Showing posts with label Gift Ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gift Ideas. Show all posts

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Decorating and Gift Giving

I did a little online "shopping" and found some things I thought would make sweet decorations for the home or even cute little Christmas gifts without breaking the bank! I have overspent for the holidays many times in the past. It's ridiculous! I sometimes wonder if the person that I bought for even remembers what they received from one Christmas to the next. It's nice to give for the holidays, but it doesn't have to be expensive and should not put you in the hole from one year to the next. It seems I no sooner get the charge card paid from last Christmas and guess what...Christmas is here again. Now I ask myself  do I really want to do this again?? The answer this year is NO! Times are changing for everyone financially. This year I'm cutting back on the amount of money I spend. My children are much older, and should realize that...well....they are not little children. Or, maybe it's just the mom in me that thinks I need to shower my adult children with gifts at this special time of year because they are both single and will not have anything to open Christmas Day unless it's from me....

But as for the other people in my life that I would like to get a little something for, these are some things I have found that can be given as a small gift or added into a cute gift basket that won't break the bank! My sister-in-law makes up sweet gift baskets that I really appreciate.

Here are a few of the items I found. Maybe it will give you some ideas for decorating or gift giving.










These little sweeties are Yarn Pals. Check out the cute little booties!



Maybe not for the women, but for those wrestling fans, this is a great gift. My hubby received this from his sister last year for Christmas and he loved it! Full of color photos and info.



I have a Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook, not this Christmas issue, but I love it. It's full of slow cooker recipes for all of those busy people who need a little help with supper. Lots of great recipes.




A nice bottle of sparkling wine to go with


this sweet Holiday Glass set/4. You could make it more elaborate and add some cheese, crackers, etc. It just depends on what your budget allows.




NFL Tumblers for the football fans.



Sweet reusable canisters with a Muffin Mix inside. Great for a basket.



Holiday characters/gift towel set.





The Major Award throw. I couldn't help myself when I saw this one. Really cute throw for those who are crazy about the movie A Christmas Story. ;-)



Every Day Thought Calendar with a different quote for each day of the year.



NFL Floor Mats for that football fan.



I love these little Sentiments Snowmen! So cute!



These Holiday Birds would look sweet on a table, mantel, shelf, or just about anywhere.




This is a lighted flicker candle that works off of batteries. I'm a big fan of battery operated candles because you can put them on shelves or anywhere that you couldn't put a real candle. I have quite a few of these kinds of candles in my home, but I also love the real scented candles. The nice thing about these are that if you forget to turn if off before you go to bed it just doesn't matter! The house won't burn down! There's also a cute Santa candle like this one.



Color changing wooden candles that would look great on a mantle or a window. Simple and inexpensive decorating.



Santa countdown to Christmas. There's also a Snowman countdown.



Lighted Sled.

These were some ideas that I picked for decorating or gift giving that won't cost an arm and a leg for the holidays. I need to remember that the reason for the season is not how many gifts you give or receive, or how much you spend on someone, or how elaborately decorated the home is, it's Jesus, He is the real reason we celebrate Christmas!



Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Gift Ideas For $25 and under

Hard to believe that half of the year is almost gone! Time seems to fly by these days. Next month will be "Christmas in July." Some people like to start Christmas shopping early and with the economy certainly not what it used to be, lots of people have a Christmas budget amount for shopping. Here are a few ideas for gifts $25 and under....but this does not count the shipping and handling. Lots of times when I shop online, before checking out I will open another tab and search for coupon codes for whatever it is that I'm puchasing. Lots of times I will have great luck with this and sometimes not! Here are a few ideas. Gift baskets are always a great idea. These ones you can find at Gourmet Gift Baskets.


Ingredients:
· Banana Chips by GourmetGiftBaskets.com - 4 oz. - These chips are the crunchy, dried versions of the world’s perfect food.
· Gourmet Twisted Honey Wheat Dipping Pretzels by East Shore Specialty Foods - 5 oz. - Honey? Wheat? What could be more healthy?
· White Birch Pinkhams Nosh Trail Mix - 4 oz. - This all-natural trail mix is the perfect food for the trail, golf course, office, home, ...pretty much anywhere!
· Original Almondina Biscuits - .7 oz. - Almondina biscuits are light and sweet and peppered with almond wedges.
· Metropolitan Trail Mix by GourmetGiftBaskets.com - 4 oz. - Our “Metropolitan” trail mix is a nutritious snack that is as appropriate in the big city as on the trail!



 Ingredients:
· Triple Chocolate Bliss Cookies by Brent & Sams - 7 oz. - Overstuffed with white and milk chocolate chips, these award-winning cookies are made with all-natural ingredients and packed with ultra-chocolaty flavor.
· Milk Chocolate Signature Bar by Lake Champlain - 3 oz. - Lake Champlain is one of the top chocolate makers in the gourmet industry, and this rich, creamy milk chocolate bar is a prime example of their best work.
· Blum's Gourmet Milk Chocolate Dipped Pretzels by Supreme Chocolatier - 1.5 oz. - One of the favorite ingredients in our chocolate gift baskets, these oversized gourmet pretzels are covered in rich, creamy Blum’s gourmet milk chocolate.
· English Toffee Caramels by Marich - 2.1 oz. - Anyone who says the English are not known for their cuisine has never tried these smooth, rich English toffee caramels by Marich. These caramels are sure to dispel food misconceptions one sweet bite at a time!

These are just two samples of ten mini baskets you can find here.

Of course you can always make your own. Dollar stores are a great place to shop. You would be surprised at the things you can find there. Also, if you are that gifted person who bakes your own goodies...cookies, breads, candies, make your own jellies, jams, etc. , these make the best gifts!!

For those of you who know someone who likes to have a drink or two,  here are some ideas from Kir DeVries.



Rocking Whiskey Glasses, set of 6.



Ice Melts Whiskey Stones (or you could use these for any drink of your choice.) Each stone holds and chills your drink without diluting it like ice would. 9 Whiskey stones.


Wine Tote Sling.

  • Fully insulated
  • Full zip open back to easily insert or retrieve wines
  • Extra zip pocket on front
  • Adjustable strap              
QVC is a great place to shop. Closer to Christmas, they always have shows featuring gifts for $25 and under. July 23rd.  at midnight is their Christmas in July show. It will be all day Sat. and Sun.  I watch this every year. I try to be good and not order to much! Something I always do wherever I shop is to check out the reviews if available before I make a decision in purchasing a product.

Bronner's has a very big selection of Christmas ornaments at reasonable prices. I love collecting ornaments. My friend and I decided to get each other a new one each year. Now I'm sure there are so many other places that you can find nice ornaments from, but I'm just giving some ideas here.

Amazon has a huge assortment of books. Most times if you purchase $25 you will get free shipping! You can find just about anything there.


There are 95 pages of gifts under $25 at Gifts.com
Sun Safety Kit


So, depending on the person you are buying for, there really are a lot of gifts for $25 and under out there. You just need to search and think and keep your budget in mind. And hey...you can always put money in a card or a gift puzzle box...this makes it into a game to try and get it out... I don't know about you, but I could always use some extra cash!



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