For those who have everything
Do you know anyone who really doesn’t want or need anything? They might already buy themselves everything they truly ‘need’ or ‘want’, or say they don’t want anything, but you still want to get them ‘something’?
This is a great gift for grandparents, retirees, or those who enjoy summertime travel. You can add and subtract items according to the recipient’s taste, and add gift cards (restaurant, home improvement, car service, gasoline) to increase the gift amount if desired.
I did a little online research, gave it some thought, keeping a list of items and adding to it as ideas came to me, and even polled my facebook friends for ideas. Here’s what ended up in the basket. For reference, this went to my dad for his birthday (retired, diabetic, plans to do a lot of ‘local’ traveling, a few hours each way from home):
- First aid kit
- Wheat thins
- Pepsi/diet pepsi (one each for mom and dad)
- Cheetos (my mom likes these, I stuck them in there for her– shh!)
- BBQ chips in a cylinder can (not crushable)
- Drinking straws
- Sugar free orange drink packets to add to bottled water (perfect for breakfast/morning)
- Toothpicks
- Kleenex (small box)
- Tide to go stain treating pen
- Wet wipes
- Corn nuts
- Rice Krispie treats (boxed small ones–they make them with a spot you can write on, too, but I didn’t do this)
- Austin peanut butter crackers
- Small bags of peanuts and cashews (single serve)
- Peppermint candies
Neither of my parents read in the car, but if you know someone who does, you could add magazines or puzzle books about their favorite hobbies, a novel to read at the beach/hotel, or some playing cards or other travel games. If you have someone who really likes sweets or something else in particular, you could add a lot of different types of candy, gum or other treats. I tried to keep it to single serving bags in small portions, and individually wrapped mints since my dad is diabetic and has to monitor his blood sugar. I tried to add things that would last beyond the summer: the stain treating pen, kleenex and first aid kit can stay in the car for later. The straws and toothpicks can move inside for use throughout the year. If you’re gifting someone with kids, you could add a dvd (if they have a player), spill proof bubbles, crayon/coloring book, gift cards for iTunes or other kid-friendly activities. For a single person you could put it into a reusable cloth bag instead, something they can put over their shoulder and use later on for carrying groceries or books back to the library.
