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Some gifts are big. Others are small. But the ones that come from the heart are the best gifts of all.
Tinku Razoria
Gift giving is my love language. No way around that. Nothing makes me happier than finding something I know is unique and awesome, and getting it for that special person. It’s become almost a competition in my family. My brother called after our Dad’s birthday asking if I had “won the birthday” because my gifts are (almost) always a hit. So, instead of keeping all my secrets to myself, welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Gift Giving!
Wish Lists – Save Ideas for Quick Recall
Before we dive into actual gift ideas, my biggest trick is to save ideas as you find them! Gifts are about finding something that makes you think of that person, you just have to be strategic about timing.
I’ve gone through a few iterations of best-practices, like paper lists, but this has worked best for me: screenshots and photos. At the beginning of every month I download them onto a Google Doc, with separating headers for each person in the family. Then when it’s holiday time, I can pull up my list of ideas and go ahead and buy them.
In the photo, try to include:
- Shop Name, so you know where it came from
- Item Name, so you can easily search for it
- Website Link, if possible, for quick access to the item or go ahead and put it in your Google Doc
If you’re physically at the store and see an item you want to remember, snap a photo of the price tag and item. Most stores look different from each other, so you should be able to tell from the photo where you were. Target vs. Hobby Lobby, for example.
Since the list is online, I can also share it with others. When Grandma wants ideas of things my son wants for his birthday, I can send her a screenshot of the ongoing list. But I can’t send her the whole file, or she’d see the ideas I have for her!
My husband has access to the full gift list, which we use as a Wish List to help each other with gift ideas. I love that different sites have Wish Lists, but it gets confusing because there are SO many different stores! If it’s a specific item I want, then I include a link, to make easy shopping for him. I also have a separate list of gift ideas for Brandon that I keep secret, so he doesn’t know of any out-of-the-box gifts that may be coming.
The Exception: Sales and Limited-Availability Items
Sometimes you’ll find something on sale, or at a thrift store/yard sale where you won’t be able to go back later. Instead storing the idea, go ahead and buy it, and hide it away until the next holiday rolls around. As you know, Father’s Day, birthdays, Christmas… they come every year, so get prepared!
This also helps massively with our budget, because I’m not buying all of the gifts at the same time. It’s a little more spread out, and they are on deals, so things are generally less expensive. For example, we’re prepped on gifts for Gwen’s birthday in a few months, but this set of Disney plush dolls from Walmart was on sale this week. So, instead of just sitting on the idea, I bought it as one of her Christmas gifts!
Another example comes from the local library bookstore this weekend, a leather bound copy of “The Official Exceptions to the Rules of Golf.” I’ll gift it at Christmas to my Dad or one of my brothers, but I purchased it because it was inexpensive and available. I knew it wouldn’t be around long, and now I’m prepped! Now we see if my brothers or Dad read my blog posts…
Gift Schedule – Buy As You Go!
Now you have gift ideas, and maybe some gifts already purchased, but how to keep track of what you still need to get? I’ve used paper lists before, but I never have it on me when I’m at the store, so I’ve moved to using my Notes app on my phone. Since I’m part of the Apple eco-system (phone, computer, tablets, iCloud), if I have internet access, I have my gift list.
As mentioned before, these same holidays and special occasions come around every year, so you can plan for them! I have a rotating list of what holidays are coming next, along with what gifts are from which person. Our family gift rule is one gift per person, so this is a great way for me to keep track of what the kids are getting for each other as well. When something gets purchased, record it on the Notes page. If I find a new gift that fits better for the upcoming holiday, then the gift I have planned gets moved to the next holiday. For example, the stuffed dolls are for Gwen’s Christmas present but might be better for her birthday, so the Magnadoodle will move to Christmas.
Sources for Gift Ideas
Now, where to look for those amazing gifts? These are my go-to sources for ideas:
Amazon and Mass-Produced, New Items
- Social Media Sales Groups: The Bargain Sisters Group, thelovinsisters
- These are groups that share daily deals from all over the internet. Amazon, Zulily, Walmart, literally everywhere. Some examples from today’s deals, as I write this post: Custom Vintage Shop Signs, Scholastic Year in Sports 2021, USB Neck Hanging Fan. It’s also a great place to help you get deals on more “essential” items. For example, I will buy kid clothes for the next size up when I get notified that Old Navy is having end-of-season clearance sales.
- Random Item Websites: I Waste So Much Money, This Is Why I’m Broke, Jane
- These sites have random ideas of funny things you don’t realize you might need in life. If you’re looking for a unique product or a gag gift, this is the place to go! Just a quick look at the front page as I write this post: World’s Toughest Ultralight Survival Tent, Moving Ink Blot Masks, The NoPhone Air. WARNING – Some of the items are more PG-rated and kinda weird. Proceed with caution!
Custom and Vintage Items
These items take a little more thought and searching. You need to already have some idea of what you’re looking for. My usual searches focus around the person I’m buying for: maiden name, last name, hometown, their favorite movie, candy, hobbies, etc.
- Etsy: Memorabilia or vintage items, handmade gifts
- If you’re looking for something more custom and less mass-produced, Etsy is a great place to start. It’s also a great place for more vintage items. The winning gift from my Dad’s birthday this year was a book titled “Scroggins,” which is my maiden name. I found this book on Etsy from the early 1900s, about a gold miner named Scroggins. My Dad even bragged about it on Facebook, so he must have liked it! Buy these as you see them, because they are usually limited-availability if it’s a piece of memorabilia or vintage.
- Fiverr: Custom design work, family and individual portraits
- A custom-place, if you’re wanting some design work done! This year for Father’s Day for Brandon, we commissioned a custom family photo in the Ghibli-drawing style (see photo above)! Now all I have to do is print it out! There are MANY other styles you can pick from, if you’re wanting to do a family photo: Big Heads, Photo Collage, Line Art, Dragon Ball, Pokemon Trainer… and on and on! If you have an idea, find an artist to do it!
- Ebay: Memorabilia or vintage items
- Another great place for memorabilia and vintage items, if you’re looking for something more unique. Like with Etsy, you need to be prepared to buy because these are auction items, so they may not be around later. You can often find something similar, but the pricing will usually be different. I’ve purchased autographed photos, original movie scripts, hard-to-find toys from my childhood, etc.
Happy hunting, and good luck with the Ultimate Guide to Gift Giving! Be sure to share your gift finds with us below, or on our social media channels!
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