The Gift Detective » Stocking Stuffer

Frugal Friday: Stocking Stuffers

The Gift Detective — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:22:43 +0000

Stocking Stuffers should obviously fit into a stocking! But what other guidelines are important?

Click to Purchase - Get Creative to Fill!

Price – Stocking Stuffers can be inexpensive or not (we all know some woman out there is going to get an engagement ring in the toe of her stocking!) but, unless it is your family’s tradition to only give stockings as presents, most items should be inexpensive but nice.

Quality over Quantity – It is far better to have a nice mixture of things that are under $20 (ideally, even under $10). A few really nice stocking stuffers beat a whole bunch of cheap items. A pretty but inexpensive pair of earrings are a quality gift. (this pair is only 20 cents!) is a quality gift. A toothbrush or a pair of tube socks seem cheap and thoughtless. Who really wants something so mundane for Christmas? (Unless it’s this one I’ve been coveting! See yesterday’s post for tips on how to successfully give practical gifts.)

Fun – Sneak in an inexpensive toy or novelty item of some sort. A mini puzzle, a top or a bouncy ball are fun yet frugal additions for both young and old – we all need to play! You can find many fun items in the novelty section (where many items are $3 and under!) at a nice toy store.

Personal – Make at least one item very personal. It doesn’t matter what the item is – it just has to really be meaningful in some way – this is where YOU get to be the detective. If you are really stumped, it could even be a card where you write about your feelings for the person or what the importance of your relationship with them.

Happy gifting!

Frugal Friday: Inexpensive + Versatile + Personalizable = Great Gift

The Gift Detective — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:41:01 +0000

Someone showed me this item the other day and I think it is not only a great gift for a variety of people (from the officemate to the man in your life who loves gadgets), it is also inexpensive (just $10!) and you can easily personalize this for almost any recipient.

Easy ideas:

Want to make your girlfriend’s heart melt? Instead of putting a picture in there, stick a little love note inside instead.

Great stocking stuffer! It is inexpensive and you can put a photo you know they’ll love into it.

For grandparents that are comfortable with using a computer, make it even more fun for them to get online for a chat with their grand kids by having the kids draw a pic for you to put into the mouse.

You have to get gifts for people you barely know at your office, or else feel like Scrooge? At this price, you could afford to get one for everyone and personalize it in unique ways. This is a great way to get everyone the same gift, yet still give everyone a different gift. Click here for some specific ideas.

Men tend to love items that are practical and useful, but they also like fun things. For the man in your life – give two gifts in one…does he have a favorite band or team? Get tickets to the event and put them (or a decent photocopy of them!) in and wait for him to notice the big surprise in the little gift.

Put an inspiring quote in it.

Put a picture of your teens favorite idol in it.

Be creative and have fun! As you can see, this gift is easily transformed to suit the personality of many a PC user!

Happy gifting!
Do you have a favorite idea that I’ve listed? Have you thought of more unique ways to personalize this? Please feel free to leave me a comment or share a suggestion!

SET – Fun Game!

The Gift Detective — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:42:25 +0000

This was one of the presents that I got my boyfriend for his birthday.

SET! Available by Clicking Here
The game’s simplicity makes it easy to learn – you have to compare four things (color, shape, shading, and number) on each card independently. When you compare the cards, each of the four things either has to be completely the same or completely different. The rules are really that simple but the game gives your brain a workout! You really have to scan the cards and try to quickly ascertain if there is a “set” on the board or not.

This game got five stars on Amazon and it is no wonder. I was looking for a game that could be as good for two players or a group of people so that we could play it alone or when we had friends over and I did a lot of research before heading to the Games of Berkeley store for some in-person advice. I walked in with my list and the moment I asked about a great party game the young man immediately said “Set!” No hesitation at all. Since I had that on my list and I knew it was highly ranked on Amazon as well I took my chances and got it.

I was not disappointed.

Everybody enjoyed the game and my boyfriend and I have played it several times since the party as well. Once everyone is on the same page, the game moves quickly so you can easily sneak in a game or two here and there and, I might add, what a nice way to connect! It may seem a bit old-fashioned to sit and play a game in the evening but it really is nice, relaxing, fun and isn’t a huge time commitment for set-up nor play. You just shuffle the cards well, lay out twelve of them and start playing. This game can even be played solo or with as many people as you desire – they just have to able to see the cards. Simple, fun and engaging – I see us playing a lot of it in the future!

This game makes a great gift!!! (I speak from experience…) Are you going to a party? Great host/hostess gift! Going to stay with friends? Bring this as a gift and present it at the beginning of your stay and you will not only have given them a wonderful gift but you’ll have fun playing together as well! Birthday? Affordable present that will appeal to a really wide variety of people. This is a great game for children and adults. No reading involved! If the child can differentiate shapes, colors, shading and numbers they can play (recommended for children 6 and over). In fact, I read many reviews in which the children are as good at this as the adults so everyone in the family can participate and enjoy themselves. Want to give your family a present for a holiday or an anytime present? This would be great because it encourages thinking, everyone can play and you’ll be giving them a gift that gives back in the form of creating memories and having time to bond with them.

This is a really affordable ($9) gift so you could even buy several and keep them on hand for the next time you need a last minute gift.

If you live in the Berkeley area and are in need of a game I highly recommend visiting the folks over at Games of Berkeley. They have a huge selection of games, Frisbees, Yo-Yos, kites – pretty much anything worth playing with, they have it! The person who helped me couldn’t have been more helpful – he even recommended some fun card games as well which I thought was really nice because he wasn’t pushing me into a sale but really considering my request of what would be fun for a party. They are conveniently located at 2151 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, which is right across from the Berkeley BART station and just one block from the UC campus. If you’re a real game enthusiast, you should visit their website and check out the calendar of events that lists all sorts of gaming activities.

Happy gifting and gaming!