Monday 25 March 2013

Tight Budget lovely gifts

Special occasions demand special gifts. Birthdays, anniversaries, getting well after suffering from an illness, birth of a baby, moving into a new home – all these occasions demand unique gifts to make the event more special. The same applies to corporate gifts. Whether it’s about clinching that deal, forging a new partnership or praising the achievers of your company, raising a toast to success with gifts is sure to up the spirits and encourage everyone to perform better in the future. But what would you do if you have a stringent budget to keep an eye on while searching for the ideal gift?

Well, there’s no need to panic as you can search a variety of online gift dealers that offer budget gifts to suit even the tightest of budgets.

Gifts you can buy

Celebration and food often go hand-in-hand, which is why chocolates, cookies, and baked goods fly off the shelves pretty faster as compared to other gift items. If you thought that you can’t get these items on a budget, think again.

Many online stores offer budget gift baskets that pack an assortment of gourmet food items. So, you can let your recipients enjoy these treats without breaking the bank. All you need is a little search online to locate the store that stocks your chosen gifts. Starting from chocolates and cookies to cheese, organic fruits, water crackers, and salami – you might get them all with a targeted search. 

Tea and coffee baskets are some other ideas that would work especially well for enthusiasts who have a penchant for their beverages. Note jars too can work well if you have a tight budget. Though many people think flowers to be an expensive gift, you can get budget-friendly small bouquet of flowers if you go with the common, inexpensive varieties instead of going for the exquisite ones. After all, if the bouquet is colorful, beautiful, and well-made, not many would bother checking what flowers you have included in it.
Gifts you can make

If all these still sound beyond your budget’s reach, you can create your own gifts. If you have special skills like crocheting, knitting, sewing etc, you can craft your own gift. Not only will it cost you much less as compared to a store bought item, but it will also hold much more meaning to your recipient as such gifts show how much you love and care for the person. 

Corporate gifts

Companies battling a tight budget for gifts can save the day with inexpensive and yet useful gifts like coffee mugs (which can be inscribed with messages/company logo if the budget permits), desk calendars, eco-friendly water bottles etc. Several stores also offer box of stationary that can serve the corporate recipients well.

In case you want to send no-fuss, simple gifts that carry your unique touch, you can think about buying a bunch of blank greeting cards. Bulk purchase of such cards will cost you less than if you were to buy a single card. You can write or type-in the messages in these cards based on your recipients’ preferences and tastes. By varying the messages that go into each of these cards, you can make every piece a unique, thoughtful gift. 

Things to consider 

When your budget is tight, it pays to consider your recipient’s preferences and tastes to avoid wasting money on something that won’t hold much meaning for the person. Try to blend usefulness and uniqueness while choosing your gifts – be it for a personal occasion or a corporate event. It’s the thought behind the gift and the effort that goes into finding the item that would be remembered for a long time to come. So, give it your best shot and don’t let tight budgets dampen your spirits.

Thursday 14 March 2013

What should a Get Well Soon gift basket contain?

An accident or illness often takes a lot of time to leave behind. If someone you love has been recuperating from an accident or is on the path to recovery from an illness, the least you could do is to encourage the person to get well soon.

Though nothing beats the efficacy of encouraging words delivered in person, you can always send gift baskets in case you are unable to come and visit that loved one. However, unlike gifts for other occasions, you need to put a lot of thought while selecting get well gift baskets. If you are in a dilemma about what to choose and what to steer clear of on such an occasion, here are some factors to keep in mind in order to make a good choice. 

Flowers

To begin with, remember that you don’t need to invest a lot and buy flashy gifts. Rather, it’s the thought behind your gift that really matters. You gift should cheer up the patient and make him/her feel loved and cared for. Flowers often top the list of get well soon gifts and you too can opt for a flower gift basket to convey your heartfelt wishes. You can let a personalized get well soon card accompany your unique gift basket, which would suit both the patient and the occasion well.

However, before you check online gift stores to buy flowers, make sure that your intended recipient loves flowers. It would also be prudent to check if s/he suffers from any allergies and if s/he does, it would be advisable to steer clear of flowers that could worsen the condition. 

Tasty treats

Foods are yet another of those excellent get well gift ideas. However, unlike gourmet delicacies that you might buy for other occasions, you need to shop differently when buying get well soon gifts. Fresh fruits, dried fruits, cookies, soups, green tea/lemon tea/ginseng tea etc are some gifts that you might consider buying.

You may also check what your recipient’s favorite food items are, and bring some of those packed in a customized gift basket. These could include anything from chocolate raisins, and mixed nuts, to candy grapefruits, honey roasted pistachios, caramel raspberry popcorn and more. But before buying any of these food items, it’s advisable to get them approved by the medical professional treating your intended recipient.
After all, you surely don’t want to bring a gift that would end up making the person sicker! Once the doctor approves your gifts, you can buy favorite food treats or healthy food items, which are sure to be appreciated by the patient.

If you wish to give something that would give your recipient company, you might get a cute and cuddly teddy bear, along with other items like a coffee mug, some food treats etc. Some of you might think that teddy bears are for kids but you never know what comfort and joy a teddy can bring even to an adult! So, take the bear-y route to bring wishes of health and happiness in your recipient’s life.

Puzzles and Magazines

Puzzles, magazines, and other reading materials are some get-well gift ideas worth consideration. Since killing time is often an uphill task when one is recovering from an illness or injury, such things can keep the mind occupied, and keep feelings of loneliness at bay.

However, you need to take the patient's interests into consideration when buying magazines to encourage him/her to read them. It’s also important to ensure that your recipient is well enough to do puzzles or else, such gifts might end up being a source of frustration rather than delight. 

So, consider what suits your recipient the best, and then buy a get well soon gift that suits your budget and is sure to bring a smile on the lips of your loved one treading the road to recovery.