(If you want to fold a dollar into the shape of a shirt, see the link at the bottom of this post.)
For our young adult kids that are just starting out on their own I like to give some practical gifts. They usually need bath towels, hand towels, dish towels, and bowls of various sizes. Basic cookbooks are good gifts for them too, IMO. A George Foreman grill is good for a single person or for a couple since it cooks foods so quickly.
Food storage containers are good gifts too. I like the glass bowls with the plastic lids so that you can store the food in the fridge & then microwave it in the same dish. They don’t leach chemicals into the food like plastic containers can either. These are sometimes priced at around $17 for a set. Check your local stores, including Sam’s Club, etc. for prices. If you think these don’t look festive enough you can fill them with cookies and goodies & tie each one up with a bow. They will be greeted with smiles that way!
Some gifts actually will save them money, so they are on my favorites list too.
1. Slow Cookers are number one in that category & I often include a slow cooker cookbook if they don’t know how to use it.
2. A coffee maker is good to help them break the Starbucks habit.
3. A popcorn pumper makes making popcorn easy and fun. It uses no oil, so it’s healthier than the microwave popcorn, not to mention that microwave popcorn has bad stuff in the bags. Popcorn is a very cheap snack & not as bad for you as most.
4. A toaster gives them a quick breakfast & inexpensive snack if they don’t use it for poptarts, etc.
5. A blender makes healthy smoothies and some inexpensive mixed drinks, eggnog, and comes in handy for many recipes. It’s probably a little more festive to get a blender than a toaster too.
Click here to link to ehow for directions to fold a dollar bill into a shirt shape.
Click on the tag “gadgets that save money” below this post for more ideas.
Maggie says
OK, go with the budget, DM. I want to hear how that goes. Hope you come up with something a little better!
Darwin's Money says
Ahh, I like the idea of giving gifts that save money. Maybe I should give my wife… a budget! LOL. See how that one goes over. But seriously, good idea!