Gift Giving

Americans have a flair for gift giving.  Because of this so-called generosity, over time we accumulate so much stuff that we run out of places to put it.  Then we have little choice but to try selling some of it at garage sales, renting storage space, adding onto the house, or building outdoor storage sheds in the backyard. 

Now that we're coming up against another wobbly economy, maybe we ought to take a look at the kinds of gifts we are giving one another and what we are paying for them.  Especially if a family's household budget is tight, it's senseless to keep buying gifts that cause additional hardship on the checkbook balance.

Some practical gift ideas we might consider......

• Home baked bread, with the recipe
• Basket with cheese and fruit
• Decorative napkins
• Gardening gloves along with a packet of flower seeds
• Pancake mix and a bottle of real maple syrup or blueberry syrup
• Movie theater gift certificates
• Note cards and book of stamps
• Personal drawing or photograph in a frame
• Muffin mix with muffin pan
• Handwritten copies of your favorite recipes
• Jig-saw puzzle
• Homemade cookies
• Package of pistachios
• Magazine the recipient would enjoy.  Roll it up and tie it with a pretty ribbon.

It's all about maintaining smart style on one hand and being practical on the other.