by Penne Cole

Created on: November 02, 2010

Want to celebrate Christmas, his birthday, a special occasion, or send a “just because” gift but don’t want to splurge? These three creative gift ideas for under $30 are perfect for you.

Personalized playing cards

Whether it’s a simple black and white photo of your hands clasped together, a picture of the two of you having fun or a snapshot of your favorite vacation destination, personalized playing cards make a great gift that’s both cheap and romantic.

Shutterfly provides the service for just $24.99. Simply upload your photo, and your personalized deck of standard poker-size cards will arrive within a few working days.

Price: $24.99, not including shipping and handling. Enjoy free standard shipping with orders above $30.

Tip: If playing cards are not your boyfriend’s thing, Gift.com also carries several other customizable items, including a Rubik’s cube, jigsaw puzzles and more.

iPhone frenzy

iPhones don’t exactly fit the budget gift idea category but iPhone accessories do. If your boyfriend already has an iPhone, a few dollars on the Amazon store can get you a wealth of games, music and more. Multiplayer games like Let’s Golf or Real Racing or even Live Poker means that you won’t lose your boyfriend to his iPhone. Alternatively, you can also opt to get him an iTunes gift card.

For something a little more creative, Fotofone allows you to create personalized iPhone cases. The company offers both soft and hard cases that will fit both the iPhone 3G as well as the iPhone 4. You can use a favorite photo as a background for the case or even design your own unique case with Fotofone’s preset clipart. You can add text, shapes and patterns to your design as well.

Price: $29.95 without shipping and handling.

Tip: If your boyfriend doesn’t use an iPhone, there’s no need to worry. Fotofone also allows you to personalize covers for a range of different phone models.

Pantygram

Feeling flirtatious? Want to tantalize your boyfriend? There’s nothing that will fire up his imagination more than sending him a pantygram. Sendapantygram.com allows you to send your boyfriend a sexy pair of heart shaped red panties in a black envelope. The accompanying message will be printed on a gold card. Here’s the best part – you don’t have to reveal your name on the card. Instead, the card will come with instructions to log on to the website to find the rest of his personal message. When he does read the message, you will automatically receive an email update so you know when to expect his call.

Price: $24.95

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