5 of the Best Affordable, Thoughtful Gifts for Dads

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“Don’t get me anything – I’ll be fine with a book or some socks!” Does this sound like your Dad? If so, we might be related.

It’s become somewhat of a joke on TV shows – getting the best gift for Dad is impossible! You might as well win the lottery or avoid Dad for the holidays, because he either only wants expensive stuff or he doesn’t want anything. Well, sorry Dad – you’re not getting new golf clubs for Christmas. You can thank my student loan payments for that!

But that’s not to say there aren’t awesome gifts out there for Dad. After several years of getting him pretty boring gifts, I made it my mission to find cool things Dad would actually like. Best of all? You can enjoy some of these gifts with your Dad too!

Now some of these gifts aren’t exactly “affordable” if you’re on your own, but if you can split the cost with your Mom or siblings, then these gifts are truly affordable. Anything I missed in this list? Let me know in the comments! 

Affordable, Frugal Gifts for Dad

The Peg Game (aka that Cracker Barrel game)

Heck yes, the peg game! Okay, it might seem like a weird or childish gift, but have you gone to a Cracker Barrel with your Dad? If not, skip to the next gift.

But if you’re like many of us, you’ve probably hit up a Cracker Barrel with your family. Face it, it’s decent food at a decent price that almost everyone can agree on during long family road trips. It’s fine.

The peg game, at least for my family, is the best thing on the table. This game has provided my Dad a lot of amusement, and I can imagine he’d really like to see it in his stocking. Maybe he could play this so much that he’ll stop asking for my login to Spotify so he can listen to his old man music. Hey, this is a gift that gives to me too!

Tile Mate

If there’s one thing I say to my Dad a lot, it’s “how in the world did you lose your keys again? You literally just had them, that has to be a world record of losing things, Dad.” (I’m a nice daughter, I swear). But seriously – what is it with Dads and losing things like keys, cellphones, etc.?

If your Dad is anything like mine, this totally affordable Tile Mate should be the #1 gift you get Dad. All they do is hook it (you could probably use a carabiner if your Dad is outdoorsy like that) to something you don’t want Dad to lose (like his keys or phone), then pair it with Bluetooth, and bam! Use your phone (or the Tile Mate if Dad’s lost his phone again) to find your item, linked through Tile Mate. So easy!

Cellphone Sanitizer

This gift might be more for you or Mom, but give it to Dad saying it’s “for him.” This gift is a cellphone and jewelry sanitizer, for those times when Dad is… less than hygienic with where he takes his phone. Or drops his phone.

We don’t really need to go into this one, but let’s just say it does its job so that if you have to use Dad’s phone, you know it’s clean. Ish.

Watches

Watches are a great gift for a busy dad on the go. A friend recommended WatchShopping, they have some really great watches browse this site and find out for yourself.

Whisky Glasses

For Dads who believe alcohol tastes best served in the perfect vehicle (whatever that may be), here’s a set of Glencairn Whisky Glasses for that picky father (or father-in-law).

These glasses look super classy and your Dad will be impressed you bothered to find out which glasses hold whisky the best, or whatever the terminology is when it comes to drinking.

I’m still not far enough out of college to be that picky about how I drink what I drink – as long as it doesn’t come out of a box. I’m 50% classy. Dad is 100% classy, so get him some classy glasses and maybe he’ll let you drink the good stuff.

A Salt Slab

Now this is the jam – and, at the time this article is published, 50% off! Get it now! For Dads who love to cook, this salt slab is the perfect vehicle for cooking all types of things, from meat to fish to even veggies.

I don’t personally use a salt slab – because so many of our friends have them and we just grill at their places! So I can attest that fish cooked on these salt slabs tastes so good (and my husband says meat cooked on these salt slabs tastes even better). It’s a very cool gift that Dad (and you!) can use over and over.

Split it with Your Siblings: A Drone!

I got my husband a drone a few years ago, and it has been a huge hit! I bought it in 2014, so drones were either small and affordable or bigger and too pricey, but now drones have really come down in price – and gotten bigger, making them way more fun.

Seriously, drones are probably the coolest gift I would get for someone else. They’re fun to watch and play and, if you’re really into drones or photography or both, you can take some really cool aerial shots with these things. Perfect if your Dad is a realtor or nature photographer!

Affordable Thoughtful Gifts for Dad

All in all, none of these gifts surpasses $100 (at the time of this writing). They’re all really great, fun (or delicious or helpful) gifts for Dad. Obviously, you know your Dad better than I do, so maybe I’m off here, but after seriously getting gifts for Dad for the last ten years, I have some experience in picking out gifts for Dad. I once bought my dad a throwback jersey since he loves basketball, it was a pretty cheap gift but he absolutely loved the thought behind it. I think this year he might actually prefer my gift to socks!

What are you getting your Dad or father-in-law this year? Let me know in the comments below!