shopping

It seems I’m always looking for good $10 gift ideas this time of year. Everything from white elephant exchanges, co-worker gatherings, Secret Santas to Bunco parties require small gifts.

Ten dollars seems to be a common amount, but finding good $10 gifts can be challenging. After all, how many food items or body wash sets can one person use? Though $10 is a small amount, I still like to give gifts that a person will really enjoy and be able to use.

So I put together a few ideas that would make great gifts that still come in under the $10 mark:

1. Gift Cards
   If you’re buying for a friend, you know them well enough to get a gift card from their favorite store. But if you’re buying a generic gift that could go to anyone, stick to stores everyone seems to like– Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Redbox, iTunes, etc. And don’t forget local businesses, such as coffee shops, boutiques or restaurants.
2. Phone Accessories
   In our house, there are never enough charging cables, phone cases, earbuds and wall chargers to keep everyone stocked up. Especially since we keep duplicates in different parts of the house, in our cars and in my purse.
3. Gift Sets
   I hate to knock Old Spice, but skip the average gift sets you see and go for sets from great brands like Burt Bees, Soap and Glory or The Honest Company to give someone a chance to try nice products that they might not typically purchase for themselves.
4. Books, Magazines, Music and Movies
   Be on the lookout for great sales on these items in weekly circulars. Target does this often. In some cases, you can catch a deal on magazine subscriptions from sites like Discount Magazines. You could gift a much-loved Christmas movie or a bestselling book.
5. Ornament
   You can’t go wrong with a beautiful ornament to go on the tree. Stores like Hallmark and Hobby Lobby have pretty ornaments. And if you have something particular in mind, check out Etsy where you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for and support a small business owner.
6. Coffee Mug and Coffee
   Everyone seems to live on coffee (with the exception of my husband and I), so a nice coffee mug and coffee would make a perfect gift. Coffee shops often sell their coffee, and TJ Maxx and Home Goods sell unique coffee blends as well.
7. Nice Soaps, Lotion or Candles
   Now I’m not talking about a bar of Dial and bottle of Jergens here. Instead, choose items like specialty soaps (Goat Milk Stuff is my favorite) or premium candles like Yankee. (Although, essential oils are a wonderful alternative.)
8. Board or Card Games
   You can find several card games and a few board games that cost $10 or less, and it’s something a whole family would love to do. I have wonderful memories of my family playing games at holiday gatherings. Uno comes in many inexpensive varieties now, and classic games like Jenga and Taboo are typically less expensive.
9. Office Supplies
   If you know any nerds like me, then gifting office supplies is always a safe bet. A nice set of pens, cute notebook or decorative post-its are perfect for those in your life who were the type to get excited about buying new school supplies as kids.
10. Calendar
    With a New Year just around the corner, gift someone an awesome calendar. My husband’s favorites are Chuck Norris or Dilbert. I’ve had every calendar under the sun over the years from puppies to fact-a-day. Indoor malls typically have calendar kiosks, and stores like bookstores and Go! Calendars & Games have a great selection of calendars.

Now you can easily find some $10 gifts that you’ll be proud to give this Christmas. Hope this makes your shopping easier.

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We all have someone on our Christmas list who is notoriously hard to get for.

There’s the people who seem like they already have it all.

There’s the people we don’t really know well enough to know what they would like.

And then, there’s the people who want such particular things, only they can buy things for themselves.

The best solution is to ask these people for a list of 3-5 things they want, but if you aren’t able to do that, here are some ideas that may help you out:

• Gift Cards
  There are some gift cards you just can’t go wrong with– Amazon, Target, Starbucks, to name a few. Everyone loves getting gift cards because you can get exactly what you want, or put the gift card toward a larger purchase.
• Subscription Boxes or Services
  Subscriptions are very popular right now– everything from meal kits like Blue Apron to clothing services like Stitch Fix to SiriusXM Radio. Even if you can’t afford to pay for an entire month of the subscription, you can still get them a gift card in the amount you have budgeted.
• Food Gifts
  My dad is incredibly hard to buy for, as are many men. But one thing I can always count on is his love of food. And, there are sites like Omaha Steaks and Cheryl’s Cookies that deliver high-quality specialty foods. Hey, even the food-of-the-month clubs are a good idea for the foodies in your life.
• Practical Gifts
  There are certain products like body wash, lotion, hair care and perfume/cologne that we all use. For a really nice gift, skip the Old Spice set and spend your budget on a nicer brand for your loved one to try, like these razors from Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club. For the ladies, you have to check out All Girl Shave Club.
• Activities or Experiences
  Don’t forget experience gifts like movie tickets, paint studios, gym memberships, house cleaning services or museum memberships. And if there is an activity your friend or family member would love that’s outside of your budget, consider splitting the cost with someone else.
• Quality Time
  We all live such busy lives that sometimes the nicest gift is just focused, one-on-one time together. You can make it special by going to a restaurant you’ve both wanted to try, trying a new activity together or taking a day trip together somewhere.

Who are the hard-to-get-for people on your list? Get help brainstorming ideas for your hard-to-buy-for loved ones by commenting on this post on the Defeating Busy Facebook page.

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