Thursday, 22 November 2012

• Eight Thoughtful and Inexpensive Gift Ideas

  
  The holidays are just around the corner, and it is around the time when many people begin to contemplate gift ideas for significant others, families, and friends.  Need ideas for gifts that are thoughtful and will not bleed your wallet dry?  Consider one of these ideas!

  1. Homemade craft:  Make a hand-made, one-of-a-kind present for that person who is also one of a kind!  Do you draw, paint, scrapbook, sew, quilt, knit, or crochet?  Do you enjoy sticking googly eyes onto shells or small household items and decorating them so that they resemble famous people?  Create something for your significant other, and make it meaningful.  For my boyfriend’s birthday this year, I busted out the acrylic paints and painted a beautiful fall scene, complete with a tree whose leaves were changing color, some rolling hills, and leaf piles on the ground, since fall is his favorite season.  Maybe you are an excellent knitter, and your significant other’s favorite color is blue.  Knit him or her a pair of blue mittens.  Maybe you enjoy scrapbooking.  Put together a scrapbook highlighting some of the best memories you have shared throughout the year.  Regardless of what you decide to do, if a homemade gift looks like effort has been put into making it, the recipient will be flattered by it.
  2. Mix tape/CD/playlist:  I know, I know – nobody uses tapes any more, and modern cars don’t even have a slot for cassette tapes.  Making a mix tape for your significant other or friend/family member is a great sign that you have been paying attention to the little details, and a mix CD makes all of his or her favorite songs very portable.  You can take this idea one step further by making several different mix CDs and giving each one a theme:  favorite holiday songs, favorite songs of 2012, songs that remind you of times shared together, songs for a happy day, songs for a gloomy day, etc.
  3. Gift certificates to the recipient’s favorite restaurant:  At first glance, the idea of giving somebody a gift certificate may seem a bit cliché and meaningless.  Aren’t gift certificates usually the generic present that you give a person if you do not know that person well?  In the case of a significant other or friend/family member, in order to make a gift certificate/card meaningful, make sure it’s for a restaurant whose food he or she enjoys.  Additionally, think of it this way:  if that person refuses to let you pay whenever you go out to eat, even if you consistently offer, use the gift card as a means of forcing that person to let you treat him or her for once!  You can also buy multiple gift cards to make sure that the next few dates/outings are all covered by you.
  4. Baked goods:  Do you enjoy making cakes or cookies?  Does your significant other or friend/family member have a favorite snack or dish?  Get to the oven and get cooking!  Surprise him or her with a warm, delicious snack or meal – or multiple! – this holiday season.
  5. Hobby supplies:  Is your significant or friend/family member other into painting?  Maybe he or she builds model airplanes or ships for fun.  Maybe your significant other is a fan of puzzles or hand-held games.  No matter what the hobby, chances are at some point, your significant other is going to need to stock up on supplies, so why provide those supplies as a present?  Get her some new canvases, some paints, a few brushes, and an easel.  Get him a few new cars for his model car collection.  Get her some seeds for some plants she could grow in her garden.  Buy him a new model train kit.
  6. Candy/Food basket:  Does your gift recipient have a sweet tooth?  Fill a basket with his or her favorite candies.  Or, if he or she prefers to eat a healthier diet, fill a basket with fresh fruit or vegetables.
  7. Personalized Coupon Book:  Create a collection of personalized coupons for your significant other or friend/family member that offer your services to him or her.  The idea of “offering your services” sounds dirty, right?  It can be if that’s what you want, but that does not necessarily have to be the case.  Coupons items can include a movie date with dinner completely covered by you, a lengthy massage, you taking over that person’s chores for a day, and breakfast in bed, provided by you.
  8. Books:  Does your significant other or friend/family member like to read?  Get him or her some new reading material.  Maybe he or she has a favorite author or a favorite genre.  Look for some new books – or some old classics – and provide your significant other with hours of entertainment with a few new books.

  What are some other examples of inexpensive, yet thoughtful, gift ideas?
  
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