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Looking for great gifts and great value? Our editors share their picks for presents that are fun, thoughtful, cozy, kind—and can save your giftee some money.
Many Canadians intend to spend less on gifts this holiday season and spend more time looking for good deals. At MoneySense, we’re all about finding good value—with that in mind, we’ve rounded up 10 gifts that can help your friends and family save money on groceries, fitness classes, audiobooks and even heating bills.
Dining out is getting more expensive, including tip-flation. Treat a friend to home-delivered meal kits—they can choose fast, delicious meals from a weekly menu (and learn a few cooking skills, too). HelloFresh, for example, delivers to 95% of Canada. According to its website, $75 feeds two people with three meals a week, which is on par with or below the average weekly grocery bill in Toronto nowadays, in my experience. Gift card denominations are $75, $90, $125 and $160. —Margaret Montgomery
HelloFresh gift card, $75 to $160
The Always Pan 2.0 boasts 10 functions, from steaming to baking or frying. The pan is made sustainably with 100% recycled aluminum. The 2.0 is a new and improved model since the original launch, which took social media by storm—it’s now oven-safe and non-stick, too. This frying pan will save the home chef on your list plenty of cooking (and washing) time. Plus, we know it’s getting more expensive to eat out, so this gift is perfect for those who want to cook more. Available in three sizes and 11 colours.
—M.M.
Our Place Always Pan 2.0, standard size, $200 (currently on sale at $139)
Staying warm in the cold isn’t always about the expensive parka. Enter the merino wool base layer. It’s not just warm but cozy, too. Thankfully, Canada isn’t short of great sportswear brands. Here are a few pieces that will keep Jack Frost from nipping at your gift recipient’s nose—or any other body part.
—Lisa Hannam
Kathmandu crewnecks, $110 for men and women; Smartwool base layer bottoms, $140 for men and $150 for women
A few years ago, I got a MasterClass membership for my birthday, and it’s one of the best presents I’ve ever received. Give someone special the gift of knowledge, imparted by an entertaining all-star roster of instructors including Annie Leibovitz, Helen Mirren, Yotam Ottolenghi, Martin Scorsese, Serena Williams, Alicia Keys, Chris Hadfield, Garry Kasparov and many more. MasterClass offers 185 video courses, and until Dec. 12, you can buy one membership, get one free. —Jaclyn Law
MasterClass membership, from USD$13 per month (billed annually)
In the past few years, thousands of Canadians have started a company or side hustle. Give the entrepreneurs and freelancers in your life a copy of Going Solo: Everything You Need to Start Your Business and Succeed as Your Own Boss (Sutherland House, 2023). Written by long-time freelancers Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau, this savvy guide covers business plans, marketing, pricing, negotiating, contracts, incorporation, taxes, work-life balance and much more. —J.L.
Going Solo (Canadian Edition), paperback $29.95, e-book $9.99
Get the avid readers on your list a veritable buffet of books with an e-book and/or audiobook subscription. Prices start at $10 to $15 per month, depending on the platform—a small price to pay for not getting stuck on the library waitlist again. —J.L.
Reading subscriptions (fees are monthly): Kobo Plus, $9.99 for audio- or e-books, $12.99 for both; Audible, $14.95 for select audiobooks and one purchase credit; and Everand, $12.99 for audio- and e-books.
Fresh herbs can turn a mediocre entree into a show-stopping meal. Yet many people hesitate to buy them at the grocery store. Buying fresh is often expensive, and you can easily end up with a bushel of parsley, coriander or mint when you only need a few sprigs. An easy-to-use indoor garden kit, like this one from SunBlaster, solves this culinary dilemma. Your gift recipient can grow their favourite herbs, plants and microgreens all year long, while also creating less waste and saving money on produce. —Justin Dallaire
SunBlaster LED Indoor Micro Growlight Garden, $127
Think of the frustration you feel when starting a load of laundry, only to realize one or two items must be dry-cleaned. Now, picture freeing your friends and loved ones from that stress with a super-affordable laundry hack. Mesh laundry bags allow water to permeate, cleaning the clothes inside while preventing them from rubbing up against other items in the wash. They can help preserve delicates, as well as clothes made of wool and silk—those typically labelled “dry clean only.” Fewer trips to the dry cleaner means fewer dollars spent cleaning clothes that can just as easily be handled at home. That’s a win-win. —J.D.
type A Delicates Laundry Wash Bags, 3-piece set at Canadian Tire, $10
If someone you know and love is looking to move their expensive yoga practice from studio to home, then this set is for them. It contains all the good stuff: a bolster, two mini bolsters, an eye pillow, a blanket and two blocks. You could buy them all separately, but this locally made, handmade set is coordinated. All your gift recipient needs is a yoga app to access classes on demand—here are my favourites (fees are monthly): Apple Fitness+, $12.99; Peloton, $16.99; Movement by NM, $15; and Alo Moves, $21. —L.H.
Love My Mat Deluxe Restorative Yoga Bundle, $373 (currently on sale at $349)
If you know someone who is passionate about making a difference, consider giving them a charitable gift with a tangible impact. Compassion Canada operates programs that are designed to tackle “multidimensional poverty” around the world. The Income Generation Fund helps equip families living in poverty with the skills, training and resources necessary to earn an income—so it’s really a gift that keeps on giving. Compassion Canada is recognized by Charity Intelligence, which created our lists of top impact charities in Canada. —M.M.
Compassion Canada Income Generation Fund, $50, plus other options
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