Pursuing a minimalist lifestyle means that one is trying to become more conscious of the things they do. Gift-giving is no exception either. If you’re at a crossroads for how to gift intentionally, here are five thoughtful gift ideas that can work for any occasion.
The important thing is to give thoughtfully, but not necessarily take forever to decide what that means.
5 Thoughtful Gift Ideas for Any Occasion
These five ideas will help you narrow down ideas that will never fail you!
1 // An Experience Gift
We’re starting the thoughtful gift ideas off strong with my favorite option to give and receive!
Purchasing tickets to a concert, event, festival, spa treatment, or movie is a great option.
Most people have everything they need in life and love new experiences. They may need a little encouragement or reason to do something outside of their normal routines.
Look at venues within your area to see if anything is happening they might like to see. You can also book them a trip to a destination they have always wanted to visit.
Trust me, these experiences will take a happy place in their heart, and they will treasure it forever!
2 // Gift Certificate
Is your person frugal? Do they want to try something but just have not yet?
This is the perfect opportunity to give them this chance! Whether it is a gift certificate to a fancy restaurant or a store they love, they will definitely appreciate a gift certificate!
The best gift certificate I have received was a restaurant gift certificate that allowed me to choose between 6 different restaurants.
It was hard to choose just one, but my husband and I enjoyed a fabulous meal, all thanks to the person who gifted this gift certificate!
3 // Consumable Gift
Now I know you are reading this and thinking, “What….?” But hear me out for a minute. Intentional living is all about stepping away from consumerism and being purposeful about the things in your life.
Where a consumable gift can come into play is purchasing something your people already use, such as skin care items, groceries, toilet paper, etc. If they already use it and love it, you cannot lose!
Also, do not be afraid to step out of the box a bit with this option. Gifting a wine or specialty product is perfect as well!
This gives them a chance to feel extra special and/or fall in love with a new product. Baking or making their favorite dish is always a great idea as well!
4 // Monthly Subscription Box
There are so many different subscription boxes available now compared to a few years ago.
You are bound to find something they will appreciate, whether it is a subscription for wine, razors, books, beauty products, magazines, etc.
You can find just about anything! Some programs even have it to where you can gift monthly, every other month, or every three months. This option will definitely be the gift that keeps on giving!
Related Post: Sustainable Subscription Box Gift Guide – Gifts Perfect for Any Occasion!
5 // DIY Gifts
This category can consist of several ideas! DIY bath essentials are always fun to make as well as give, such as bath salts, bath bombs, lotions, etc.
I love the cookie-in-a-jar idea, where you have all the ingredients in the jar, and all they have to do is follow instructions.
I personally use essential oils and will make a few different blends during this Christmas season for friends and family.
Another spin on DIY gifts is hand-making a card, picture frame, or something you think the people you need a gift for will appreciate.
The ideas are endless, and we have the amazing Pinterest to thank for that!
Final thoughts about thoughtful gift ideas for any occasion
If you enjoyed these thoughtful gift ideas, be sure to check out my other gift guides.
Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, if you aren’t already!

Great ideas, I especially love the idea of subscription boxes. They’re the gifts that keep giving!
Thank you, Jamie! Subscription boxes are one of my new favorites to gift people.
Experience gifts are an amazing option even if you don’t define yourself as a minimalist! Also, you can never go wrong with subscriptions and gift cards! Lovely post!
Thank you, Kiara! I definitely agree! Experience gifts are something I really enjoy giving as much as receiving!
This is such a cute and pretty blog post and blog… great ideas for gifts!
Thank you so much, Michelle! I am glad you found it useful!
There are so many good ideas in this post, thank you for sharing!
I am glad you enjoyed this, Dana!
Such great ideas! I’d honestly prefer gift cards and experiences to actual physical gifts.
Thank you, Serena!
As an aspiring minimalist, I love this gift guide. The gift of an experience far surpasses anything physical. Thanks for sharing!!
I am glad you enjoyed it, Erica!
Monthly subscription boxes are a great idea! I’ve loved giving those in the past.
Thank you, Mariah! I love all of the varieties that you can find! I seriously found something for everyone on my list!
I’m such a minimalist – I just want to have a good holiday with no stress! I do love the DIY gift idea. My sister and I make one gift to give each other each year. We love this tradition!
That is a fun tradition! My sister and I usually pick out something the other can get for us that we just have not taken the time to get ourselves. A no-stress holiday would be great!
These are such good ideas! I would much rather get a gift to a concert or a football game and make memories than a sweater or some jewelry!
Thank you, Ashley! I agree! My husband asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I suggested going to a concert that is in the spring. I would much rather go and enjoy myself than add unnecessary clutter into my home.
Yes!!!! Love these ideas. I really love experience gifts and consumables for people who don’t need anything in my family 🙂
Thank you, Allison! I love giving and receiving those as well!
I want to make my sister a frame with a few photos of her in and inspirational quotes in patchwork, minimalist sort of style, if you can imagine. For one sister I’m buying a box of chai tea and a colour your way through the Psalms daily planner. (I bought one for myself too) Don’t know if I’ve mentioned before, but I’m a welder’s wife too, here in QLD Australia and he’s always building something!
They sound like amazing gifts, and I am sure they are going to love them, Lizzy! My sister is being treated to a hair appointment by my favorite stylist! She always complements my hair, so I wanted to give her an experience I know she will enjoy! How awesome is it that we are both welder’s wives?! My husband is the same way! He is always finding things to tinker with or weld!
As a minimalist I can attest that I love all of these! Consumable gifts are probably my favorite. I get to enjoy them while also knowing they won’t take up space forever. 🙂
Consumables are a great gift to get and give! I love giving consumables to people that are hard to shop for, because they mind find their new favorite spice or beauty product!
I love all these gift ideas and honestly prefer them to people buying me more “stuff”. It’s sometimes hard getting people to understand that you want to live a more minimalist lifestyle, though. Any tips/advice on how to tell people in a nice way you would rather them not buy you gifts?
It is more challenging, Cara! I would love to share a few tips! First, explain why you do not want them to buy you gifts. If they are able to comprehend your request, they will respect it. However, my second tip is for those who do not comprehend not getting you something. For these people, there are two options. You can ask for a gift of experience, such as going to a play or travel somewhere you have never been. Another option is to have a wishlist of things that you need or would like, but may not buy yourself. For my husband, I am requesting the first option. For my parents, I have given them my Amazon wishlist and conveyed to them that they are not to stray from it! [They are huge givers and are very thoughtful, but I do not have enough room for their love of giving in my home.] If you wish, I can write a full post on this. This is kind of the quicker version.