This post is by our regular contributor, Erin.
It’s that time of the year when we’re all wondering how the heck Christmas is right around the corner and shaking our heads in denial at all the holiday decorations going up in the stores.
As a self-proclaimed finance nerd, I can attest to the fact I’m incredibly difficult to buy for…which is why I usually tell people to give me cash, gift cards, or nothing at all (because presents aren’t necessary to celebrate the holidays!).
I actually had a difficult time coming up with this list.
But fear not, if you’re trying to find the best gifts for finance nerds, we have five great ideas below that should bring a smile to their face.
1) Personal Finance Books
You really can’t go wrong with personal finance books. Even if the finance nerd in your life has read a bunch of them, there are so many on the market these days, they’ll probably have missed a few.
Or, if they’re like me, they might have not read a lot of finance books. I learned most of my “methods” from real world observations and reading blogs, but I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to read about personal finance if someone gifted me a book.
Here’s a few classics that get mentioned a ton:
- The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
- Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
Maybe the finance nerd in your life has money management basics down, but hasn’t gotten into investing. In this case, consider gifting these books:
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
- The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
Want to go for some real classics that anyone obsessed with personal finance would treasure? Try these:
- The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin
- The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie
2) Gift Cards
Okay, I know, gift cards are looked down upon because they’re the least imaginative and creative gift you could give someone.
So what?
They’re arguably the most useful, if you get the right gift card. In years past, my parents have gifted me a grocery store gift card. That’s instant savings for me, and it means I can put the money I would have spent on food toward something else.
Also, if the finance nerd you know also happens to be frugal, getting a gift card is a good excuse for them to “splurge” a bit. I don’t normally go out to eat, mostly because of the price. However, I’m always happy to receive a gift card to a favorite restaurant. It means I can go there without guilt and enjoy a free meal!
The same goes for spa visits, mani/pedi’s, clothes, coffee, etc. If you know your finance nerd has been eyeing something, and they can’t bring themselves to purchase it, then give them a gift card to put toward it.
Not sure if they’d really enjoy “typical” splurges? What kind of hobbies do they have? As a money conscious person, it can be hard to justify spending on a hobby that we don’t want to monetize. Give them a gift card to a store where they can find something related to their hobby.
Also, you can use Swagbucks to earn points to “buy” gift cards, so you don’t need to spend any actual money on them. It will take some time, but it could be worth having extra money in your holiday budget.
3) Practical Items
The growing trend seems to be toward practical items instead of useless junk that sits there and accumulates dust. While I don’t find myself wanting anything in particular this holiday season, if you were to ask me to name something, it would be a practical item.
A new vacuum cleaner, a better office desk and chair, new headlight bulbs for my car, filters for the Brita pitcher I have, fingerless gloves so I can continue to type without my hands freezing…None of these sound “fun,” but they would bring me much more joy to receive than clothes or jewelry.
Focus on trying to improve the quality of life of others when thinking in terms of practical gifts. For example, my parents got me a new monitor for my birthday this year. It’s been so nice to have more screen real estate and makes working a lot easier.
Whenever I buy my dad a gift, it’s usually a part for his PC because upgrading can be expensive. I bought my grandma a new set of wireless phones for her house because her old ones caused too much interference and she couldn’t hear people properly.
4) Experiences
Buying experiences for people isn’t a popular option since these can’t really be “unwrapped” in the traditional sense, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative.
Tons of personal finance nerds are saying they’d rather spend money on experiences than material things. Experiences create more memories, and it’s even better when they’re gifted.
Think along the lines of vacations, sports or concert tickets, a conference pass, etc. This past Father’s Day, my cousins purchased a golf lesson pack for my uncle since he loves to golf, but isn’t exactly a professional at it. He got to enjoy a day out on the green and (hopefully) improve his skills.
I thought that was a great idea! Scour daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social for inspiration. Once you’ve settled on a gift, think of how to present it (if you want to go the extra mile). While not an experience, I received a ring for Valentine’s Day once, but it wasn’t ready in time. Instead, my then-boyfriend printed out a picture of the ring, stuck it inside a jewelry box, and wrapped it up. I was still happy!
5) Software / Subscriptions
There are so many we could cover here. If the personal finance nerd you know has been complaining that they want to “upgrade” from a spreadsheet to a more innovative tool, try purchasing You Need a Budget, or Quicken’s Deluxe Personal Finance and Budgeting Software. You could also recommend a free gift, like Mint or Personal Capital. Bonus points – if it’s your spouse you’re buying for, set up the accounts for them!
Tax season will be here before we know it. Help your financial friend prepare by gifting them some tax software! H&R Block and TurboTax are the two most popular.
If the person you’re buying for is also an avid side hustler, you can gift them a subscription to Lynda.com or a similar site. While we’re on the topic of subscriptions, you could always go old-school and gift your finance nerd a 12-month magazine subscription to Money, Forbes, or Kiplinger.
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One last idea would be to simply give them the gift of listening. When I asked a friend (who isn’t interested in personal finance) what gift he would get a finance nerd, he said, “A piece of paper stating the giver will sit patiently and listen to one rant about finance.” Clearly, he knows me well. ;)
He’s not wrong, though. Finance nerds are passionate people who often just want to be heard because we want to feel like we’re making a difference. It’s rare to find others who want to have a discussion about money. It would make our day to have that happen! Of course, giving your time in general is always appreciated, too.
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As a personal finance nerd, what gifts do you love receiving the most? What gifts have you given to other finance nerds? Do you like gifting experiences or practical items?
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I like giving and receiving gift cards. We often package say a restaurant gift card and movie tickets together to make it a night out. Also nice to create an experience for someone and even better if the cost are covered.
Great ideas; those books have influenced us a lot. We do enjoy giving and receiving practical gifts & gift cards.
Not gonna lie – the best gives I love receiving are monetary gifts toward my student loans!
I love the idea of subscriptions as a gift because it gives finance nerds the opportunity to try out other resources without having to make the financial commitment. For me, I am a big fan of the practical gifts. Our coffee maker was acting up last year so we asked for a coffee maker for Christmas. With the amount of money our coffee maker saves us every month, we could easily buy another one, but you just hate spending money on things like that.
As a recipient I love getting gift cards. I know I’m a pretty difficult person to shop for so getting a gift card allows me to pick what I want and the giver little hassle to deal with. That being said, we’ve moved largely to experience type gifts as we’d rather not bring in extra stuff into the house plus the memories are well worth spending on.
I would also add charity gift cards to this list. Meaning, I donate to a charity in so-and-so’s honor, and so-and-so receives a nice card or e-card informing them of the gift. Tons of organizations offer this as an option.
I honestly think software or courses are great gift ideas. Not fun to give, but so fun to get.
I love gift cards and practical gifts. I’m long over getting candles and body wash. We try to give as many gift cards as possible. I don’t see it as impersonal at all. I’d much rather do that than give something people will stick in a drawer or regift!
DebtDiscipline Exactly! I don’t get why gift cards are looked down upon. I like the idea of packaging them together to create an experience.
Pretend to Be Poor Glad we’re on the same page! Practical gifts are the best.
Financegirl Yep, I’d say cash is perfectly acceptable, too!
blonde_finance I hear you on that. It seems like financially responsible people try their hardest to keep things going because they don’t want to spend money on replacements. I’m the same way with most things!
FrugalRules That’s why I tell everyone I don’t mind getting gift cards. I wouldn’t even know how to shop for myself! I agree on not wanting to bring more things into the house. Experiences provide a better alternative.
theYachtless That’s a wonderful idea, too! Thanks for sharing that.
Hannah UnplannedFinance It’s interesting you bring that point up. I think half the battle for some people is giving gifts *they’re* happy to give. That’s definitely part of the gift-giving experience. Hopefully this makes people realize there are people out there who love receiving what others would perceive as weird gifts!
Eyesonthedollar That’s my take on it, too. Although I do have to say, my mom genuinely loves receiving candles for some reason. It’s been a go-to gift for her for years and she’s always giddy when she gets new scents.
Yeah, I’ve gotten to that point in my life that I’m asking mainly for practical items. I think it’s a little depressing, but at least people know that their gifts will get used, right?
Great ideas, Erin. People say I am difficult to buy for, which isn’t true. ;) I love giving experiences too because we value them so much as a family. If I know someone who cut a lot of luxuries (maybe due to job loss or deciding to get out debt), I might give them both a practical gift, like a gift card to a grocery store, and something that they would also enjoy – say a gift card to their favorite restaurant or clothing store, knowing they would appreciate them without guilt.
AbigailP It was a little strange to transition from looking forward to opening presents to not being surprised at all because my list was so short. But I would rather know people will get use out of their gifts. Plus, I feel guilty when I receive something that doesn’t fit or just sits there for years. I don’t like passing that onto people.
ShannonRyan Yes, that’s the right idea behind giving gift cards! They can still be thoughtful. I’m sure many of us (whether we like to admit it or not) would be ecstatic to receive a gift card to our favorite coffee shop. ;)
As long as people use the gift then that’s what I care about. Gift cards are my favorite gift to give and I tailor it to the person. For a friend that love coffee shops I’ll get them a gift card to their favorite coffee shop, etc.
EverydayMoxie You really can’t go wrong with gift cards!
Cool post here Erin! Must confess I am a bit of a finance nerd myself ;) haha
Enjoy the book recommendations however I’m about the experiences as well..
What are you most looking forward to getting?
Honestly, CASH! Then I can either just save it or buy exactly what I need. I don’t even care that you can’t unwrap it. :)
mycareercrusade Thanks! Honestly, nothing. There’s no list this year. I just want to enjoy family time. =)
Beachbudget Simplest and most useful gift. Also, I’d much, much rather get cash than scratch offs. That’s actually a pet peeve of mine (and for some reason, my family loves giving scratch offs instead).
Erin @ Journey to Saving Beachbudget YES! I don’t know why it’s frowned upon…actually was gonna write a post of it. I can understand if it was a significant other and you want to show some thought but for most adults…it would just be a lot easier than trying to find something they’d want. I also like practical gifts that I’d use. I think I’m pretty hard to shop for…what do you get something that doesn’t really want anything? Well nothing that can be wrapped up in a box as a gift!
I’d be so happy with gift cards! Especially Target or Amazon since they are like cash to me. I’ve been on a minimalism venture and really don’t want more STUFF. I could use gift cards for the things I need.
SimplySave Target and Amazon are the best, especially because there’s such a wide variety to buy there. It’s great for whenever little things pop up.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Haha, exactly! You should totally write a post on it. I’m all for giving thoughtful gifts, but I honestly keep coming up blank when people ask me what I want. I don’t mean to be hard to “buy” for, but I’d be just as happy with a thoughtful gift as I would be with cash or a practical gift. It’s not like I’m going to be ungrateful in either scenario!