Gifts That Keep on Giving
Now that Christmas is almost here, it’s time to take one last look at your Christmas shopping lists. Here are some thoughtful ideas from Kiplinger for Christmas gifts that gift recipients will be sure to love.
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Movie-rental subscription
Movie lover on your list? He could spend the night in with a new release rather than spend money at the box office or on DVD rentals and late fees. A subscription allows him to make a list, or queue, of the movies he’d like to see. The DVDs come right to the recipient’s mailbox. They’re sent one at a time, and after he returns each one, he’ll soon receive the next movie on his list. Netflix imposes no limit to the number of movies you can get each month, and there are no late fees. Cost to you: $9 a month or $108 a year.
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Espresso machine for an at-home coffee shop
Let’s say your friend spends $3 on a 16-ounce latte at a certain well-known coffee chain each morning before work. That’s about $60 a month. Understanding the importance of this morning boost, you could bring the coffee shop to your friend’s kitchen counter. For the cost of milk and espresso beans, she’ll save money as her own barista and have fun with a new kitchen gizmo. Cost to you: from $60 (Target) to $300 (Williams-Sonoma)
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Cooking classes
Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day — but teach a man to fish, and he’ll save money. Cooking classes or seminars can be a way to cut your recipient’s restaurant budget. Check community calendars for seminars, or look to chains such as Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table for a schedule of seminars — for example, the Sushi and Hand Roll Workshop at Sur la Table, a hands-on session, for about $90 (varies by location). And, of course, you get to eat the food you prepare during the sessions. Cost to you: varies.
At-home fitness equipment
If someone on your list has a New Year’s resolution to get fit, or maybe a gym membership from which he isn’t getting his money’s worth, a few pieces of at-home fitness gear might make a great gift — say, a set of dumbbells and a pair of running shoes, a yoga mat and instructional DVD, or a Wii Fit set for a Wii console owner. Cost to you: varies.
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Warehouse-club membership
A year’s supply of frozen broccoli? You shouldn’t have! Give a year’s worth of savings on groceries, electronics, housewares and more at Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club. Cost to you: $40 – $50 for a year’s membership.
There’s not much time left before Christmas day arrives, so ho ho ho!!
