Tomorrow is the last day of school for our grade schooler, and this week has been jam-packed with field day, inflatables day, and the end-of-grade party. We count ourselves blessed indeed to be at a school with such fun, committed, outstanding, dedicated teachers and staff. And if you’re like me, you’d probably love to get each one of them a big fat gift to say thank you… But when you multiply that by even two or three (or ten or more), it gets really expensive FAST!

So, for the class teacher and assistant, I took up a collection to put together two gift baskets (suggested $6-8 each). So rather than our teachers receiving 20 “Teachers Have Class” mugs, they each got a gift basket. They included spa, Target, and Starbucks giftcards, as well as some goodies and treats. Nice! [You can see my “how to” and several theme/fill lists for how to make spectacular, affordable gift baskets here.]

But there are four “specials” teachers on top of that (the media specialist, arts/music teacher, P.E. teacher, and computer teacher)… So things can really add up. I took up a smaller collection for anyone who wanted to go in on gifts for them (suggested $3-5 each). A few of us ended up going in together to get Target gift cards for each (Dick’s Sporting Goods giftcard for the male teacher; Lowe’s or a favorite restaurant are also pretty safe bets for male teachers, I think).

…And then we like to share a little love with our former teachers & head office staff. OOF! Budget buster! These I just did from us rather than take up for a group gift.

So here’s how I tried to give a little thank you without breaking the bank for them. Just like with the specials group gifts (which have a gift card, gummy bears, a shovel, and cute note each), I made up lots of extra goody bags (with just mini gummy bears, shovel, and cute note). I printed out the messages on colored card stock and then trimmed off the corners and punched a hole in each to make gift tags. I found a 30-pack of snack-size gummy bears at Target for about $5 and put two little bags in each sack. I hope they feel loved! Wish I were rich enough to shower them all with LAVISH, EXTRAVAGANT gifts! Cruises all around! 😉

OH! And before you think I’ve gone completely BONKERS, here’s what the note says to explain the shovels and gummies. I saw the shovel idea on Pinterest here.

And here are a couple of other thoughts for when you need to buy several small gifts:

Even a $5 Starbucks card is much appreciated. I like to put it in a tall cup with a piece of tissue paper stuffed rather than a gift card holder. Easy, practically cost-free wrapping!

And if you are really stretching a dollar or spreading the love, adding a cute & punny note to simple candies can mean a lot:

“We can hardly BEAR to see the year end!”

“We think you’re a real SWEET’ART!”

“Being in your class is SWEET & REFRESHING”

“Thanks for loving on us RUNTS!”

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Of course, what I’ve heard from teachers over the years is that the personal, handwritten thanks are the most memorable and valuable, so don’t discount the worth of having your child put pencil to paper!

At the end of the day, it really is the thought that counts. So remember to say thank you, whether it’s verbally, with a note, or with a small gift!

So, do you give end-of-year gifts to your kids’ teachers? How do you express appreciation with an eye on the budget? I’d love to hear your ideas!

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