Here’s the third and final of the holiday gift guides. A few more ideas found their way into the newsletter. Next week I’ll be focusing on budget friendly stocking stuffer gifts. And follow along on Twitter for more gift ideas www.twitter.com/budgetsmartgirl Ideas are still arriving in my e-mail on a daily basis!
Not Just a Fine Romance
Hear the word Harlequin and romance novels spring to mind. However, Harlequin recently began a non-fiction venture. With the exception of one book which is $29.95, they’re all under $25. Some of my favorite picks are The Total Brain Workout $16.95 and Eat Your Way to Happiness $16.95. Go to www.eharlequin.com and all the titles are 20% off.
More Brainy Stuff
Speaking of a total brain workout, there’s a Nintendo import that’s got everyone in the UK talking. It’s Junior Brain Trainer and arriving in North America this week. The game is geared for 5-11 year olds, and has occupied a high position on the Nintendo DS Budget bestseller chart since its release in the UK 11 months ago. $19.99 http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=76054
Salt of Life
We’re all under stress these days and not just at the Holidays. The Salt of Life will really be appreciated by its recipient.
http://www.nucelle.com/salt_of_life.htm?ref=budgetsmartgirl
Candles for the Holidays and a Good Cause
Firehouse Candles is a family-run business, located in Gurnee, Illinois. They manufacture and sell paraffin and soy candles as well as reed diffusers. They have some great Christmas scents that include: a seasonal autumn fragrance, a Christmas tree scent, cranberry, jingleberry, evergreen, apple jack, and brown sugar spice. The candles range in price from $3.99 for a 6-cube (each cube burns for 20 hours) brick to $14.99 for 16 oz paraffin jar that burn for 120 hours. Firehouse Candles has recently joined the fight against childhood cancer and is donating 25% of purchases to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. When purchasing a candle, you can enter the word “Bald” on the checkout page and they will donate a portion back to St. Baldrick’s. Not only do these candles smell great, burn great, but they are also supporting an amazing cause!
http://stbaldricks.org/shop/givebackstore/
http://www.firehousecandles.com/
Eco Travel Kit
Does someone on your list travel all the time? I bet they’re like this next gift.
Minimus.biz http://www.minimus.biz is the leader in all things travel-sized and individual sized. Launched on Dec. 1st, is a unique “green” kit that is a terrific gift for the avid traveler, or as part of a holiday getaway trip. Packaged in an environmentally friendly seed-infused paper box, you can actually plant the gift box in the ground and numerous flowers will grow. Inside the gift set are a variety of organic and all-natural personal care items including lotion, shower gel, soap, sunscreen, stress soothing balm, and lip balm, all from a variety of brands that are leaders in eco-friendly personal care products.
Hold Those Bags
Know someone who has too many purses and bags or a cluttered closet? They might like this one.
The Handy Hold All aka closet organizer for your handbags. As well as keeping them organized, they’re probably last longer too, how budget smart is that? www.simplysarahshaw.com
More Jewelry
I had lots of jewelry designers contact me with gift ideas and it was really difficult to select just one for each guide. This time is Sophie Grace of Hawaii.
The necklace is strung on a silk cord, making it very strong but more reasonably priced since there isn’t a gold or silver chain. The starfish is Swarovski Crystal and they each have different semi-precious stones depending on the color combo. They come in Gold, Purple, Green and Blue They sell like hot cakes for $50.00 but if you enter the code Maggie35 at checkout, you can buy them for $35 www.sophiegracemaui.com
For the Difficult Person on the List
We all know them, the person who is impossible to buy for. This next gift idea could be perfect.
Smartbox – http://www.smartbox.com/us/ Smartbox is a new gift card product that allows you to offer family members a great experience like a relaxing treatment at a luxurious spa, a stay at a great bed & breakfast, or even a trip to a world-famous stunt school – all at a budget friendly price (starting at $49). You can purchase Smartbox products online or at retailers like Borders and Duane Reade.
Clothes
When I was younger and people asked me what I wanted for Christmas, clothes always topped my list. They’re a lot more expensive these days but bargains still exist.
Conversation Pieces has something for everyone from gem stone dresses for the glam girl to feathered accessories for the whimsical woman and vintage envelope clutches for the edgy retro.
They sell on-trend indie designers made in the U.S.A. with everything under a $100. All of the pieces are limited quantity, www.shopconversationpieces.com.
And Finally
My love of trendy clothes might be a thing of the past, but I still love body lotions, bath soaks, so this caught my eye, a new line of petite bath bombs in a jar. “Bath Bombs” are hand-made in one of my favorite cities, Portland, Oregon with the absolute finest ingredients from all over the world. The website is www.beaubain.com, which also has links to numerous product reviews. The products are all paraben, sulfate free and not tested on animals.
