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| DollarWise | 10 gifts for people who hate stuff
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An unforgettable experience might be harder to wrap, but memories of great concerts, fantasies come true or good deeds done don't gather dust.
By Jennifer Mulrean
We all know them. Maybe youre even one of them. Instead of the customary yippee! when ogling their holiday haul, they think, Yikes! Where am I going to put all this stuff?
Never fear: Plenty of gifts require no precious closet space. Probably the most flexible is the standard gift certificate or rechargeable gift card. This takes the pressure off you to find the Perfect Gift, but the serious anti-stuff contingent knows its usually just a way to delay the material acquisition. A stored-value credit card, such as the one from Visa, can be a good way around this because it can be used for many of the less materialistic merrymakers listed below.
If you're in the no-stuff camp, the trick is to get this list into the hands of your potential gift-givers.
The gift of experience
Just the ticket: With regular monthly budgets squeezed dry, it can feel like a Herculean task to wring any extras out of it -- just one of the reasons event tickets make great gifts. The better you know the recipients, the better your chances for picking an event that really hits home, whether the tickets are for their favorite sports team or band or for a play theyve always wanted to see. And any ticket recipient can tell you its like getting a gift twice, once when you open it, and again when you actually use the tickets.
Try looking for events on any of the Citysearch sites for your town or at a tickets site, such as StubHub, Tickets.com, Ticketmaster or MSN Entertainment. If youre unsure about picking an event, you can opt for a gift certificate to the theater or a stored-value credit card. And if you really feel the need to splurge, season tickets are sure to impress.
City lights, city passes: City passes get you into a number of museums and tourist attractions for one flat fee, often at a substantial discount to what the tickets would have cost a la carte. The combined price of admission for the six attractions included in the Seattle CityPass would normally cost $79.75, compared with the pass price of $39.50. It includes admission to the Space Needle and a harbor boat tour, among other things. The prices and choices vary from city to city; the San Francisco CityPass includes a seven-day cable car and municipal transportation pass, and the Southern California pass includes admission to some theme parks.
These are great if you have friends or relatives visiting for the holidays, or for people who are traveling to cities where the passes are available. The stateside version can be found at City Pass, but a number of European cities offer similar programs at EuropeanCityCards.com. Some of them have nice perks if you buy them ahead. You can add public transportation to the London Pass, for example, so long as you buy it before you actually get to London.
Explore classes and 'fantasy camps: Any would-be Picassos or Fred Astaires on your gift list? How about wannabe astronauts (Space Camp) or race-car drivers (RacingSchools.com)? Foster their inner passions by treating them to a fantasy camp or local classes. Who knows, they may never take the plunge without the push.
The surprise factor can be hard to pull off with this one, unless you opt for a gift certificate to the school or arrange for private lessons that can be customized to their schedule. Check with community colleges, local dance and music studios, etc. in online yellow pages. For online classes in everything from poetry to astronomy, try Encartas eLearning Center.
Send them packing: Who doesnt need a little R&R, especially after the holidays? Dont have the cash to get them anywhere close to their destination? Give airline miles instead. You also can add to their existing travel plans by footing the bill for an unusual experience, such as a hot-air balloon ride over Africa or surfing lessons in Hawaii. Elderhostel also does a great job of packaging educational adventure trips for people 55 and older. They have about 10,000 programs a year.
Let them join the club: Sometimes, being a joiner has its perks. From reduced entrance fees to museums and parks, to special members-only events, make someone feel like an insider by giving him a membership. A few to consider: zoos, arts organizations, museums, outdoor groups, even AAA for a newly licensed teen if the family doesnt already belong.
For fresh farm food, consider a membership to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA member dues support local farms. In return, many deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to members homes or open the farms for you-pick special events. (Additional information about CSA is available here.)
Gifts that keep giving
On the doorstep, month after month: Turn the page on magazine subscriptions. Instead, you could treat someone to year-round doorstep deposits of flowers, wine, beer or fresh fruits -- you name it and you probably can sign up for monthly deliveries. The cost can add up quickly if youre aiming to provide a years subscription. But many sites allow for smaller commitments, such as three and six-month subscriptions. Some of the more unusual ones (for things that wont pile up, of course) include cigars (Cigar of the Month Club), orchids (Red Envelope), cheesecake (Say it with Cheesecake!), bonsais (1800flowers.com), fresh breads (Williams-Sonoma) or a rotating selection of gourmet foods from iGourmet.com.
Another good fit: online subscriptions to publications or radio shows. At Audible.com you can get one audio book and one radio show or periodical per month for about $15 per month. Or, you can subscribe to particular shows -- a monthly subscription to NPRs Fresh Air runs $12.95 a month, individual episodes cost about $2.
Fits of financial fun: The stock market isnt quite the scary place its been for the last few years. Why not finance someones interest in investing with the gift of stocks or bonds? A gift in a toy or candy company, for example, can pique the interest of young investors.
You can invest low-dollar amounts through Sharebuilder.com or FolioFN. Oneshare.com will frame your stock certificate, but at $110 for one share of Walt Disney stock -- a whopping $83 above the recent stock price -- its more a luxury item than a smart investing move.
If you want to use any investments to help fund college savings, consider doing it through a 529 Plan. The plans allow almost anyone to set one up for almost anyone else. The recipient need not be a knee-high grandchild, though that would certainly give the money more time to grow. Earnings are tax-free, and you can invest in any states plan, no matter where you live. (Read more about 529 plans here: "The 5 best college savings plans".)
Give Grandma a goat: Maybe you have friends who are especially passionate about the environment or helping children. Make a charitable donation in their names and provide them with information on how their gifts are being used. Adopt Nemo at the National Aquarium in Baltimore or adopt a polar bear through the World Wildlife Fund. Heifer International has an online catalog of potential gifts to make to people in more than 48 countries around the world -- from cows ($500), goats ($120) and llamas ($150) to pigs ($120), geese ($20) and even bees ($30). The charity also allows you to purchase shares of many of the animals -- $10 for a share of a goat, or $50 for a cow share, for example. (Read up on how to tell good charities from bad, here: ePhilanthropyFoundation.org and "How to tell a good charity from a bad one.")
Something for Uncle Wilbur
Elegant edible gifts: Were not talking about that gag-inducing fruitcake from the re-gifting hall of fame. Gourmet food sites cater to every culinary desire. Regional foods make especially fun gifts for anyone whos moved away from home but still waxes nostalgic for the dishes they grew up on. Try fresh lobsters for transplanted New Englanders, brisket for Texans and crawdads for Louisianans. Keep in mind that shipping food can require some scheduling finesse. (Read more about it here: "It's in the mail: Your fancy holiday dinner.")
On the cutting edge: Buy a paper shredder. So this one doesnt rank high for charm. And true, it will take up some square footage. But it also will help your clutter-phobic friends and family stay on top of the ever-growing piles of paper that wreak havoc with their filing systems. And because destroying sensitive documents is a smart way to protect financial privacy, the recipient will feel loved and protected.
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