Creating & Maintaining a "Gift Chest"
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Creating & Maintaining a "Gift Chest" by Stacie Dahl
With all of the weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, etc.
it seems there is always a gift needed at the last minute. Do
you have cash in your wallet to slip in the card? Do you re-gift
a gift certificate? Do you run to the store and buy on a whim?
Why not solve the last minute rush of gift giving once and for
all by creating a "gift chest" full of gifts ready to give.
To create your "gift chest," start by identifying what types of
gifts your family needs. Are you invited to a lot of weddings?
Do you have kids and get invited to birthday parties? Do you
have a lot of friends having babies? After identifying what
types of gifts your family is in need of, start by purchasing
inexpensive cards for the occasions you are invited to most.
Most drug stores have a $0.99 section or what about buying a
prepackaged stack of cards with a cute cover and blank insides
(buying in bulk is always less expensive).
Next where do you store all these gifts and cards but are still
able to find them later on when you need them most. I have an
under-the-bed plastic storage bin where I can store the gifts.
For cards I use a 13 divider plastic storage accordion file. The
dividers can be divided by month and you stick the cards in for
the appropriate events in each month. Or you can label your
dividers by event--new baby, girl birthday, boy birthday, adult
birthday, wedding, etc.
Here are some of my suggestions to start building your gift
chest: 1. Young Girls-purses, sparkly stuff, stationery, fun
pens & pencils, tea sets, and anything mini and dainty. 2. Young
Boys-cars (matchbox to medium size), noise making action figures
(be careful of trends and try to pick one that is more
timeless), spy kits, small animal sets (farm, dinosaur), people
sets (cowboys, army), and camping kits. 3. Generic
Children-books, puzzles, crayon packs, activity/coloring books,
craft/activity sets, and food making toys--like snow cone maker,
chocolate mold maker. 4. Teenagers-fast food gift certificates,
journal, books (particularly those to improve their own self
image), and a certificate for a one year subscription to a
magazine of their choice. 5. Weddings-glass goblets, serving
platters rays, candles with candle holders, cloth napkins with
matching table runner and/or placemats but be sure to use a
neutral color like white or beige so it doesn't clash with each
couples color scheme. 6. New Baby-Get something unique other
than an outfit like blankets, bibs, burp cloths, small baby
toys. New moms have a hard time remembering who gave what outfit
but they will always remember who gave them baby's special
blanket for instance.
There are some free activities you can find online as well. For
boys and girls, I particularly like http://www.makingfriends.com
You can print them out for your kids or grandkids. Or you can
even slip them in a card for someone else to enjoy. They can
print, cut and make their own paper dolls. These are fun because
kids or adults can present a play with their creations, retell a
story or glue them to cards for gift giving.
Now when I go to my gift chest I am ready to wrap and don't have
to put my life on hold to find a gift. Don't forget to keep your
gift chest well stocked but not over-stuffed and overflowing!
Try not to buy big bulky items that will use up all your space.
Make sure to keep a budget on gifts and don't overspend. By
keeping your gift chest well stocked you can actually save some
money by being able to get the items on sale throughout the year
and not buying a more expensive item on impulse because you're
already late for the party!
Copyright - Stacie Dahl 2003 About the author: Stacie is a WAHM
with 4 little kiddos and owner of Blankie Bundles, an online
gift boutique specializing in babies and young children's gifts.
Visit: http://www.blankiebundles.com