Milk and Cookies
with Linda and Kristen
Milk and Cookies is a savory web venue for cool products, useful tips, and idea-sharing, prepared especially for busy moms like you. From the must-haves to avoid-at-all-costs, we're dishing out tools for a delicious life balance.
Visit Linda's fitness site at Bodies in Motivation and check out Kristen's blog at Swistle.blogspot.com
Big-looking, small-costing gift ideas
Categories: At the office, Books, Entertainment, Gifts, Holiday, House & Home, Time savers, Toothsome products (for grownups)
I am not saying that good things don’t come in small packages, because of COURSE they do. But sometimes a $20 CD can look, well, smaller than $20. And sometimes a $20 throw blanket can look bigger than $20.
If you’re cutting down on gift spending this year, you might want to get more bang for your buck, as it were, by saving yourself money—and also giving the recipient a way to save some money themselves. Or you might be trying to snow your in-laws into thinking you spent more than you did. I’m not going to look too closely at your motivations, I’m just going to give you some big-looking, small-costing ideas that happen to go along with all the things people say they’re doing to save money these days.
Hey, is anyone you know turning the thermostat down because of unpleasantly high heating bills? Well, there you go: a throw blanket is the gift of heat. Plus, it takes up a lot of space under the tree. This particular one is at Amazon.com for $13-29 (depending on color) down from $40, and it comes in four colors: espresso, camel, brick, and olive. My experience with Pike Street stuff (I have some of the flannel sheets and some vellux blankets) is that the colors can be a little different than they appear in the photos (a sunshiney yellow vellux blanket was more like pale yellow, and a cranberry red blanket was more like burgundy), so don’t try to match someone’s decor exactly.
There’s also a fleece version for $10-13 depending on which of the eight colors you choose (four of them are “coral fleece” and four are “pique coral fleece” and what the difference is I couldn’t tell you, except that some colors are one and some colors are the other).
The Presto Power Pop is a great popcorn popper: it makes air-popped (or regular popped-with-oil) popcorn in your microwave, and popcorn is a pretty cheap snack. Amazon.com has it for $13.50 down from $25. The box isn’t huge, but it’s substantial-looking.
Hey, look! It’s my brownie pan! It’s 9×13 with a cover, and I use it A LOT: for brownies, for cakes, for bars, for chocolate-crusted pumpkin cheesecake. When my mother-in-law was visiting she said, “That pan doesn’t get much rest, does it?,” and I had to agree. Amazon.com has it but not with free shipping; fortunately, you can get it at Walmart or Target instead. It costs about $13. Depending on who you give it to, you could wrap it as-is or you could bake a batch of brownies into it and then wrap it. The mint brownies I linked to earlier in this paragraph are festive.
The PostSecret books make great gifts: not only are they interesting to just about anyone who walks this mortal coil, they’re nice big impressive hardcovers that seem more expensive than they are. Amazon.com has My Secret for $15 down from $22—not exactly FREE even so, but makes a nice-looking present: bigger-seeming than a lot of book gifts would…seem.
Perhaps you know someone who is swearing to give up their morning coffee drive-through visits. This darling Black & Decker coffee maker brews into a travel mug! INTO A TRAVEL MUG! I’m not sure you’re following me: it brews the coffee….into a travel mug. And it’s only $15. This would be nice to have at home and small enough to have at work.
Good luck, and let me know if you’ve thought of anything else that looks big but costs small: I haven’t shopped for my in-laws yet.
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I’ve been buying fleece blankets at the thriftstores and yardsales and found a lady on craigslist who machine embroiders a name on them for 5$ each. Under 10 bucks for a personalized blanket! Has big impact!
The thing everyone on my list is getting is an Oxo tiny slanted measuring cup - it measures up to 6 tablespoons I think?- anyway, I bought them at Bed Bath and Beyond using a coupon (did you know you can use 1 coupon per item and 5 in a transaction and check out with multiple transactions so that you maximize the couponage and savings?!?). Tricky suckers to wrap but cute and — you need one to make good mixed drinks, too!
Deanna | December 3rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Yo! Great site! Great post!
I love fleece blankets. When the kids go to bed, I curl up on the couch under one and it is *almost* better than eating that whole pan of brownies.
erin | December 3rd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Pretty clever of you. Big package, small cost! I love $15. It’s the perfect gift dollar-amount for These Trying Times. WTG, Swistle!
Lee | December 3rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I got “bulk” items and then break it down. Recently, I bought a 3-pack duffel bag set ($19 super on sale) with each bag a slightly different size/style. They’re going to BIL’s and nephews, are ‘big’ (ish) and definitely look like I spent more than $6.33 each.
I do this with stocking stuffers as well, particularly the “3 bottles of yummy smelling lotion for $10″ kind of deals.
Great post!
Marivic | December 3rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I love the idea of making a gift look bigger… and love the idea of donating in someone’s name… but donation cards are kinda blah-y. So… I’ve given a donation to Heifer (www.heifer.org) for, say, GOATS, in my extended family’s name and then wrapped up goats milk soap with the explanation. We’ve done SHEEP and given little lamb ornaments, and a HIVE of BEES and given those cute honey stirrers. Kinda fun for a few years in a row.
Now we’re on to Fair Trade stuff (www.tenthousandvillages.com - supports artists not sweatshops) but other than looking for sales or breaking gift sets I’m kinda lost on stretching the buck. But we do try to buy throughout the year so it’s not all bunched up!
Kris | December 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I really love the little coffee maker. That IS a good idea.
Misty | December 3rd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I bought the first PostSecret book for my husband a couple of years ago with the instructions that it was intended to be re-gifted. I wrote his name inside and then when he re-gifted it, he wrote the other person’s name underneath. I just thought that a coffee table book like that is fun for a while, but you don’t really need to own it forever. It seemed like more of a concept gift - bigger than just a book - when I added the explanation.
RookieMom Whitney | December 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Great ideas. I have sometimes hesitated to give certain gifts unless I knew the recipient wanted it, because it didn’t look like much.
I think I need the brownie pan for myself. I mean, for all the Christmas gifts I’ll be baking for other people.
Alison | December 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Great ideas- I want that blanket for myself! Unfortunately, that’s how I shop during the holidays: one for them, one for me, one for them, another one for me! The pan is a good idea as well- I like that it has a lid. Thanks.
Nicole | December 4th, 2008 at 12:41 am
What great ideas! I’m particularly drawn to the idea of giving throw blankets (really nice ones) as gifts. You make a great point that we’re ALL cutting back on costs, and everyone’s house is certainly colder.
cynthea | December 4th, 2008 at 4:49 am
It would be really, really nice to have something that went right into the travel mug, so I didn’t have to dirty not one but TWO mugs making coffee.
astarte | December 4th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
That coffeemaker is awesome — I even pack it with me when I travel for those rotten hotels without coffeemakers.
Speaking of fleece, Target has fleece women’s jackets on sale for $10 this week. My house is always a little cold in the winter, and this is perfect for that extra layer of warmth, and still looks good. I’m going to pick up a few for family Christmas gifts.
Jen | December 4th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I love all your posts! These recommendations are awesome. I love the brownie pan with lid. I am always fussing around the kitchen for a piece of foil to cover my brownies and inevitably the foil gets smushed as my husband sneaks in for seconds (and thirds), so out comes a new piece of foil. What a waste. With this I wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.
Lauren | December 5th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Well, for the college student / young adult in your life, Crock-Pots are down to $15/each at Target through tomorrow. I definitely called my mom when I saw that.
Katie B. | December 5th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I love the these ideas! Especially the coffee maker and the brownie pan since I’m always baking. I usually tend to buy accessories for my two daughters as smaller gift ideas. I just bought them these adorable scarfs and fun bags that were made by a local artisan. It is a hard time for everyone so I’m doing my best to support the local stores. Pink Tulip Clothes and Accessories (http://www.pinktulip.com)is this new store in my area that makes it easy to shop! I’ve found a lot of accessories that are good stocking stuffers (hair clips, holiday underwear) and I even found an outfit for this holiday party that I’m throwing next weekend- all reasonably priced. I wasn’t familiar with the designer until I bought my outfit, Yoana Baraschi. I recommend it if you live in the area.
Holly | December 9th, 2008 at 7:30 pm