Simple, practical gift idea

[Molly]

Maybe many of you, like me, are annoyed at being obliged to exchange gifts with family or co-workers. Perhaps in the price range of 5-10 dollars. I used to hate that because what can you get except a useless piece of crap? One alternative is to opt out, but if you would rather not, here is a suggestion.

I attended a few craft shows this fall and have discovered hand crafted soaps. I didnt realize that commercial soaps are really detergents. My frugal self balks at spending $3-7 dollars for a bar of soap for myself, but they make lovely gifts, especially since most people wouldnt spend that much either.

I bought my sister a beautiful bar called Victorian Christmas. It is creamy white with swirls of red and green and has a lovely floral and clove fragrance. For my nieces, I bought some mini bars in the shape of gingerbread men and Christmas trees scented with a bubblegum fragrance.

Purchasing these novelty soaps also supports local cottage industries.

[Mary B.]

Lovely idea, Molly! I agree, when I worked in an office I used to be quite annoyed at the junk exchange.

At the craft fairs in our area, small jars of jam, jelly and chutney are in the same price range. Small jars of raspberry, blackberry and other fruit vinegar are similar.

[lessisbest]

Actually, the difference between a soap and a detergent is primarily it's behavior in hard water, and both can be made with "natural" and/or synthetic products, but that's a discussion for another day.

Our immediate family has held to $10 gift limit for Christmas for a long time, while we are much more generous for their birthday. We try to make our gifts as much as possible for Christmas. Our daughter said her favorite gift was when hubby made her a wood "tree" you can dry recycled plastic bags on (cute little wood bird houses on wood dowels) and my knitted dishcloths. I made our granddaughter (then 17-years old) 10 pair of fingerless gloves for Christmas last year (using a wide variety of yarn from my "stash"), and hubby made her a really neat bookshelf she took with her to college this year. I've been knitting socks for everyone this year because I found a great deal on sock yarn.

Back in the late 1980's our two children wanted to get a VCR for Christmas (they were past Santa Clause age), which was at the time a LOT of $$$$. So we made a deal, we'd get the VCR, but they would only have $5 to spend on each person for gifts (so that was $15 total to purchase gifts for 3 people). It was one of the most wonderful gift-giving events for Christmas to date.... We got very creative and even found 2 things for $5. Some of those inexpensive gifts are still in use today - photo album, shoe shine kit, colander....

Hubby and I exchange one $1 gift from the Dollar Tree, and we were talking just last night how useful those gifts have been and how much we enjoy all the simple $1 gifts we've gotten.

[Zoe Girl]

I think the small gift ideas are great. I need to think ahead for my staff. I love the $5 starbucks cards, with maybe a candy cane or something homemade along with it. I usually bring the kids in my programs a snack type gift, but I realize that between all my programs I could have about 75 kids or more. So candy canes, the small ones, are good this year.

Anything they can use up is the best IMHO, I hate having a ton of ornaments or decorative stuff around.

[Teacher Terry]

When I worked in an office I would buy food items because I figured at least someone would eat it. The soap idea is great too.

[Zoe Girl]

I was just on an interactive call with my Buddhist teacher and this made me think about gifts in a different way. We don't know what a simple $10 gift may mean to someone else. I am surprised and sad about how many people are basically alone and/or lonely. I struggle very much with making good friends outside my family. Even my mother who has extensive family has a hard time because my dad is who he is. He gives gifts but not the little stuff like stocking stuffers that she really loves. So my challenge is to think about someone who may not have much of this in their lives when you get that small gift, imagine that it really does matter to someone even if it is not the person you give to, and just appreciate that we have an opportunity to give.

[frugal-one]

I just got a free $10 bar of soap and wonder who I can give it to???? I do not like scented at all. I would rather received food....Homemade salsa and chips or even homemade cookies...candy... Soap is not special to me at all and would prefer to choose my own. BTW... This was not a gift. It was a gift from a store we toured but I would feel the same if it were a gift.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I too think the hand crafted soaps are a good idea. Several years ago I came up with my own personal philosophy for gift giving: I tried to give something that either you eat up, use up (soap would be in this category) or burn up (candle). That way someone isn't stuck with something that you thought beautiful and they think hideous!

[Tradd]

I try to give practical things.

Remember my flashlight thread? I have this LED mini lantern. Takes 3 AA batteries, $10 on Amazon. If I need to give a little gift, I'm going to give this.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-MicroPacker-LED-Mini-Lantern/dp/B000EH0NLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416771052&sr=8-1&keywords=coleman+micropacker+compact+battery+lante rn

[bae]

My household mostly uses our own homemade jams/preserves/pie fillings/pickles/... as presents.

The Canning Team has all these pretty fancy labels, and they use nice-looking jars for some of their output, so we always have a good supply of gifts just waiting in the pantry.

People seem to like 'em.

[flowerseverywhere]

I was just on an interactive call with my Buddhist teacher and this made me think about gifts in a different way. We don't know what a simple $10 gift may mean to someone else. I am surprised and sad about how many people are basically alone and/or lonely. I struggle very much with making good friends outside my family. Even my mother who has extensive family has a hard time because my dad is who he is. He gives gifts but not the little stuff like stocking stuffers that she really loves. So my challenge is to think about someone who may not have much of this in their lives when you get that small gift, imagine that it really does matter to someone even if it is not the person you give to, and just appreciate that we have an opportunity to give.

i love this post. Thank you for this perspective.

[ToomuchStuff]

If someone gave me bath soap, I would be thinking they think I stink! Just another perspective.
I went over to my parents to see what I needed to take for Thanksgiving and my mom was talking about Christmas and trying to track down some more pants for me. I DON'T need any more clothes. At some point it isn't a gift, but a burden, when your trying to pare down stuff.

[Molly]

At some point it isn't a gift, but a burden, when your trying to pare down stuff.

I totally agree. That is why I like giving and receiving consumables. The part about the holidays I dread is receiving "stocking stuffers". As many times as I've told co-workers and family members that I don't want "little somethings", I still receive them. Then I have to figure out how to get rid of them. Actually, I just donate them to charity. It makes me sad to think of low wage earners in third world countries slaving to make this stuff, and it ends up in landfills.

Last year my sister-in-law (who knows how much I hate little stuff since I had to repeat it ad nauseum to her every year) gave me a pump dispenser of a Christmas scented hand soap from Bed Bath and Beyond. It was the first gift from her I enjoyed, since I wouldn't have purchased it myself. I usually buy the economy sized soft soap and refill my pump dispenser.

[awakenedsoul]

My mom used to give me those expensive scented bars of soap as gifts, and I loved them! I don't buy them for myself, (because of the price.) As a gift, they were a delicious smelling luxury! Last year I gave the ladies in my knitting group liquid goat's milk soap in a small bottle. It works well for hand washables. I boiled down a bar of goat's milk soap in eight cups of water. I bought the small bottles at Walgreens. Everyone seemed really happy. I buy the soap in a loaf from a family farm in Indiana. I get free shipping. www.goatsmilkstuff.com.

[Molly]

Last year I gave the ladies in my knitting group liquid goat's milk soap in a small bottle. www.goatsmilkstuff.com (http://www.goatsmilkstuff.com).

Sounds wonderful!

[Molly]

If someone gave me bath soap, I would be thinking they think I stink!

I think you hit the nail on the head concerning the problem with the expected gift. What is a treasure to one may be a nuisance to another. Someone mentioned homemade jam as a gift, which is lovely if you enjoy jam. However, I don't care for it, so if I received it, I would feel obliged to re-gift it, meaning I would need to find someone who liked it so they wouldn't have to pass it along. And while I and some others here love scented soap, another poster is trying to get rid of hers.

I have lived with this tension of opting out of expected gift giving and giving in out of obligation. Neither has been satisfying. I enjoy giving gifts when I want to and to whom I want, not because I have to.

[rodeosweetheart]

Molly,I really like this soap idea. I might do this for my brother in Maine, but I will have them sent, as postage is so unbelievably expensive, and if I buy from the Country Store in VT, I could have it sent cheaply.
Thank you for a great idea! And if someone gave me a selection of these, I would be thrilled.

[Gardenarian]

To people who live nearby, I like to give local honey. I know the beekeepers.

[Molly]

Just gave my sister the bar of 'victorian christmas' as a hostess gift. (a lovely creamy ivory with swirls of red and green). She was delighted because she thought it was a bar of white chocolate! Good thing I gave it to her in person so I could tell her it was soap. She was still happy to receive it though.

[kib]

Just gave my good friend and neighbor a 40 oz. bottle of Dr. Bronners from Costco. $9.79. :|( But I'm guessing he was equally thrilled, as DB is to him as olive oil is to me and duct tape is to most men. It's not a pretty gift, granted, but it's the thought that counts, right?

[kimberlyf0]

We have challenged ourselves to a $100 holiday this year, not including anything we make from supplies we already have. Another "rule" we put in place is that all gifts must be either handmade, consumable, or experiential, and that anything we buy (chocolate, for example) must come from a local store (lucky us to have a chocolatier in town who fairly sources it cacao beans). For simple, practical gifts I like to knit dish cloths, hats, or to make salves with essential oils, or we will give a local chocolate bar ($5) or local citrus.

[mtnlaurel]

If anyone has a little girl with long or curly hair to buy for....
I got one of these at TJMaxx for $5 and it has COMPLETELY changed my daughter's hair habits!
(previous habit of crying/whining/pushing back on me trying to brush her hair to taking over the job and doing it HAPPILY herself and with great results)

Here's a picture of one:
http://www.ti-style.com/products/hot-pink-zebra-tangle-tamer-by-ti-style?variant=333134693

[SteveinMN]

One gift that has proved popular in our little-gift exchanges is small gift certificates to a local chain of gas stations/quickie marts, supermarkets, coffee chains, etc. Most of these (except maybe the coffee cards) can be used either for necessities or luxuries. If you know your recipient(s), sometimes gift cards to bookstores or even the local indy hardware store will be more than welcome. Even a $5-10 certificate has some real value to most people.

[domestic goddess]

I would love it if the parents of my patients would stop thinking that they need to give gifts to the nurses. I understand that we are in their homes on a frequent basis, but I don't have the time or the will to go shopping for people I don't know all THAT well, and try to pick out gifts that are reasonable in price. I am really not offended by not getting a gift from a family. Honestly, a verbal expression of good wishes is more than sufficient. The holiday season is a busy time and I don't really have time to craft gifts, and I really don't get started in time to do it, anyway. I think a gift of hand made soap is great, especially paired with a knitted or crocheted washcloth. I love homemade jams and jellies, and they don't even have to have to have fancy labels or jars. The pleasure, after all, is in the flavor.