# Best non-material gift??



## ceilydhmama (Mar 31, 2003)

What is the best non-material gift you have ever received or ever been given (or just heard of)?
I'm trying to think ahead for my family's 'birthday season' (15+ b-days in 2 mos!). We often give $$ gifts too each others favourite charity, but I miss getting to be creative with gift giving. I also make jam and bake stuff with dd for gifts but am looking for cool ideas I haven't thought of that would be suitable for crunchy family members and non-chrunchy ones








Also things I can suggest to family so we don't get more #$&&!! stuff


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## Sisyphus (Mar 26, 2003)

www.heifer.org

I exchange heifer gifts with my bro's family at xmas time. It is a really cool idea









Good luck!

Lo


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## ceilydhmama (Mar 31, 2003)

Oh that looks cool and exactly the sort of thing I am hoping to find. My friend showed me an adopt a sloth progam http://www.ogphoto.com/slothrescuecenter/adopt.htm. which was a fun gift for my type "A" bil


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## toraji (Apr 3, 2003)

The best gifts I ever gave (and were given) were "coupons" for 1 hour of housework, 1 back rub etc. Service type gifts that the other person could cash in. I'm thinking for family you could do babysitting, meals, housework, "dates"....hmm....lots of things you can do!


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## Amys1st (Mar 18, 2003)

Give the receiver a frozen meal that you can cook that the gift getter loves. When delivering it, bring a ready to eat one and one to put in the freezer.

A membership to a musuem, zoo etc

A car wash gift certificate

A baby sitting gift

Gas gift certificate

Offer to do a project you can do, but the receiver would not be able to- such as are you handy, can you sew, cook a few meals ahead of time etc

We gave my IL's for xmas- we put up tile as a back splash in their kitchen. They picked the tile, we bought it and dh installed it.


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## AngelBee (Sep 8, 2004)

Jars of mixes for hot chocolate, teas, and coffees. There were great!


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## Shiloh (Apr 15, 2005)

I'd say for younger kids gifts to their education funds are good.
Or driving lessons, a balroom dancing lesson, cooking class, wine tasting.

Gift certificates are good but for things like food, everyone can use a night they can order a pizza guilt free, or it will encourage them to go out with hubby for a night out (you can give babysitting too).

A free afternoon to help a woman go through her closet and org. give away the old stuff is also a nice gift as husbands usually are not helpful in is this out of date?

Or help painting a room, help moving (there's a great one









Or pay a bill for them like one month free cable, bus pass etc. The gas coupon is a great idea gas is so expensive now! Movie passes or rental coupons. Haircut/colour, etc.

I think the best gifts are normal things the person wouldnt' give themselves permission to do or not to that level.


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## Bethla (May 29, 2004)

I like the jar gifts idea too, you can find soup, bread and chili recipes too.

For X-Mas I bought some tote bags from the craft store and painted the kids hands and they put their hand prints on them. But I guess that falls in the material range!


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

Oh, that's easy







My inlaws gave me a year of housekeeping services. I think I'm getting it again this year. HOORAY

How about movie tickets and gift certs for popcorn and drinks?

Tickets to a show at the performing arts center?

Boat cruise?

Babysitter certificate and dinner out?


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## mandib50 (Oct 26, 2004)

how about homemade paper? it's easy and fun to make and the kids can get involved too. the other thing i liked my sister gave my kids was adopting an animal through WWF and my mom gave the kids A Gift of Water through UNICEF that meant clean water for a someone else. one other organization has (can't remember right now) those gifts you can buy like bunnies or hens or a goat, or an olive tree etc for someone else in a third world country and the prices are reasonable i think starting at $25 upwards of over $1000 if you want to buy a barn full of animals.

mandi


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## SpiralChrissy (Apr 5, 2004)

My favorite gift is a giftcard to a local spa. I love getting massages and would never spend the $ on it myself. If the massage is too expensive, just pay for part of it. It's much easier to justify pampering for yourself if someone's already paid for part of it. :LOL


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## MaWhit (Jan 5, 2002)

Massage gift certificates. Grocery store and restaurant gift certificates. Mother Earth News magazine subscription. Cash.


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