Phenomenal Gift-giving on a Less-Than-Phenomenal Budget

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at  Infinite Learners about When a Mommy Blogger becomes a Mom Blogger, and I’m excited to welcome Kathirynne from Evolution to Simplicity to PJs Til Noon!

 

Gift giving can be a highly stressful proposition.  We want the gift to express our feelings for the recipient, we want it to be appreciated, and we don't want to break the bank paying for it.  Implementing the steps below will make your gift giving easier, more heartfelt and thoughtful and (I hope) less expensive.

1) Plan Ahead It's one thing to be caught off guard by an unexpected baby shower or a wedding invitation that arrives out of the blue and have to engage in some quick thinking to come up with a suitable gift.  But Christmas, Valentine's Day and our loved ones' birthdays occur on the same day every year, which makes for easy planning.  Mother's Day, Father's Day and Easter, while not on exactly the same date every year, annually occur at the same time of year, so they are no surprise, either. 
The time to start thinking about Christmas, for instance, is NOT the day after Thanksgiving.  Anyone can purchase something from a "big box store" on Black Friday.  But to create truly meaningful gifts requires forethought and advance planning.  The Victorians traditionally began their Christmas preparations as early as July to ensure that they would be finished in time to be placed under the tree on Christmas Eve.  It may feel silly to be "making a list and checking it twice" while the scent of Independence Day fireworks still lingers in the air, but when you're finished with your holiday shopping well before Thanksgiving (while everyone around you is frantically scouring the shops for that "perfect gift") you'll be glad that you planned so far in advance.

2) Know Your Intended Recipient  With very few exceptions (our children's teachers, for instance), the people to whom we give gifts are people we know well.  If this is not the case, perhaps the question to be asking ourselves is not "What gift shall I give to this person?" but rather "Why do I feel obligated to give this person a gift at all?"
Once you have established that a particular person does, indeed, belong on your gift list, it's time to brainstorm.  The best gifts are ones that have been selected with the specific recipient in mind.  Consider your intended recipient's likes and dislikes, their interests and hobbies, even their allergies and dietary restrictions, if applicable. 
For instance, your friend the chai tea lover who has a long commute to work every day might enjoy a reusable travel mug, a chai tea recipe and all the necessary ingredients to make her favorite beverage at home.  Not only will she appreciate this gift when she opens it, but also every time she doesn't have to fork over $4.50 at Starbuck's for her daily chai fix.

3) Set (and Stick to) a Budget This is probably the least fun component of gift giving, but it is probably the most important one.  Giving gifts that are beyond our financial means is irresponsible and unnecessary.  Planning and creativity usually trump a large outlay of cash when it comes to gift giving, so set your budget boundaries and stay within them.  (In order to avoid "the gift that keeps on taking" pay with cash instead of with a credit card...those interest charges add up.)

4) Get Creative  This is where the fun really begins.  A good gift is like a collage - a bit from this source, a bit from that source - all combined to create a masterpiece that is more than the sum of its parts.  Decide on a theme to use as a springboard.  Does your friend enjoy sushi?  Perhaps a “Make-at-home Sushi Kit”might be a good gift.  Has your niece expressed a sudden interest in knitting?  A knitting bag containing needles, yarn and a gift certificate for classes at a local yarn shop (or, if you know how to knit, lessons from you would be even better) would make the perfect present for her.

Think beyond the usual sources when seeking out the components of your gift.  That vintage coffee can from the antique shop can become a quaint container for a gently used coffee mug from the thrift store, a sack of fancy coffee from the gourmet grocery, and a selection of biscotti baked in your own kitchen to create a gift that your favorite coffee lover will be thrilled to receive.  A stack of books (by a favorite author or about a specific topic of interest) from the second-hand bookshop, a simple handmade bookmark or two and a clip-on booklight from the office supply store combine to become a fantastic present for that bookworm in your life.

The gifts we give are tiny reflections of ourselves.  Be sure the gifts you give say that you are thoughtful, creative and thrifty but not cheap.

 

~Jen here.  I for one LOVE the tips in this post! 

What do you think?  You have tips to add, and what’s the best gift you’ve ever given?  Or received? 

(I’ll take whatever you want to throw our comment way!)

ps.  Visit Life...Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

What’s in a name?

I watched the momversation today.  The subject was names.  More specifically, do you regret what you named your kids?
I’m not going to get all into that subject.  But it did get me thinking. 
What about a blog name?  I hear it’s pretty important what you decide for your “brand.”  And it got me wondering, if any of you know the whole reason for our name here at the PJs. 
We have several new friends and I don’t want all of you thinking that we’re just lazy moms who sit around in our pjs until literally noon.  (Well, we do sometimes, but that’s not all we do.  And maybe more than just sometimes.  Still.)
Pam and Jen.  PJ.  Get it?  We were throwing around ideas with PJ or JP and almost immediately fell in love with PJs Til Noon.  We are the poster children for laidback, comfy living, and want you to be comfy here at our little corner or the web.
So there you have it.  That’s what our name means.  Or stands for.  Or whatever.  We want to emphasize the comfy not the lazy. 
I am wondering if we will have to re-work the name in the near future.  I’ll be working, Pam’s in school.  Not a whole lot of PJ wearing until noon going on. 
But in our hearts, we will be in PJs Til Noon forever. 
And ever.  Amen.

A little about camp, but very little, I'm busy...

Pam and I have been talking a lot about camp lately.

I am realizing that some of you may not be familiar with the church camp world.
We go for a week at a time. The camps are split up by age. High School, Middle School, Junior, Primary.

This week is the last one (primary).

Although I'm happy that camp season is almost over (I'm super dog-tired), I will miss all of the fun that we have working camp. I have some friends that I only see at camp, and I will miss seeing them for another year.

Tony over at Muddied Waters has posted his top 5 things he likes about camp.
This may give you a little insight to what we love about camp.

I call it my happy place.

Well, I'm off for one last week. I'll try to sneak away sometime this week and post. If not, know I'm laughing, goofing off, having great coffee (one perk) and working very very hard.

Hey, someone has to sell the cheap junk and take the little kiddies' money.

The Best Week EVER!!!

Ok, so y'all know that the blog has been feeling a little neglected lately, right? Well, one more week and we should be back to our not-so-regular schedule.
But this is in no way a post about our forsaking all of our bloggy friends.

Ohhhh, no.

This is about the absolute, most definite wonderfullest, funnest, most fabulous laughter filled week of groovy Church Camp in the history of Church Camp.

And who is responsible for this groundbreaking event?

Well, if I have to answer that question for you I'm not sure we can be friends.

Pam and I have made reference to the fact that we would be in the same cabin of girls at camp for a while now, and if you've not been paying attention or just don't know how highly we think of ourselves, I'll give you a refresher.

Our narcissism may be worse now, that we had an entire week of BFF splendor and didn't even lose one child. (Although we may or may not have wanted to.)

*side note: This could very well be full of bird-walking and just jump randomly from one subject to the next with no warning at all. Pam and I still have "campovers" and may seem a little befuddled.

Do I need to start over?

About 3 weeks ago I was headed to camp to do the very important job of running the camp store. Let me tell you that this is the most important, crucial and demanding job on the campground.

Alright, not really. It's a cake walk.

On the way to camp that week, I stopped at Pam's for a quick chat because it was about the halfway point. I told the kids they had about a half-hour to play before we hit the road again.
2 hours later, we were on the couch and talking about the week she would be working camp.

That is when inspiration struck.
The room darkened and there was a glow all around us.
It was divine inspiration.
We could be in the same cabin.
All week.
Us.
Together.
After our involuntary separation.

BRILLIANT!

So that was this past week. It lived up to all of the expectation and more. So much more.
More laughter. More goofiness. More fun.
Very little depth.

I mean it.

Dave asked if we talked about church at all.
I can't remember a single serious conversation.

It was a dream week.

More posts with pictures will come.
I promise you, you will be sick of seeing our mugs.

And the best part, she's coming back to camp again. It won't be the same, though. I'll be doing my store job and she will be in a cabin. But we will steal some BFF time from this camp, I assure you. In Jesus' Name.

They say it's your birthday!

Today is a very special day. Thirty *ahem* something years ago, a great friend was born. I got to see her today and took this picture. Which I promptly edited and doctored on picnik.com. Too much fun. I do think she tolerates my goofy silliness. As evidenced in this pic.

It is rare that you find a truly great friend, and when you find one, celebrate! I am lucky enough to have found a fantastic friend in Pam and I'm thankful.

So, this is brief, but I want to wish my BFF a very happy birthday.

You're finally as old as me. Wait...if I'm older does that mean I can boss you around? I tried that one with my childhood bff. Didn't work then either...

Here's to you, Pam. Thanks for being my OHH. (Inside joke -- sorry to be rude to those of you who don't know, but I couldn't resist.)

Love you & Have a great one,

She's got Flair!!!

I just had to share. I made this flair for Pam on Facebook. (Pat on the back.) Look familiar? It seems to be a theme.

Now all of you out there are jealous, I know. No need.

You too, can find it and use it. It is published under Pretty, Girly, BFF.

Now, go share some Facebook, Flair & BFF love.

Go on.

Now.

Or stick around and read our past posts and comment.

It will make our day.

My inner Lord of The Rings Geek keeps escaping.

Ok. Pam got the day going with a great post that got all spiritual and stuff. See, we can be serious.

My personal favorite lines from this trilogy are in The Fellowship when Merry and Pip realize that Aragorn doesn't have the same values and standards that they do. How can they follow a man who doesn't even know about "elevenses"?

Aragorn: Gentlemen, we do not stop till nightfall.

Pippin: What about breakfast?

Aragorn: You've already had it.

Pippin: We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast? [Aragorn turns and walks off in disgust]

Merry: I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.

Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?

Merry: I wouldn't count on it.

Ahh. I love these two. They speak my language. In my family we call this the Preventive Diet.

You eat all day so you don't get hungry.

Oh, I said something about being serious, didn't I?

Well, ok, fine, if I have to. (Insert teen angst huff here.)

My other favorite line from these movies is when Sam and Frodo are trying to make it up that big volcanic mountain. Mordor? I have a little geek in me but not enough to have the entire map of middle earth memorized. I was just on the IMDb site, where you can get all things movie related. I was right. Apparently that geek is more powerful than I thought.

Back to my point. Frodo is very weak. He is whining that he can't go on any longer. Anyone else get tired of Frodo towards the end of movie #2? Anyway...

It was already established that Sam cannot carry the ring. Frodo pitched a royal fit when Sam offered to help. Here Sam is on this journey only to help Frodo and Frodo turns on him. Yeah, yeah, the power of the ring and all that. Still, no way to treat your BFF.

What does Sam do? Does he give Frodo a taste of his own medicine? "Fine, do it yourself, see how far you can get without me."?

I'm glad to say that Sam was the bigger hobbit. (Hee hee, that makes me laugh.)

"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you. "

Now that is a true friend.

Isn't that how we all should be? I can carry you, even if there's nothing else I can do to help.

This always makes me think of the church. We should carry each other. But our mission is not just to have a club where we get together and make each other feel better. There is a whole world out there that is depending on us getting that ring into the fire.

Even the people that have no idea that there's a struggle going on benefit from our carrying each other. But we can't stop there. Those unaware people are the ones I'm interested in getting to and helping. I heard a speaker once refer to those we call "unsaved". I like this man's term better. "The people God misses most." I'm doing my best to remain aware of this other world while living in the one I am surrounded by.

Whew, that's heavy stuff. Ok, enough for being all serious. It has really worn me out.

Can I say that I love these movies? We own all three. Extended versions. With additional DVDs of just about any info you ever wanted to know about New Zealand and the making of these movies. And we have watched it all.

There's that geek bragging. Sorry. :-D

Great flick pick, Pam.