We buy gifts for the people we love around the holidays because we want to give them something to make them happy and improve their life. If you have someone in your life who’s dealing with student loan debt, you know the burden they carry. Instead of giving them a sweater or a picture frame, why not give them something that can help them deal with their student loan debt. These gifts are great for anyone dealing with student loan debt.
Money Towards Student Loans
You can opt to give someone cash to apply directly to their student loan. If you want to ensure it’s going towards the loan, you can sit down together and make an extra payment. Keep in mind when you are making an extra student loan payment, you may need to specify that you want it to count towards the principal balance. Gift of College also allows you to buy a gift certificate that a borrower can apply towards their student loan.
Gift Certificates
For anyone dealing with student loan debt, gift certificates can be a great gift. To make sure your gift certificate is actually helping with student loan debt, keep it semi-practical. However, if you know your family member or friend with the debt has been really working hard to pay down debt, it’s perfectly fine to give a less practical but fun gift card, too. Here are some suggestions for gift cards:
- Affordable restaurants
- Gas
- Grocery stores
- Target, Walmart or Amazon.com, so they can buy anything from toilet paper to groceries
- Local yoga studios, gyms or other health-related activities
- Groupon, where they can find something fun to do or take a class
Gifts to Save Money on Food
Coffee maker and travel mug to save money on making coffee at home
- BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black, CM1160B
- Contigo 2034154 Stainless Steel AUTOSEAL West Loop Vaccuum-Insulated Travel Mug, 16 oz
Crockpot to make cheap meals at home and plenty for leftovers and a cookbook to go along with it
- Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker
- Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes!
Lunch bag and containers to bring their lunch to work
- Kamenstein 5084920 Heritage 16-Jar Revolving Countertop Spice Rack Organizer with Free Spice Refills for 5 Years
- Thoughtfully Gifts, Global Spice and Salt Gift Set, Set of 12 Unique Flavors
- Mantova Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil Variety Pack
Budget-friendly cookbooks
- Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day
- Budget Cookbook: 103 Delicious & Easy Recipes That Will CUT Your Grocery Bill in Half (Feed 4 for Under $10 A Meal)
- Budget Bytes: Over 100 Easy, Delicious Recipes to Slash Your Grocery Bill in Half
Personal Finance Books to Inspire and Teach
- BYE Student Loan Debt: Learn How to Empower Yourself by Eliminating Your Student Loans
- Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide To Money
- The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke
- How to Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any
- The No-Spend Challenge Guide
- Why Didn’t They Teach Me This in School?: 99 Personal Money Management Principles to Live By
- Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties
- Subscription to Consumer Reports
Gifts to Help Reduce Stress
- Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude: Gratitude Journal
- Stress Less Cards – 50 Mindfulness & Meditation Exercises
Gifts to Help Budget and Organization
Gifts for Inexpensive Entertainment
- …I Should Have Known That! Trivia Game
- Mattel Apples to Apples Party in a Box Game
- Scattergories Game
- Exploding Kittens Card Game
- Mattel Games: The Official Uno Tin
- Large Insulated Picnic Basket Cooler
- Extra Large Picnic & Outdoor Blanket
- AmazonBasics Ladder Toss Outdoor Lawn Game Set with Soft Carrying Case
- AmazonBasics Mesh Folding Outdoor Camping Chair With Bag
If your loved one is struggling with student loan debt, tell them to sign up for our free student loan newsletter for expert advice. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for our latest articles on better managing student loan debt.
Have a question on student loans? Send your question to our Publisher and VP of Research, Mark Kantrowitz, the nation’s leading expert on student loans and financial aid. Email advice@savingforcollege.com. Your question may be featured in an upcoming article. Due to a high volume of submissions, not all questions can be answered.