The Gift of Creativity

When deciding which gift is the perfect gift for the people in your life, creativity is the key to being memorable.  Its not always about how much money you spent, but most times its simply about how much thought was put into the gift.  There are so many unique gifts that you can give, some of which are very cost effective.  Below I'll discuss several gift ideas which are not only creative, but so thoughtful it may merit you receiving a gift of your own.

Photo Gifts:  Websites like Kodak Gallery and Shutterfly have a number of gifts where you can use photographs in so many ways, including: Calendars, mugs, keepsake boxes, coasters, playing cards, etc.  You name it, and you can add a picture to it whether its a picture of you and your significant other, a family picture, or just a picture of you, photo gifts are a great way to personalize the gift and also remain present in your gift recipient's mind for years to come.

Engraved Gifts:  Engraved gifts are a great idea for any occasion.  Whether its a Wedding or Anniversary gift, celebration of a New Baby, Birthday or Mother's day, engraved gifts are a wonderful thought and can be from either end of the monetary spectrum.  For instance, Tiffany & Co. has a nice selection of gifts that can be engraved such as a sterling silver business card cases starting at $295; sterling silver money clips starting at $115 ; sterling silver cuff links starting at$195; as well as sterling silver lockets, bracelets and keychains to name a few.  If you're looking for something a little more cost effective, Things Remembered is a great place to start.  You can find a classy engraved leather money clip with card holder for only $20 for him, or an engraveable silver plated compact for her starting at $14.99, and this is only the beginning of what you can find.  Want another option, another great site for engraved gifts is the Engraved Gift Store, the options are limitless and the memories to be created priceless.

Number of Years = Number of Gifts:  When it comes to creativity, this is definitely an oldie but goodie.  This gift idea is especially good to use for a significant other's birthday.  Let's say your hubby is turning 30 years old, why not buy him 29 little gifts leading to the main gift which would be the 30th gift.  Its fun, thoughtful, unique and doesn't even have to be that expensive.  Your smaller gifts can be anything from pictures, to frames, magazines, books, favored treats, grooming products, cologne, a shirt, it can be anything, most of the fun comes from simply having the mini-gifts to open, leading to the main event.  This is certainly a memorable way to celebrate a birthday, especially if its a milestone birthday.

Magazine Subscription:  What do you get the person who has everything, or that co-worker you don't really know...what about purchasing a one year subscription to their favorite magazine.  Magazines.com allows you to oder gift subscriptions to every magazine imaginable at a discounted price, from ESPN Magazine for the man in your life, to Vogue or Glamor for the fashionista in your life.  Its the gift that keeps on giving for a full year or two, depending how long you purchase the subscription for and could cost you anywhere from $15.00 to $50.00, depending on which magazine your subscribe to and the duration of the subscription.

Adventure Gifts:  Xperiencedays.com is a great place to start when your thinking of planning an adventure gift, which can consist of anything from skydiving or a private champagne hot air balloon flight to driving a Nascar victory lane or taking a scenic flight lesson.  Whatever you choose, an adventure gift would be unforgettable.  

At the end of the day, if your looking to give a memorable gift, the more creative you are, the biggest impression it will leave.  As always, if you'd like to receive more personal advice as to the perfect gift to give the person in your life, you can post a comment on this site, or contact me at thegiftperfectionista@yahoo.com.

The Benefits of Online Gift Shopping

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a professed SHOPAHOLIC and internet shopping has definitely contributed to the cause.  There are so many benefits to shopping for a gift online that now I usually won't make a purchase before checking online shops first and below you'll see why:

Free Shipping:   Most stores and/or online vendors offer free shipping so there's nothing to lose and no added costs.  Sometimes free shipping is offered with a minimum purchase, or most times you can type in a free shipping coupon code.  Another popular option that several stores have is to purchase online and pick up at a store location without any shipping charges.  Major stores such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Sears and Circuit City all offer this option.  The benefit of this alternative is you can browse the stores online from the comfort of your home and compare similar brands and products.  You also will not have to worry about whether a particular location has the item you are looking for because once you place your order you pick it up at the location nearest you.

Find the Best Price:  Internet shopping allows you to find the best price for the product you are looking for, all from the comfort of your home.  One of the worst feelings is when you've just made a purchase and realize that its being advertised at another store for less. Browsing online through popular search engines and/or websites such as www.Shop.com, www.Amazon.com, www.NexTag.com and www.Smarter.com not only allows you to compare similar brands for the same product but compares the prices from available online vendors that sell the product your looking for so that you find the best price.

Coupons:  In addition to being able to find the best price for products and/or services, internet shopping for gifts also allows you to search for and use online coupon codes to discount the price of your product.  Certain credit card companies even offer cash back rebates for using their credit card at a particular online vendor.  Discover Card for example has a Shop Discover section on their website where cardholders can choose a particular vendor and be directed to their website and subsequently receive a percentage cash back rebate from the total purchase made.  Some of the great websites where you can find coupon codes for any and every store or online vendor, including but not limited to:

Coupon Mountain

Wow Coupons

Dealio

Coupon Craze

Coupon Winner  

Reviews:  Internet shopping also gives you the benefit of reading reviews on particular products from customers who have already purchased the product and/or service that you are considering purchasing.   Customer online reviews of a product or service can provide you with both negative and positive opinions on a product or service which can be especially helpful when purchasing a gift for someone, because the last thing you want to do is purchase something for someone that isn't worth it.  By reading customer reviews you can determine whether what you intend on purchasing as a gift for someone is a quality product. 

These are only a few great of the many great benefits of online gift shopping, if you'd like to hear more, feel free to post a comment and/or email me directly.

Listen, Listen, Listen

Now that the holidays have passed, we can move on from the massive commercialization of which Christmas gifts to purchase for those in our lives, and focus on the more individualized occasions...i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, bridal showers, baby showers, mother's day, father's day, or just because.

Those who know me would say that I have a "gift" in knowing what to buy people for these special occasions and wonder what's the secret...  In this my first entry I'll let you all know what the secret to purchasing the most thoughtful gift ever is...LISTENING.  

Step 1 to finding the perfect gift begins long before the occasion actually presents itself!  Odds are that the people in your life are constantly letting you know what the perfect gift would be in every day conversations.  The key is to LISTEN to what exactly it is, keep a mental note and when the opportunity presents itself you'll be ready to give a gift which will bring tears to the individual's eyes.  

I'll begin with a personal example.  Let's say there's a woman in your life who love's to cook and on occasion has mentioned that she's been trying all of these new recipes and has no where to keep them.  Next thing you know its her birthday...now is the time to think back to all of those conversations you've had about her cooking and the recipes....what would you get her?

How about personalized recipe cards.  There are several online vendors for you to place such an order, such as www.finestationery.com/shop/more/recipe-cards.html where a set of 50 personalized cards can go for anywhere from $20 - $35, depending on design chosen.  Another great site for recipe cards with an even more unique flair is www.poseprints.com/personalized-recipe-cards.html where not only can you create your own personalized recipe cards, but on this site you can actually upload a picture of your gift recipient and a custom caricature of your recipient is created and printed onto a personalized recipe card with whatever text and/or background you choose starting at $2.00 per card.  Other great sites include www.personalcreations.com, www.homemarketplace.resultspage.com/homeware/PersonlizedRecipeCard, www.smilebox.com/recipe-cards and www.pinpubstudio.com/recipecards.html.   Care to take it a step further, you could also order a personalized recipe box from www.treetobox.com/page/recipeboxes.  Another great add for the recipient that would allow her to not only keep her memories but the memories of other family members to pass on for generations to come would be a family recipe scrapbook.   You can find recipe scrapbook kits on www.target.com,  www.affordablescrapbookshop.com, www.tolesupplies.com/product_info.php?products_id=3336 or www.ritzcamera.com/product/EP46147911.htm.

Remember, it all began with listening.  There's no need for you to scour the stores or rack your brain for the perfect gift.  A simple gesture goes a long way and it all begin with LISTENING.

This is only one installment of many yet to come where I hope to share many tips and ideas that will assist you in buying the perfect gift for anyone and everyone.  Also, if you're seeking a more personal gift idea, feel free to post your questions and I will happily provide suggestions for your personal circumstances.  Stay tuned.