I got an interesting note from Taking Stock reader Keri today. Keri and her husband are on a mission to become debt-free and are therefore staying away from credit cards this Christmas. Keri has a couple of those folks who are really tough to shop for and is looking for ideas. Here's what she said:
Share what you do for the ones on your list that either have what they need and want, are the types to just go and buy it themselves, or are picky. I am fully aware of a few paths around this issue, such as donating money to a worthy cause in a person’s name or honor, or making homemade gifts. The trouble with the homemade idea is that, besides baking, I am so not a crafty person! My best idea (but not sure I will actually follow through) is to ask my artistically gifted son to render an image that we can have copied and framed. But that’s a lot of pressure for an 11 year old...who doesn’t work well under pressure, nor would describle himself as an artist!
Comments
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
December 8, 2009 - 9:00am — WendyPerryCulin...Hope it's OK to throw a little self-promotion here since this would be great for those "hard to buy for" folks yet budget-friendly too.
www.TriangleCrockPots.com
Fees & Menus posted there with all the details.
a practical and affordable gift for yourself, a pastor, a lonely senior on fixed income to let them know they are thought about, struggling single mom who could use the gift of a meal AND crock pot! All sorts of ideas...
I'm in the Triangle East area and concentrating in that area and Wake Forest for now, BUT, if you can get a group together @ one stop to make it feasible (your home, day care, with co-workers, etc.) I'll come to you too! (Plus, 3+ crocks per stop get you all free dessert too).
From my kitchen to yours,
Wendy
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 25, 2009 - 11:11am — suestock (author)This is a really good question and I want to keep the answers coming, so I'm going to post a link to this thread on the left-hand side of my blog for awhile...
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 24, 2009 - 9:50pm — carsonm28Keri,
I know you mentioned that you know about donating to a worthy cause in hard-to-buy-for's name, BUT here is an idea with a local twist. You could buy "Gift of Honeybees" from Heifer International (www.heifer.org) in HTBF's name and include a jar of local honey. One farmer I can recommend is Berry Hines who sells honey and free range eggs at the State Farmer's Market and at Nofo in Raleigh. http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M19939
No craftiness or cooking required :-).
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 24, 2009 - 3:50pm — dwtaylor1How about a gift card to their favorite dining establishment? I love getting a Carrabas card every year! There are also many others and some are available on line or at Walmart and Walgreens, too.
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 24, 2009 - 11:12am — cwhittPut together a binder of favorite family recipes. (My mom did this one year for her kids and I use it all the time.)
Make copies of old b&w family photos and frame them.
Do a family movie night gift basket with a DVD, popcorn and candy. You'd spend about $20 but cover a whole family.
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 23, 2009 - 8:38pm — canton3279Make your own Trail Mix & put in a sealed jar or do the mixes in a jar each with a unique tag that you have made yourself on the computer. If you do the mixes in a jar don't forget to include the instructions for baking. You can even cut a circle out of Christmas fabric & tie with ribbon or raffia for the top. A quarter of a yard of fabric will make several jar lid toppers.
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 23, 2009 - 8:29pm — ndgirlyIf you go to goodwill you can always find a cheap basket. Create a themed basket...such as breakfast in bed. Hit up overstock.com or Ollies for cheap, close-out prices for one nice item (ex. baking dish). Then put some grocery store mixes or items in it, a recipe, a new dish and a vase (flowers in bed) You can find awesome vases at goodwill. Also just check out goodwill in general! I find wrapped gifts/toys for dirt cheap! The key is to check your goodwill regularly.
It also helps to just google..."gifts for brothers". I've seen some really cool items on some of these websites for dads and brothers.
You can also give "coupons" to close friends or family. My family did this growing up. Ex. "This coupon entitles you to 1 free hour of yard work" or whatever! Babysitting, organizing...there are tons of ideas.
GOOD LUCK!
-nf
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 23, 2009 - 7:40pm — noonie23I'm getting some stamps this year! Go to stamps.com and you can create personalized stamps. 1 sheet of 20 stamps is $17 if you get the coupon code from retailmenot.com. You get 10% off your order. And the more sheets you buy of the same picture the more you save.
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 23, 2009 - 4:50pm — claire7676DIY & no baking required. Only bad for diabetics or people with nut allergies:
Milk & dark chocolate covered pretzels. Sam's has cute holiday shaped pretzels right now. Just melt choc chips on stovetop, dip in pretzels, & dry on wax paper. Easy.
Peanut-not-brittle. COULD NOT be easier: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-peanut-not-brittle-candy.html
Chocolate truffles. Sound hard, but VERY easy. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-challenge/ghirardelli-sinful-chocolate-truffles-recipe/index.html
Re: Those hard-to-buy-for people...
November 23, 2009 - 3:48pm — tigejennGift cards are a classic for a reason. I'd far rather get a gift card than a gift I'll never wear/use (orange turtleneck I'm looking at you).
Or how about a muffin mix set... complete with muffin tins, ice cream scoop, recipes for different muffins and maybe even one mix pre-made (chocolate chip?). Same concept, but you could also try pancake or waffle mixes (dried cranberries?). Compose a silly poem and you're done!
My two fallbacks are Blockbuster gift card + popcorn and Starbucks g.c. + coffee mug. Easy and done!