Best gifts for girlfriend under ₹500

The little bottle fits in her college bag, and it's the cheapest way to give her a scent that's just hers. If you already know she likes sweet, fruity perfumes, the 100 ml bottle is the better buy. Has she worn the same perfume since school, though? Then don't bother, because she's not switching for a birthday.

These are made in small batches from polymer clay, so nobody else on her floor will have them. Does her earring box already look like a tiny zoo of fruit, cats and mushrooms? She'll love these. They're light enough for a full day of classes, but if she only wears gold or silver, keep scrolling.

An anklet is such a personal gift. She wears it every day, and mostly only she sees it. This one's a single fine chain, so it goes with jeans and with a kurta. Tell her to take it off before a bath and the gold-tone plating will last longer.

Up north, hostel winters crack everyone's lips by December, and these are cute enough to feel like a real gift, not a chemist run. Three tubes means one for her bag, one for the bedside and one she'll lose. Know nothing about her makeup? You still can't go wrong here.

Five sealed letters, each one for a mood: when she's stressed, when she misses you, when she needs a laugh. Slip a handwritten line of your own into each, so they sound like you and not a card shop. Perfect when her birthday falls in exam week, or when she's in another city and needs something to open on a bad day.

Basically the 8 AM lecture accessory. Her hair goes up in five seconds and she still looks like she tried. Get it if she has long or thick hair, because claw clips just slide out of short, fine hair. Bonus: it's pretty enough for a family function too.

Real silver at this budget, and small enough for college, an internship interview or a strict warden. Silver darkens with sweat and perfume, so tell her to put them back in the box when she's not wearing them. If cheap metal makes her ears itch, silver is the kinder choice anyway.

Yes, it's the classic girlfriend gift, and the chain is light enough to wear with a T-shirt. The length adjusts, so you don't have to guess her neckline. Under the gold tone it's stainless steel, which handles daily wear better than plated brass.

Put 12 of your photos on one A4 page in any free collage app and get it colour-printed at the print shop near college. She can stick it up with tape, so no nails and no drama with the warden. Write the date you met in pen along the bottom. That little line is what makes it yours.

The flower seller outside the nearest temple has both, for a fraction of what a wrapped bouquet costs. Buy them the evening before and wrap the gajra in a damp cloth so it's still fresh at midnight. If she wears flowers on festival days, she'll love it. If she never does, pick something else.

Fill a shoebox with everything that gets her through a night of revision: four packs of instant noodles, coffee sachets, a mug and the chocolate she buys when she's stressed. Tape a note on each one saying when to open it. Most colleges hold exams around November to December or April to May, so if her birthday falls in there, this is your gift.

A half-kilo cake goes to waste in a hostel with no fridge. This one's sized for the two of you, or three if her roommate joins. Get it delivered to your own address and carry it to the gate yourself. If she's strict about eggs, check the egg or eggless label at checkout.

Three roses fit in one hand and in a hostel room with no vase. Try that with a 20-stem bouquet. The flowers last a few days, but the polaroid of you two will outlive them by years. Upload a sharp, well-lit photo, because small prints show every blur.

You send the details (how you met, her nickname, the joke only you two get), and it comes back as a song on WhatsApp in two versions. There's nothing to ship and nothing for a desk to refuse, so for a long-distance girlfriend this is my top pick on the whole list. Order a week ahead and ask about turnaround before you pay.