business development manager and because she spends most of her time on the road, I know nothing about her.
‘Our budget is 15 quid, so I need ideas for genuine life changing ideas.
And people chipped in with some excellent ideas that will make you very popular with your colleagues, like these…
1.
‘I got the longest extension cable money could buy. I swear by it. People think I’m weird, but that’s unrelated. Long extension cables are my jam. However, it would be kinda a weird present to receive.
I once got the advice that if you have a low budget for a gift, get something that you’d normally spend even less than the budget on. For example, I normally wouldn’t spend more than £1.50 on a pen. However, I was once gifted a pen that costs £20 to buy. And unsurprisingly it’s the best pen I have ever owned.’
–matthewsaaan
2.
‘Long phone chargers are also a game changer. None of this 1m bollocks, 10-12ft is fantastic. I travel for work a lot and budget hotels often don’t even have plugs next to the bed, so I got a 12ft glow in the dark phone cable so not only can I sleep next to my phone which is also my alarm clock, but it lights up subtly at night so we don’t trip over it going to the toilet.’
–blozzerg
3.
‘This is a very boring answer but I bought a secret santa that I knew nothing about 10 (£10 limit) sequential scratch cards. He won £90. Not life changing, but the best return on investment from our whole team!’
–RedPandaReturns
4.
‘My eye mask, you don’t realise how much light still comes into your room from different sources until you experience proper darkness. It has helped me sleep so much better, may be useful for someone who is on the road a lot.’
–FaceMace87
5.
‘A Contigo travel mug without a handle so it fits in the cup holder. They fully seal so keep drinks hot for ages and you can chuck them in your bag full and they don’t leak. I travelled/drove loads in my old job and got one as a gift when I started. Best gift from work friend I’ve ever had.’
–ThebigDTdestroyer
6.
‘An eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher. Takes the top of a soft boiled egg perfectly every time and is fun to use but less fun to say.’
–Mukatsukuz
7.
‘You can get Swiss army knife style metal cards that fit in the card slots in your wallet/purse. The bottle opener has been used 100s of times on mine and i’ve even been able to dismantle a full bed for someone using the screwdriver ends. It’s something that you didn’t realise you need, until you start to carry it.’
–Personal-Listen-4941
8.
‘I’ve got a single person rice cooker, cost around £12, amazing, takes five seconds to prep and cook, perfect rice every time. Went six months using rice as my staple and saved a fortune.’
–IlIIIllIIlIlllII
9.
‘A Greggs gift card made me a fat bastard.’
–CiderChugger
10.
‘Portable lunchbox that heats up its contents. Plugs into the car cigarette outlet, or, a normal 3-pin plug. Great for bringing leftovers for lunch but don’t have a microwave to heat them up in!’
–Datanully
11.
‘A toothpaste roller thing that squeezes all the toothpaste out. Saved so many arguments.’
–CrimsonAmaryllis