Housewarming Gift Ideas

Purchasing a new home is a significant accomplishment for most people. Celebrate the occasion, with a thoughtful housewarming gift for the new homeowners. A housewarming gift should be thoughtful and creative, without breaking the bank. Housewarming gifts can range from decorative items for the interior of the home, long-lasting gifts for the outdoors or a donation of your time and skills.

Inside the Home

• Create a frame with a picture of their new home and address numbers to signify the start of a new life phase. A black and white photo of the exterior of the home looks timeless when matted in a nice frame. Look online or take your own photos of objects that create the house numbers in the address.


• Use the homeowner’s initials to personalize hand towels, bath towels, pillowcases or a cozy blanket. Purchase an item of your choice that complements the home’s decor and have it monogrammed at a specialty shop.


• Purchase inexpensive barware or entertaining dishes for the new homeowners. Use etching cream to personalize clear glass dessert plates, wine glasses or other dishes. Etching cream is available at arts and crafts stores and allows you to create monograms, patterns and designs on any glass surface with a few simple steps.


• Bring food or beverages. Make a freezer meal for use on a later date when unpacking and home projects take over the day. Select a nice bottle of wine or champagne to celebrate the occasion. Create a gift basket with the person’s favorite snacks such as chips and dip, sweet treats or specialty food items.

Outside the Home

• New homeowner’s not only have the interior of a new home to decorate, they also have a garden area or patio to furnish. Select a plant such as a rose bush, flowering shrubs or small fruit tree that will become a part of the landscape. A nice pot with a lush plant dresses up a patio space or porch area.


• Put together a collection of handy tools for yard work. Cash-strapped homeowners, who moved from an apartment, appreciate garden tools for yard maintenance. Patio gardeners enjoy new hand tools for tending potted plants and small garden areas.


• Consider entertaining supplies to use for cooking outdoors. A new set of grill tools or serving trays is appropriate for the outdoor chef. Team up with other friends or family to present the homeowners an outdoor fire pit, patio umbrella or outdoor seating.

Budget-Friendly

• Giving a gift does not mean you have to spend a lot of money. New homeowners often find themselves facing a number of new home improvements and decorating projects. Give the gift of your time and skills to help them complete a project. If you are skilled at painting, carpentry, laying tile or landscaping, consider offering to help with a project.


• Purchase a gift card to a local home improvement warehouse. They can purchase what they need when a new project arises. Pair it with an offer to help with the project when the time comes.