Gwenypics/Flickr
I’ve been feeling generous towards a low-income friend lately. Not that he needs any help, but I am able to give it. I’m not interested in giving this friend a loan, but I’m considering subsidizing various activities with him, like picking up the lunch tab or treating him to a movie.
The prospect of giving gifts to a friend outside of Christmas, birthdays, and special occasions makes me nervous. Is this even appropriate? Will I hurt his pride? I called etiquette expert Nancy Mitchell for tips. Here’s what she advised.
What are the rules when it comes to giving gifts to friends?
I think the number one rule is to know the friend and know how to proceed. Would the person be wiling to accept things or is the person extremely proud and you’ll have to use subterfuge?
Let’s start with the person who may be very proud and not be willing to take what they think is charity. You can call them up and say, I got a gift certificate to a restaurant or theater. I would love to have you come with me, are you available? They might not have to know you went out and bought the gift certificate yourself.
Or say, Someone gave me two tickets to the hockey game. Would you like to go? If you had a friend who had children, give child care once and a while. I’d love to babysit sometime. Can I babysit and give you an evening out? Or say ‘I’ve got too much of a certain product. Pass things on, share some of the wealth. Offer to share frequent flyer miles.
Is it ethical to give gifts like this to friends who, if they knew the whole story, would say no?
I think it is because you don’t have an ulterior motive. You are giving from your heart and you are showing great sensitivity to someone’s situation. It’s not going to hurt anyone, it’s going to help.
What are the no-nos of giving?
You would never let anyone in on the secret. It’s between you and whoever is the recipient. Because if the cat got out of the bag there could be some hard feelings.
What about if your friend is open to receiving gifts? (more…)
How many unwanted presents did you get this Christmas or Hanukkah? I got a pair of jeans that don’t fit and a sweater that isn’t quite warm enough for my needs. I plan to exchange both.
Most people don’t do anything! Three in five consumers hold onto gifts they don’t want, according to a survey from Kijiji.com, a free online classifieds site. The top reasons are:
- they don’t want to hurt the feelings of the giver (60 percent)
- they think they will eventually use the gift (51 percent)
- it’s too much effort to return them to the store (33 percent)
If you can get past these hesitations, here are five things to do with unwanted, ill-fitting holiday presents.
Use an unwanted gift card to buy a gift for someone else. Think ahead to any birthdays, parties, or celebrations coming up in the next six months. Anybody retiring? Getting married? Having a baby?
Re-gift! Sometimes you’ll come across an appropriate recipient a few days later at another holiday function, but more likely you’ll stash an unwanted gift in your gift closet (a designated area at home for evergreen gifts). Make sure you remove anything that would indicate the item was re-gifted and do not mention you are re-gifting to the recipient, which is extremely rude. Some people feel re-gifting is tacky, but I say it’s better to re-gift than let a present go to waste!
Sell gift cards you’re not going to use, especially if you think the store has a chance of closing. Here is the low-down on the best sites to sell gift cards.
Exchange the gifts for something you want. If you don’t have a receipt, head to the store ASAP. Without a receipt, you’ll only get credit for the current selling price. Macy’s is one of the few stores that embeds the sale price in a bar code sticker so you can get credit for exactly what the giver paid. A lot of retailers softened their return policies to make it easier on us consumers and some are giving as much as a month after the holiday to return and/or exchange.
Sell presents online. Craigslist, Kijiji, eBay, Amazon. The Internet is your oyster.
What was the worst gift you received this Christmas?
1. A magazine subscription. Amazon has a bunch for $5 for a year
2. A gift certificate to the recipients favorite restaurant (if you are not local have the eatery put it in the mail and explain what is coming in a card)
3. A CD or book. Borders has a 30 percent off coupon good through Dec. 24. If you are looking for holiday music, check out Duke Ellington’s Three Suites for a swinging version of The Nutcracker.
4. Framed children’s art.
5. A family object from past generations. Last year my Aunt Mary gave me a beautiful quilt made by my great-grandmother. It was the most touching gift I received.
6. A stainless steel mug filled with candy, a letter, or another treat. Walgreens has a set of three mugs for just $10!
7. Tickets to a concert, ballet, opera, or show. You can let the recipient chose from a variety of performances.
8. If you want a gadget, consider a Flip Camera or GPS. If money is not an issue, pick up a netbook or iPhone.
9. A neat homemade gift is Que Bella Body Scrub, above. Five ingredients. Two hours. $40 bucks. More than a dozen gifts.
10. What’s your best last minute Christmas gift idea?
My frugal friend Donna Freedman, who blogs for MSN’s Smart Spending, talked to a handful of shopping mavens (includings yours truly) and wrote up a post about how to make the most of post-holiday sales.
“Two excellent reasons to hit the after-Christmas sales,” Donna writes. “You can find some screamin’ deals. You got gift cards or money for Christmas, so you can afford to shop!”
A few of her tips:
Keep reading for more post-holiday shopping tips.
I was wrapping up my holiday shopping at Walgreens yesterday morning when I noticed one man aimlessly wandering the Christmas aisle, hoping a present would jump out at him.
Yeah, I sympathized in my head, there’s not much selection. Or was there? I took a closer look and was shocked to find some really neat gifts.
A set of three stainless steel water bottles, above, was $10 – for all three of them!!! Usually these things go for $15 each. I’m kicking myself for not grabbing a set, which I could use as gifts in the next few months.
Large boxes of Thin Mints were 2/$2 – quite a steal of an office gift or stocking stuffer.
ChiaPets, which I have always coveted (perhaps because I have never owned one) were $16. I could see giving a ChiaPet to a co-worker (neat cube decoration), a grandparent (garden indoors!), or a young kid interested in how things grow.
For wordy/nerdy friends, the game Bananagrams is $15. If you’ve never played it before, it’s like scrabble but you can re-arrange the tiles to make new words.
Gift bags were $.25 each and santa hats were $2 each. Plus, a decent selection of toys were $7 each or three for $14. Bingo!
Where else do you recommend last minute gift shopping? Is there any one store that really has it all?
Related:
S.A. Young/Flickr
Are you among the 30 percent of holiday shoppers who are putting off your holiday shopping until the last minute, which happens to be this weekend? I got a jump start on my shopping last night and wanted to share a few things that worked for me.
1. Make a list ahead of time. You’ll either blank out or be overwhelmed by the massive selection without one. Need gift ideas? Check out my gift guide.
2. Plan a route that involves as little driving and re-parking as possible. Mall. Traffic. Is. Slow.
3. Eat first and bring a bottle of water. I like to pack a snack too, like string cheese, an apple, or trail mix. Don’t waste precious energy and patience waiting in line for food!
4. Wear walking shoes.
5. Stay on track by NOT shopping with a friend. Who needs another distraction?
6. Park at the empty corner of the mall (if there is one). Once you get inside, it doesn’t make much of a difference where you parked.
7. Save receipts in one spot to decrease the chances of misplacing one.
8. Always ask what the return policy is.
9. Ask for a discount if the item is damaged in any way, if you can pay in cash for a pricey item, if you are buying a number of items, or if there are other mitigating circumstances. Brush up on your haggling skills.
How do you prepare for last minute holiday shopping?
Here’s a homemade Christmas gift that you can make for more than a dozen people in less then two hours, including the time it takes to go to the store and get the ingredients. It’s also a low-budget present that you can personalize with a card, letter, cookies, a framed photo, gift basket, or spa kit. There are lots of options!
Que Bella Body Scrub
The sugar and salt scrub away dead skin while the oil leaves your skin silky smooth.
2 c sugar
2 c epsom salts
1-1.5 c vegetable oil (olive oil and canola oil are kind of smelly)
1 T vitamin E oil
3-10 drops lavender or other essential oil
1-2 T finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
Cover a large table with newspaper and spread out all your ingredients and jars. Mix the sugar, salt, and oils for 1-2 minutes, until thoroughly combined. Test a small scoop on the back of your hand by gently rubbing for about 30 seconds, then rinse. If you’d like a more oily texture, add in a half cup more oil. Make as many batches as you have jars to fill. Punch a hole in a holiday card, write a sweet note and tie with a ribbon. Viola! Christmas cheer.
Making 18 presents cost about $42, including $3 for a 5lb bag of sugar, $5 for the epsom salts, $7 for vegetable oil, and $15 for the essential oil. We got the rosemary from the garden and already had the vitamin E oil, which you can buy at Trader Joe’s. A four pack of small glass jars from Ikea was $3 but you can also use mason jars or others found at thrift stores.
You can further reduce the price by using ingredients you already have, getting the items on sale, and finding cheaper jars. We had a lot of supplies left over so you could make even more if you want.
My frugal friends at Savings.com picked out some niiiiiice coupons for us this week. Here goes!
Get 20% off all orders at Harry & David. Expires Dec. 23, 2009.
Get 25% off all orders at Griffin Technology. Expires Dec. 31, 2009.
Get $30 off $100 at Express. Expires Dec. 31, 2009.
Get 25% off all orders at Ann Taylor. Expires Jan. 5, 2010.
Get 15% off with free shipping at Bliss. Expires Dec. 21, 2009.
Using these coupons supports BargainBabe.com.
Choosing a gift is very often a perplexing job. The choice depends on many factors. The most important one is the status of the recipient. The form and content of the gift vary according to the status of the individual to whom it is intended. Another important factor is the age and gender of the recipient. Every one wish that the gift offered and received should be apt for the person concerned and is also appropriate for the occasion. It is a difficult job for a shopper to locate an appropriate gift despite being in the midst of a large collection of gift items which vary in types, sizes, textures and prices. Every shopper wants the gift chosen to be a unique one and not just another showpiece. At the same time the cost is an important factor to be considered. All such diverse requirements are to be harmoniously blended in an ideal gift pack.
The freebie websites in UK are the right destinations for shoppers who search for personalized gifts or freebies within the parameters of quality, variety and cost factors. The shopper will be able to select the most appropriate gift at affordable price in these modern shops. Whether it is a kitchen gadget or an expensive silverware, there will be a personal touch to the gift, provided the shopper exercise discretion in the right perspective. The online dealers have enormous stock of gift ideas to offer, but the shoppers have to apply their minds properly. The name of the giver or the recipient can be printed or engraved on the gift item or on the gift box subject to the adaptability and convenience. A diary for instance will be imprinted with the insignia of the recipient and the important dates highlighted therein. Silverware with names engraved will be apt and ideal for the special person in your life. A gold medal or pendant with initials embossed on them will definitely make the offer memorable for the recipient. Personalising gifts pave way for better understanding between individuals and help to strengthen the bonds of friendship. It is also considered as a unique method to cement the relationships between individuals.
Apart from all the above positive aspects of personalized gifts, there is yet another dimension for the gesture. The personality of the giver will be reflected in the act of choosing the right one. The gift will be cherished by the recipient as a token of love, affection and regard bestowed by the giver. When the recipient finds that the gift is the most appreciative among many other similar gestures, it paves way for creating a lasting impression about the person who bestowed it. Incorporating a theme is a welcome trend in the contemporary scenario, when the occasion is an important event in the life of the recipient. The gift in such cases should be apt and appropriate one to commemorate the specific occasion.
The freebie websites offer attractive discounts and offer free door delivery with message if any from the giver. Many of such websites offer free engraving or printing as desired by the customers. Special gift packing and prompt delivery are added advantages offered by the freebie websites.
Get free stuff, discount vouchers and free samples from your favourite online retailers and save more at freeinuk.co.uk, freebie website.
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Shoppers uneasy with prices on some items. “Electronics appear to be the early winner this Black Friday, with discounters doing well early and door-busters bringing in big crowds. At higher-end department stores, the crowds were thinner and consumers seemed to be more interested in buying less expensive items.” (Wall Street Journal)
A reporter says retailers will do well this holiday season, if a crammed Walmart is any indication. “They came by truck, by van and even by taxi. But they all came for the deals. Hordes of shoppers descended upon Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, on Friday in hopes of securing some of the early deals of the holiday shopping season.” (CNNMoney.com)
Shoppers turned out but weren’t buying like crazy as in years past. ” U.S. consumers kicked off the holiday shopping season on Friday, with a strong turnout for early-morning bargains, though many said they were being more selective about what they buy and paring back what they spend.” (Reuters)
Some stores see massive sales. “Cecilia Auth came to Toys R Us at 4 a.m. Friday with one item on her list: a Star Wars All Terrain Tactical Enforcer for her 7-year-old son. But when she got to the toy store on Pulaski Highway in Rosedale, she was so impressed by the deals she walked out with a shopping cart full of toys — presents for her son, daughter, two nieces and a neighbor.” (Baltimore Sun)
Affordable. Zany. Laugh-inducing. That’s how the presents at Taylor gifts strike me. The online gift shop has all kinds of unique gag gifts (singing toilet paper), uber practical gifts (magnetic tool armband), and thoughtful presents (pet watering top). Either way, you’ll be able to find something for someone on your list.
You can search for gifts by personality type, category, price, and more. The gift suggestion tab has a section for gifts under $10 and you can click on a tab that shows the most popular gifts. One cool present the gift finder recommended is a $12 mini-pinball machine that shoots out a gift drawer (where you can stash cash, a gift card, or tickets) when the recipient lands a ball in a specific hole. What a fun way to give a gift card!
The clearance section has gifts up to 90 percent off with dozens of presents priced at $.99-$3. Hello gift basket!
Even the regular prices for their unusual gifts are tres affordable. On the site I saw:
- A jumbo car band-aid for $7
- World’s smallest jigsaw puzzle for $10
- A mouse trap cheese board for $10
- A racing granny wind up toy for $13
- A leopard Snuggie for $15
I think you’ll find some interesting gifts that you’ve never heard of before on TaylorGifts.com.
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Yay! The last day of the Bargain Babe Gift Guide is here. I’m looking forward to getting back to my normal money-savings tips. A bit ironic that I’m closing the gift guide with gifts when you are NOT on a budget. Mostly this is for all of us to ohh and ahh over, then head to Target to budget shop.
A pint-sized computer known as a netbook is a great gift for any one who craves being connected. Prices range from $200-$600 for the top of the line. Not sure how to pick out the right netbook for you? Check out my netbook buying guide.
I’m an iPhone devotee and I make no bones about it. Some say the Android Google phone is gaining steam, but do you really want a phone that croaks “droid!” every time you turn it on? The best feature is that the iPhone is so intuitive there’s no need to read the manual. Plus, new apps make it possible to read books on it so no need to invest in a Kindle. $99-$499. Buy it!
J.Crew’s cashmwere sweaters are renown for their quality and comfort. Expect to pay upwards of $100 or more unless you get one on sale. Also check Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s for sales. Buy it!
A set of fancy olive oil and fig-infused balsamic vinegar is a super versatile gift that works for relatives, distant friends or family, your boss, or even a neighbor. The two tall Italian glass bottles come tucked into a sturdy cardboard box with packaging that oozes luxury. Two 200ml bottles are $40 from Global Gardens in Santa Barbara. Buy it!
Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences book is an annotated guide to amazing photos taken around the world. Perfect for world and armchair travelers. Here’s what the book says about the Khan al-khalili market in Egypt. “Go to the Street of the Tentmakers for something completely different: it’s a market within the market. It’s also Cairo’s last remaining medieval covered market, where tentmakers craft beautifully ornate tents.” Buy it!
Got a relative that just loves to talk about money? The Habitudes card game is great for anyone interested in money. Use the cards to spark discussions about your attutides and beliefs about money. If someone isn’t already big on saving, it’s not going to turn them around. There is also a teen version if you want a tool to talk to your kid about money. Amazon has it for $15. Buy it!
The USA book is another winner from Lonely Planet. Take a journey through America through photographs that capture our country’s beautiful landscapes and cultural oddities. Prepare to get sucked into reading about each state’s cuisine, people and legends. Amazon has it for $23.39 (orig. $40). Buy it!
Make customized stamps with your child’s artwork through ArtStamps.com. Just scan the artwork, save it as a jpeg on your desktop and the web site will talk you through the process. A book of 10 stamps is $15 ($1.50 per) or 20 stamps are $25 ($1.25 per). Buy it!
The super soft Pacific Pashmina from Target comes in purple, cream, black and grey. It’s a very adaptable gift for relatives you may not know very well. Just include a gift receipt and you’re good to go. You can’t beat the $20 price tag! Buy it!
See also: gifts of wine and booze and gifts for the chef.
Talk about economic home decorating. Flair4All has dozens of different styles of removable wall decals that let teens show their personality. Perfect for their bedroom or dorm. Each $20 set has a few sheets of multiple sticky decals, which don’t leave behind sticky goop and re-stick if you peel them off. Themes include flowers, spots, butterflies, music, shapes, destinations, and messages. There are even sets of decals for guys and toddlers. Buy it!
Worried about your kid drinking from plastic water bottles? Get ‘em a personalized metal water bottle that plays into a passion of theirs. At theBottleShop.com you can choose from 15 colors, 20 categories of images, plus add a name or phrase to the bottle. The bottles are $11-$25, images and names are $3 each. Think of the possibilities! Buy it!
One of the most underrated electronic gadgets right now is the flip camera. No idea why they call it that, but it sure is fun. This flip camera is so easy to use you don’t have to read the manual, and lets teens make quick videos on the go. Low quality, yes, but very entertaining. Prices range from $100-200 depending on whether you get a 2GB, 4GB or 8GB flash drive. Amazon has a nice 8GB flip camera for $160. Buy it!
Teenagers want to get OUT of the house. So get them concert tickets – but don’t pay full price. Find discounts up to 50 percent off at Goldstar, where you can also buy gift certificates so they can choose themselves. Movie tickets are another great gift for teens who would really rather not be seen with you. Buy discounted movie passes through Costco or check with your HR department at work.
Dig this. Necklaces made of recycled vinyl records. How cool is that? There are five choices for what the necklace spells out, including “me,” “American Dream,” and “Role Model,” and “NYC.” You can also get one customized with your name. At $34-$36 they are not cheap, but I’m willing to pay a bit more for a unique gift. Aren’t you? Buy it!
Got a teen that likes to think? The card game Set gets your neurons firing. Set can be played with 1-6 players. The person who finds the most matching patterns in the deck wins. Set is a great present for anybody interested in math or patterns and can easily be simplified for young kids. Meant for ages 6 and up. Amazon has it for $9.68 (orig. $15). Buy it!
Loaded Questions is another fun game for teens who want to prove how much they know about each other. Players move ahead by correctly guessing how other players would answer questions. Sample questions include “What sport should cease to exist?” “Aside from smoking what habit to you hate?” and “What part of your body probably smells right now?” Amazon has it for $21.21 (orig $30). Buy it!
If you want to go lower: Buy an iTunes gift card in your price range.
One of the gadgets in the spotlight this holiday season is the netbook. Bargain Hubby was kind enough to write a guest post to explaining the products and deals so you can find the right mini-computer for you!
Last year was the year of the netbooks for early adopters. This is the year where they’ll get pushed on normal folks. Then next year they’ll be merged in with the rest of the laptops.
Even more so than with a normal computer or multipurpose laptop, the buyer and user of a netbook needs to know what they want to use the computer for so they can pick the correct optimization. Trade-offs are more obvious with netbooks than laptops.
Example: The netbook I had at the end of the summer turned out to have too slow of a video card and bad video drivers. This was worse under linux, but noticeable on windows. That particular netbook used a video card that was different from what the previous netbooks were using. That was a bad choice. On the plus side it was super quiet, very light, and had a monster of a huge 11.6-inch screen.
Factors to consider when buying a netbook:
0) Ergonomics
1) Manufacturer
2) Screen size
3) CPU speed
4) Battery life
5) Ram
6) Hard drive storage
Here are the trade offs:
Ergonomics: The different manufacturers have different ideas about what to do to make keyboards fit on tiny laptops. Scrunch some keys but make others big? Shrink the between-key space? It’s important to go type on one at the store or buy from a place with a good return policy. If you can’t type on it, you can’t do much with it.
Manufacturer: The big names in netbooks are Asus, Acer, Dell, Gateway, and HP. Gateway is owned by Acer, and they make machines with similar (identical?) cases, but with different computers inside based on different trade-offs. Asus was the first, with their EEEpc line. They still make nice machines. Dell had a really nice 9″ machine, but they stopped making it. All of these companies are in the 10-inch space. There are fewer in the 11.6-inch space. Mainly Acer and Gateway at this point. HP has announced a new machine that is in the same ballpark.
Screen size: The range of sizes for netbook screens started with 8- 9-inch screens, then manufacturers added the 10.1 and recently the 11.6. The 10.1 seems to be the popular sweet spot for most of the netbooks. The 8 and 9 have disappeared as too small. The 11.6 is almost too big think some people, that it isn’t as portable. Personally I wanted the extra screen display, the resolution on the 11.6 is higher than on the 10.1, 1366×768 v. 1024×600.basically a choice between 10.1 and 11.6, and video system.
CPU speed: there are a lot of strange names and acronyms for the special processors they put in these things.
Battery life: Typically “3 cell” vs “6 cell” battery. Bigger battery = more time between charges, but more battery to carry. About $50 or $100 between a 3 cell and 6 cell version of the same netbook. So consider how much time you want to spend away from an outlet. For me, that’s a big part of the netbook charm. Four or five hours of usage without plugging in is awesome, but it also add a good chunk of weight.
Ram: I’ve seen 2, 3, and 4Gig machines. If you get the 2 or 3, and want to upgrade, you’ll have to throw away some ram because there are only two slots and they are filled via (1+1, 1+2 and 2+2). That’s $20-$50 difference when buying the machine. Some of these machines use a “shared video memory” system, so the video system uses some of the main ram, and modern video cards use like 256-512M of ram. That’s a big chunk of a 2G machine. The atom machines max out at 2Gig of ram. The dual core cpu in the acer I bought maxes out at 4G.
Hard drive: Some of the early machines came with solid-state drives (SSD) that were silent and had no moving parts. But to save money they were slow SSDs. Seems that most of the larger netbooks (>9-inch screen) have switched back to mini hard drives. It’s common to see 100 or 200+ gig hard drives in the new netbooks. Whatever it comes with will seriously be more than enough. You shouldn’t be using a netbook for long term storage. Back it up at home and carry what you need.
Discounts: The previous generation of netbooks is still pretty solid, and some of them should be nicely discounted now that the new ones are out for win7. The win7 capable models are a bit pricier, so maybe the older ones won’t get super cheap? I have seen some good 10.1 deals at TigerDirect.com and other closeout resellers.
A good deal on a popular machine is the Acer 1410. This was an 11.6-inch model originally made for Europe and then imported to the states. Goes for $399 and comes in a variety of colors and is in stock to ship now.
This holiday season you should be able to find some deals on 10.1-inch models that have a 6 cell battery for under $300. Here’s a 10.1 deal I just saw:
Here’s a nice looking gateway from TigerDirect.com: Gateway EC1803u Notebook PC. You pay more to have such a small light body with a small screen so make sure that’s what you want before you pay a premium for it.
If you want the top of the line, get the Acer AS1810T. It is the first netbook to come out with an updated 11.6-inch screen (the largest size that is still in the netbook realm). It is updated with a “regular” cpu (chip/brain) instead of the traditional “Atom” cpu that was popular in last year’s netbooks. The atom is really low power, which is why it is popular in netbooks, but it is a bit *too* low of power to keep the wider audience of users happy. Surf the web, write in MS Word, sure. But heavy flash sites and flash games won’t fly. Neither will editing a movie. And definitely no Hulu.
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