Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas

 
With the holiday season comes the pressure of gift buying.  If you’re currently in a relationship or trying to win someone’s heart, you’re probably wracking your brain for the perfect gift.  And if—like most of us—you’re on a strict budget, you may also be wondering if there’s any chance you can find a gift that is both worthy of your partner and gentle on your checking account.

Allow yourself a sigh of relief.  Your mom meant what she said when you made her that macaroni birthday card in kindergarten; a little creativity does go a long way.  Here are a few ideas for meaningful gifts on a fixed budget.

Personalized Notebook or Planner.

Find a moderately-priced planner or—if you have a list-maker or journaler to buy for—an affordable notebook.  Then embellish each page with a meaningful quote or a special message from you to your partner.  You can write directly in the book, you can print your words out on colored paper and glue them in . . . whatever works for you.  Not only is this a thoughtful gift, but your partner gets little bits of your love as she uses the notebook each day for the next year.

365 Sweet Nothings

You may want to get an early start on this one . . . it takes a while.  The concept is pretty simple, though.  Find a little decorative box or jar (or decorate one you find at a craft supply store) and fill it with 365 slips of paper, each one with a message from you.  Keep them simple, like “I love your laugh” or “Remember that time we spent an entire day watching Woody Allen movies?”  To mix up your material, you may also want to include some famous quotes that make you think of your partner.  Check out sites like QuoteGarden.com and ThinkExist.com.  When you give this gift to your sweetheart, let him know there’s one message for him for each day of the year.

Collage or Shadow Box

Your relationship is a collection of a million special moments.  Chances are, you’ve collected memorabilia from your favorites.  Dig up old photographs, ticket stubs, postcards, etc, and choose the few that mean the most to you.  Then make a collage or arrange them in a shadow box as an homage to your love that your significant other can hang up and admire.  If you’re feeling truly ambitious, make a scrapbook documenting your relationship or your time together in the last year.

Thrift Store Find

Never underestimate the power of the thrift store.  It’s true, your significant other is probably not into body suites with pit stains, but if you dig a little deeper, you may find a unique piece of jewelry or the favorite childhood game he hasn’t been able to find in stores since his mom sold it at a garage sale.  Sometimes great things come in secondhand packages.

The ________ of the Month Club

Enroll your sweetheart in your own, made-up “Something” of the Month Club.  Maybe it’s the Home-Cooked Meal of the Month or the Sporting Event of the Month or the New Restaurant of the Month.  Think of something you know your partner wishes the two of  you did more, and let your gift be a promise in writing that you’ll fulfill that interest once a month.  It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.  Just be sure to follow through.  If you lose your gusto and cancel the club in March, you will never be allowed to forget it.

It may be clichéd, but in gift giving, it really is the thought that counts.  Big, fancy things are nice, but the average person is much more interested in gifts that come from the heart . . . gifts that remind us that we are known and loved by the people who mean the most to us.  Give from the heart, and your partner probably won’t think to wonder what it cost you.

8 first date ideas for outdoorsy types

If you looking for something a bit more original than the typical "Dinner and cinema," more power to you. As a woman I can tell you that boys get big brownie points for coming up with and creative planning meetings that prove that more than a newspaper has been opened. If your wife loves communing with nature, are here are some ideas for your first rendezvous that appeal to their casual clothing page and make sure that you get a second date.

Trails - the great mystery about hiking, which says no one, is that it really only by a different name foot. Find a shady way in the neck of the Woods and charge them with for the ride. The landscape will provide a welcome distraction, while learning two each other. 

Rock climbing - one of my all-time requires favorite events, this one a plan, such as the two of you need to take an intro class, if you do not experienced mountaineers. However, there are many gyms to offer the affordable introductions, and generally you will receive your own teacher. Develop trust from backup each other, then you meet your post-climbing appetite through access to eat something. 

A picnic in the Park - a classic first-date tour, is it hard to go wrong with a blanket, a picnic basket and some home-made treats. Make your thoughtfulness shine through you, then seal the deal with PB & j.riding - risk of over-generalizing, women love horses. Whether it angle the "White Knight" or just the excitement of the session on an animal several times your size, riding lessons or even a tour à la Cheval, will the romance factor of each excursion above. 

Kayaking - for those who happily enough life close to a body of water, why not a kayak rent (Yes, only men... one,) (You do paddling) and float around? While swimming probably a little much is (it would be almost naked probably would rather not for the first time, that the two of them depend on that), the water is ideal for Sparks, see below.

A daredevil skydiving – you have in your hands, you create by jumping from a plane accompanied by a lifelong bond. Not for the faint of heart, it is an incredible rush - and the thrill of touching back down on the Earth is sure to bring you two together closer sweet, solid.

Ride bikes - looking for something a little tamer? Area of the city on two wheels. If you're serious about advertising this one, you should also a tandem bicycle for rent. There is a risk, and may be a little cheesy side, but it's hard to deny the appeal of "a bicycle built for two".

Camping - it could be a stretch for a first date, but if you really jonesing for an outdoor adventure, throw a tent in the truck and wipe your way to a secluded place. Advantages: No TV, menu-review or snotty waiter, you distract. Disadvantages: Bears!