You’ve been there, right? You’re standing in the middle of the store aisle, holding onto the perfect gift for your friend or family member, envisioning their happily surprised face when they open it, when all of the sudden your blissful daydreams are cut short by your view of the price tag.
Yikes! It is way more than you intended to spend, so what do you do?
If you’re like most people, you think to yourself, “maybe they’d be happier with something from the dollar store” as you return the item to its shelf and wander away slightly deflated. You thought you had the best gift ever, but your web filled wallet couldn’t support the price.
However, that doesn’t mean that you have to give a low rate gift if you don’t have a lot of cash because you do have other options.
Give the gift of time
While you probably don’t have a time machine (if you do, that’s pretty cool and I’d love to see it), you can still give the gift of time or, more perhaps specifically, your time. Some people could care less about the items they get for their birthday but would absolutely cherish someone who is willing to take time out of their busy schedule to help them complete a project.
If your friend is repainting the inside of their home, for instance, helping them do it would be a gift that would likely mean more than anything you could have ever bought them at a store. Even if you help them pay for a can of paint or some of the supplies, it will probably cost you less than a different gift and it would save them some cash too. Not to mention that you could create some pretty great memories in the process which is what life is truly about.
Give the gift of food
Admittedly, this gift works best when it is given by someone that has wicked cooking or baking skills. However, if you don’t, all is not lost because maybe you could convince someone who is good in the kitchen to help you for a rather nominal fee.
Bake your signature dessert and offer that as a gift that will bring an ear to ear smile. If you have a signature dish, whip it up and deliver it with a bottle of wine. Your ‘giftee’ will probably be thrilled to not have to cook dinner and some after dinner refreshments too? That’s a winner! (Note: While the suggestion is a bottle of wine, you can improvise with his or her drink of choice. Either way, the cost would be relatively minimal.)
Give the gift of childcare
If you ask most parents why they don’t go out, it is because childcare can be extremely expensive. If they have more than one child, it can be enough to keep them home a majority of the time. So, rest assured that if your gift involves providing childcare at no cost so they can get out for the night, you couldn’t top that with anything store bought if you try!
Offer to take their little darlings for a few hours or a whole weekend. Either way, you will have made one gift recipient very happy and your gift will not go to waste. In fact, you will likely have the date you are needed before you even leave the birthday party!
Give the gift of memories
Some of the greatest gifts I’ve received have involved memory keepsakes. I’ve received fun photo frames with pictures of me and my friends already inside and photo books that friends have painstakingly put together as an ode to our good times. Not only do I appreciate the smiles as we reminisce of years past, but I am also extremely grateful for the time they took to put it all together – just for me.
Think of things you can create for your friend or family member that would help them recall memories of good times. You could purchase a shadow box for a relatively small amount of money and load it full of their sports medals or collectibles so they can display them proudly.
You can create a scrapbook for them with all of their fondest memories so they can review it whenever they like. Either way, you’ll give them a smile that comes to their lips every time they see it.
Gift giving isn’t, and shouldn’t, be about the money. It is about the person and honoring what they mean to you. As long as you keep that in mind, you’ll always pick out the perfect gift – and it won’t cost you much cash to do it.
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