You don't have to spend money to give the lesbian on your list a meaningful gift. Here are some ideas for gifts that don't cost a lot of money, or are free, that have as much meaning, or more, than a gift from the mall.

1. Collage of Photos

This is a great gift, especially for couples in relationships. Find a bunch of good photos of your time and memories together. Print them out and put them together in a collage. You can add other pieces of art or clippings from magazines to the collage.

Or make it poster size. I know one couple who love movies. In romantic movies, there's always a montage that shows the couple falling in love. One of the women made a poster size collage of moments from their life when they were falling in love. What is your montage? Or do you have other significant events you want to highlight?

2. Mixed CD

A mixed CD is one of my all time favorite free gifts. I remember back in the 90s when I was getting together with a girlfriend. We lived hours away from one another and would send packages in the mail back and forth. One of the best gifts I received from her was a mixed tape. (It was the 90s!) These days it's so much easier to make a music mix with Itunes and a CD burner on your computer. Pick a mix of songs that represent how you feel about her or songs that were playing when you met, music from concerts you've attended together or the first song that you danced to.

3. A Collection of Favorite Recipes

If you're a good cook and everyone raves about your double fudge brownies or quinoa salad, why not put some of your favorite recipes together to present to friends as a gift? You can be creative with how you present the book. Write the recipes out on cards and present them in a recipe box, or print them out on your computer with a photo that you took of the food item and create a little cook book.
You can be creative and title it "My favorite Lesbian Potluck Dishes" or "The Butch Gourmet."

4. A Valued Possession

Re-gifting is okay if the present has meaning to the person you're giving it to. Don't just get rid of the holiday sweater you got last year from your aunt. Save that for the white elephant gift exchange at the office. Instead, do you have something that one of your friend's cherishes? A silken scarf that you never wear? A rare signed copy of a book by her favorite author? The earrings that your grandmother gave you that you know you'll never wear? Re-gifting when it's meaningful can be a great free gift for the lesbian on your git list.

5. Record a Song

I remember when I was in college, I dated a girl who was part of the musical theater program at the university. After we had been dating a few weeks, she wrote a song that she said was inspired by falling in love with me. She recorded a copy of the song and gave it to me. To this day, it's one of the most meaningful gifts I have ever received.
If you have a musical talent and a song you've already written, or have a song by a favorite artists you'd like to record, this can be a sweet gift for someone and it doesn't have to cost any money.

6. Sell Your Old Stuff

Okay, this isn't really a free gift, but it doesn't cost you any money. Where I live, there's a great used bookstore that buys old books and you can get cash or credit back. Every year, I sell back a lot of old books and take the money to buy new books for my family and friends. Usually you get more in store credit than if you take the cash. You can sell clothing, books, music, electronic equipment or whatever to get cash or credit to buy gifts for the ones you love.

7. Coupons for Services

This isn't one of my favorite gifts, but some people like the idea. Make a book of coupons for things you will do for your lover or friend. If you have a lesbian couple friend with kids, make coupon to offer babysitting services. For a partner, you can give coupons for back rubs, foot massages, breakfast in bed or that one sexy thing she likes you to do.

8. Get Crafty

This takes a bit of time and planning and perhaps a bit of money, but making homemade gifts is really appreciated. Knit a sweater, scarf or cute rainbow hat. If you've got grape vines in your yard, make some freezer jam and present it to all your friends. Some people like to make tree ornaments, wreaths or magnets.

Making homemade gifts is a great thing for couples to do together. One year my partner and I made batches of homemade soap. Another year we made candles.

9. Make a Video

This is something that takes a bit of skill in video editing software, but making a video for your lover or friends is a fun and free way to do something meaningful for a holiday gift. You can write a little skit and have your friends perform it. Or you can take a montage of movies and photos from your daily life and turn them into a music video set to your favorite love song.

10. Create a Photo Album

So many people have boxes of old photos laying around that they don't really look at. Or they have a computer full of images that they don't know what to do with. Take the time and go through the old photos and pick out some of the best ones and put them together in a photo album. It can be a theme album, like your trip to Hawaii. Or it can just be an album of photos from your times together.

If you're daring, you can ask a photographer friend to take some sexy pictures of you to give to your girlfriend.