Karen Carlton Baskets
Planning ahead for a gift occasion! I try to plan ahead for all types of situations when I might need a gift to minimize the financial impact to us at the time when we need a gift (like spending full price to buy a gift at the last minute)! So this year, I’m making lovely baskets filled with health and beauty aids for all the graduates that we’re obligated to this year. I’ve included Dove face cloths, ponds towlettes, deodorant, hairsprays, toothpastes, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shavers, powered toothbrushes, body wash, bars of soap and a few other assorted goodies. I’ve put all this in baskets for the girls and I’m going to get some inexpensive shaver bags for the guys’ gifts. In there, I have the toothbrushes, paste, Gillette razors, some cologne, and deodorant. If I add up the original cost of these items, it would be about $30 but I’ve only spent about $3 at the very most on each basket and most of them just cost pennies! I was also a vendor at a Christmas craft fair and I made up many beautiful baskets of similar items and sold them for $12-$15. One other vendor came by and was so amazed at my prices. “You could never buy the stuff for that price!” She exclaimed. I smiled knowingly and told her she was very right and she should buy one of mine! I think half the job of being prepared in advance for a gift occasion is just having the ability to think outside the box. When we are invited to a wedding shower or reception, we don’t always have to give a gift of towels or pots or pans or something expensive like that. I recently sent off a wedding gift of Palmolive dish wipes, scrubbing sponges, bag holder, air fresheners, spatulas and big spoons, measuring cups, measuring spoons ($.25 each when Target’s Dollar spot went to 75% off) etc. It was a strange assortment of items but I packed it carefully in a pretty box. The thank you note I got back was one of extreme gratitude and they told me that this was the one gift that they had used the most! A couple of years ago, I got in the great Target clearance after Christmas and bought several sets of silverware for $2.29 when it was 90% off. I stashed those away for the weddings that I didn’t have to mail gifts too. (They’re way to heavy to have to mail them!) Each was service for 8 and they made a wonderful shower gift. My kids and husband know that I have this gift closet so I have to hide their future gifts elsewhere. But one day, my daughter came home from school and told me she had been invited to a birthday party the next day. I was short on cash and time, but she asked if I didn’t have something in the “store” downstairs that would work! We looked through some of the things and found some nice things to go together in a gift bag. I know that I have missed out on some great sale items simply because I couldn’t think of a use for them. But then, later, I wished I had bought them because I thought of what I could use them for. So now, I try to think of every possible situation and usually come up with a great idea for a bargain. I’m not trying to endorse stashing stuff you’ll never use just because it’s on sale! I also watch thrift sales for items that are brand new or look brand new and these go into my gift closet as well. I have gotten several very nice items from these sales that the receiver never knew the difference. But one thing for sure, they all know that I got it on sale – or better! One way to begin a gift closet/stash, is to watch for things on sale that would make good gifts. I even have a list in my wallet of the people I usually buy for (for birthdays, holidays, etc.) so that I don’t forget someone. I know the birth dates and of course when Christmas is! I also try to plan ahead for the birthdays and weddings, babies coming up that I’ll need to get a gift for. Highest in my mind when I’m watching for sales, is the list of the “hard” people to buy for. My brothers and brother in law are the hardest because we’re not around them as much since we live across country from each of them. So I particularly watch for items that would work well for them. Last week, I found a lovely travel journal for pictures and journaling for $1 at a thrift sale. It was brand new. I bought it since my brother and sister in law love to travel all over the world. I thought this would make a nice part of a gift for them. I also got a brand new American Girl colored pencil/art set for my daughter who loves anything American Girl! My daughter and I also love to second hand shop and we have Savers here. On Mondays, they have a particular colored tag on sale for $.99. This past week, I got Lands End (brand new) duffle bags for $.99 each. These are about the size of a rolled up sleeping bag. I got one for each of my nieces for Christmas this year and will fill it up with fun stuff as I find it throughout the year. These will also make great gifts for the high school graduates that will be moving out and going on to college. Filled with laundry soap, fabric softener sheets, a roll of quarters maybe. These would also be a great wedding gift along with something else. You usually don’t begin marriage (the first time at least) with a lot of luggage! I think the best fun about preparing for gift giving, is that you have the time to plan ahead and come up with a creative gift that no one else will probably give that person. That way, the gift comes from the heart and isn’t just another one of “those” things that they already have a ton of. My favorite part of planning ahead, is that it’s teaching my children the value of buying now when things are cheap as opposed to waiting until the needs arise and you have to spend full price. I try to help them to understand that if we’re at a thrift sale and we find something that would make a great gift and only costs $.25 that this is much better than buying it at the store for $12! They’ve caught on really fast and realize that if we can save money in some areas of our life, we can spend money on other things that we choose to spend it on. Of course, thrift sales aren’t only good for gift items! We also buy a lot of clothes for the kids there and we are in the process of buying a swing set from a thrift sale for a whole lot less than the store prices! So, start a gift closet and see how much fun it is to be able to “shop” from your own “store.”