Dec 23 - Last-Minute Gift Ideas

(If you came to read Planet Perspectives because of the recent Washington Post article, you might want to go check out these highlighted blog posts of interest.)

Saving cash ---This morning, I'm watching my daughter's best friend while her parents are at work. (No babysitter costs for me and my friends, if we can avoid it!) I won't be working again out of the house until my next trip to Africa - which will be Ethiopia in January. I'm also doing some kid-swapping so another mom and I can get a few errands done, even some which are NOT holiday-related. (Imagine that!) But I do have just a few gifts left to get. My goal is to avoid all parking garages - yesterday friends got stuck in garages for 25 minutes and more, and that's the last thing I want. I need to be time- and energy-efficient now.

Here are some last minute gift ideas if you don't want to stray far from home:

• Buy Amazon.com Gift Cards - You can print them out at home or email them directly to the recipient. Or you can simply drop a physical Gift Card into their Amazon.com shopping cart. Great for last minute gifts!
• Buy Amazon gifts - you can order as late as 3pm PST with one-day shipping and get it by Dec 24. (I am amazed by this, and I'm relieved I shouldn't need to take advantage of this service, but if you do, go for it!!!!)
  
• Make your own coupon book. Especially good for someone who wants to save some money or declutter. (See my Clutter-Free gift-giving post)
• Order a magazine subscription. Give them a recent issue with a card explaining they'll start getting the subscription soon!
• What about a restaurant gift certificate to a favorite local restaurant? Or an overnight at a nice hotel or Bed and Breakfast?
• Do you travel a lot? Know someone who doesn't? Can you give your frequent flier miles to someone? Give enough for a round-trip somewhere!
  
• Use those frequent flier miles, or credit card points to order something. Lots of times, we let those points accumulate without using them. Choose a splurge item for a friend or family member, print out a picture of what you're getting them, and let them know when they can expect it to arrive.