Celebrating Galentines Day with your gals doesn’t need to be an expensive experience, we’re going to take you through three easy ways to give a Galentines Day gift on a budget without comprising personality, care and attentiveness to the gift itself.
- When is Galentines Day 2025?
- What is Galentines?
- Where did Galentines originate?
- Do you have to give a gift on Galentines Day?
- Budget friendly Galentines Day gift ideas
- Our final thoughts
When is Galentines Day 2025?
Each year Galentines Day is celebrated the day before Valentines Day on the 13th of February. This year, Galentines Day falls on a Thursday.
What is Galentines?
Galentines Day is a relatively new addition to the social calendar and it doesn’t currently get the same amount of recognition as Valentines Day does. Galentines Day is all about celebrating female friendships, the gals who brighten up your day, support you and are with you every step of the way.
The best part about Galentines Day is it isn’t restricted to single people, it’s an occasion for those in and out of relationships to come together and show love and appreciation for their friends.
Where did Galentines Day originate?
The concept of a Galentines Day actually originated on American sitcom Parks and Recreation. In season 2 episode 16 of Parks and Recreation Leslie throws a Galentines Day party for her friends and since then it is a social event that women around the world celebrate.
Do you have to give a gift on Galentines Day?
No! You certainly shouldn’t feel obliged to give a gift on Galentines Day. Remember what Galentines Day is all about; celebrating your friendships. This can be done with or without a gift and the best way to approach the uncertainty about giving a Galentines Day gift is to chat with your gals and agree on a way to celebrate that suits everyone.
If you choose to give your gals gifts this Galentines Day, but you’re worried about the additional cost for yet another annual holiday/celebration, fear not because we’ve pulled together three different Galentines gift ideas that will suit a smaller budget.
Budget friendly gift ideas for Galentines
If you and your gals do decide to give each other gifts this Galentines Day, there is nothing stopping you from doing this on a budget. Let’s face it, life is expensive enough as it is and another holiday/annual event/celebration is not what our bank account was hoping to see in 2025. Nevertheless, we’ve got three easy-win Galentines Day gift ideas that you can do on a budget.
Second Hand Gifts
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, second hand gifts are the way forward. They are personal, thoughtful and budget friendly. There is a misconception that a second hand gift is a cheap gift, and whilst it may cost less than brand new gifts, it’s not cheap in time.
Searching for a second hand gift for a particular person who may have particular tastes or interests takes time and effort. We’re firm believers that is easy to give a thoughtless, brand new item as a gift but the same cannot be said for second hand gifts.
To find the perfect second hand Galentines Day gift, firstly you need to identify which type of gift would your gal(s) appreciate. Are they into interiors, food, sport, clothes? Pick a hobby of theirs and focus on that, this will make it much easier to find a second hand gift that will suit them.
Where to find second hand Galentines Day gifts
Depending on what type of second hand Galentines Day gift you are looking for, you can shop second hand gifts with online second hand retailers like Sunshine Thrift, online marketplaces, charity shops, vintage shops and car boot sales.
Second hand homeware and accessories
To celebrate Galentines Day 2025, at Sunshine Thrift we launched what we believe to be the world’s first second hand Galentines Day collection of preloved women’s accessories and homeware all priced under £15. It is the ultimate Galentines Day gifting collection.
DIY gifts with crafts
We can’t think of a more budget friendly, thoughtful and personalised approach to Galentines Day gifting than doing it yourself with a little bit of crafting. If you’re not a creative person or you struggle with crafting, that’s not a problem. We’ve scoured TikTok to find three DIY Galentines gifts suitable for all skill levels.
HOT TIP: Turn your DIY Galentines gifts into something you do with your Gals! Instead of making your friendship bracelets alone, invite your friends round and make them together.
Gift an experience
The perfect Galentines Day gifts for your besties doesn’t have to be a physical gift, instead gift an experience that you can share together and create memories.
Host a Galentines party
If keeping cost to a minimum is priority number one then hosting a Galentines event yourself is the best option for getting bang for your buck. You can keep control of the spend and only splash out on key elements e.g. food and drink. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends to chip in and make it the best Galentines party ever. The cost to host a Galentines party is entirely determined by the number of guests, we’d recommend keeping it small and intimate so you can go hard on the smaller details.
There is a wealth of Galentines Party inspiration across TikTok, but these are our favourites.
Arrange an experience
If you’d prefer to leave the organisation and hassle of hosting an event to someone else, you could consider an organised day out instead. There are a multitude of companies available on the internet advertising event days, such as gin tasting, chocolate making or guided tours, at a discounted rate.
Virgin experience days have even curated a collection of experience days they think would make the perfect Galentines Day gift. But when you are working to a budget, discount websites such as Wowcher are a must visit for finding last minute deals.
Our final thoughts
We mustn’t forget the message behind Galentines, celebrating your gals! It can be easy to get swept up in the social media hype of celebrating a highly instagramable occasion. Focus on how you and your friends would like to celebrate and using our guidance above we know you can have a magical Galentines whilst sticking to a budget.
Whether you choose to get creative and DIY your Galentines gifts, seek out a thrifted Galentines gift or arrange an event or day out, put your budget first and choose which method suits you and your personal finances best. Galentines doesn’t have to be an additional expense!
If, at this point, you are still completely stuck on your Galentines day gifts ideas, have a look at our second hand gifts collection. We’re sure you will find something you and your gals will love!
