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Benefits
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Benefits
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I have a wooden cabinet with four shelves that I call my present closet. My husband looooooves to tell people about it because HE thinks I am crazy. He calls it my prize closet instead.
What I do is hit the after season sales, particularly the after Christmas sales, and look for deeply discounted things to buy. I look for things in the clearance aisles that, while they may be season specific, when taken out of context, can be year round.
For example, today I found these pretty heavy metal stars, about 3” x 4” that have a little round section in the middle indented for candles. They are normally $4 and I got them for 35 cents. They also had little white star candles. Normally 3 for $1, I got them for 5 cents each.
Yes they are considered Christmas by the store, but I can see them as gifts for my employees when they go the extra mile.
I got a ton of small gift bags that are solid colored for 20 cents each. They can be used year round. I got silver metal ornaments that say “HOPE” and “LOVE” and “BELIEVE” and “DREAM” for $1 each. They were $8 and will be beautiful accessories for present wrapping, gluing to frames, making magnets out of.
At Pier 1 I got these two 7” tall statues of women praying, one knelt down with fruits and vegetables at her feet and one with a child in her arms and fall leaves at her feet. They were 20 cents each on 90% clearance because they are Thanksgiving! I’ll give the first one to my mom, who loves to garden, on her birthday and tell her she is the prayerful gardener. I’ll give the other to a girl at work having a baby in September.
Anyway, I can go on and on. Do any of you have a present/prize closet and if so, how do you stock it?
I LOVE this idea ! I had heard of it once before and then forgot about it, until just now.
I don’t have one, but my sis n law does and I think it is a great idea. I think I will start one. It never fails when one of my daughters will tell me the night before that it is someones b day and they need a gift. Great idea, and thanks for posting.
Yeah, plus I read, years ago, it is also great for “hostess” gifts. But the thing I like most about your strategy, is how thoughtful and meaningful your “stock” is. So often we run around at the last minute, spend tons of money, AND buy something impersonal and out of desperation. So it fits so nicely with your topic of living frugally without being cheap. Part of frugality is awareness..and we really have so little of that today.
Come to think of it, my husband has been doing this with greeting cards for years........
Darn ! He trumped me !
I have tried to buy things on sale for gift giving later in the year...but then I forget about the item...or worse yet, where I put it! To have a specific closet or shelf is very important I would think Maybe you have inspired me to find a spot and try it this year.
Lori, girl, my mom has something similar to what you have. When I am at a loss for a gift, I ask my mom for a “suggestion” (he he)She goes right in to her room, opens her closet and has a solution! My mom is always on the lookout for trinkets and other goodies to hand out. She teaches on a part-time basis, so she keeps gifts on hand for unexpected birthdays and other events.
Lori, I can’t ever keep anything like that. If it fits someone or I’m just feeling happy, I give it away!
I don’t but my daughter does...she’s always picking up these little things and storing them away for later use...great idea...if you have the space...
I also keep a present closet. I try to make up things in advance like a bath n body basket, a movie nite basket, a home emergency kit. Things like that. Someone posted on here about coffee so I made a few coffee baskets. I put things into each basket or gift bag that pertains to the theme. Ex would be...movie basket...I put in some microwave popcorn, gift card for $5 to blockbuster or movie gallery, koolaid (cheezy I know)and this one I put into a bowl that will hold the popcorn.
Vikki
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LOL!!!! I only mind if you come up with some ideas for baskets and don’t share with me. I should take some pics and post.....maybe I will. Right after I do my before and after pic...sigh!
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Yana posted a blog about beauty asking for before and after pics. I will prolly post it later tho since I’m done up.
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I do not have a present closet or space, but I love the idea and one day I will be that woman.
I’ve done this for years...but I’m like jenn...I forget about them and loose track. NOw that I am almost an empty nester...I should be able to find a special shelf for this stuff. I forget about things quickly then end of buying something else for someone...then kick myself later because I already had something like that! I am going to do this. I now just need to clean out some closets and find the room! Thanks for the ideas. I love the idea of baskets too!
Mine is a presents box. I’ve done this for 20 years. I find goodies on vacation, or at sales, or things I make. I stash them until Christmas and out they come! My husband loves it and doesn’t think I’m crazy. He puts things in there as well.
I have a little space on my closet shelf that is the gift spot. When my kids were little, I kept it stocked with small jigsaw puzzles, cute notebooks, things that would work for little kids birthday party gifts.
Now my shelf consists mostly of bought ahead Christmas presents for my kids, and a few handmade things like potholders, afgans for the unexpected bridal or baby shower. I really need to get back in the habit of keeping it stocked for more occassions as I’ve had two baby showers in the last few months thatI dind’t have anything for.
Tulip
I have one. I used to hide the gifts in various places around the house and would LOSE them. HA! I just moved in the end of October. When I had to get the grandkids gifts ready for their birthdays and Christmas I couldn’t find them! I bought new ones, and found the gifts a week later. 
wow, you’ve got me beat! 
i just keep a unisex emergency gift already wrapped in case someone comes over at xmas with a present for me. i would hate to be caught empty-handed. i also keep one at work.
I’m lucky to be a candlemaker, my whole basement is one big gift closet. I’m like Vikki, and can put together several items quickly to make a basket. Big Bros/Sis needed some donations before Christmas, and I was able to supply them with a small gift for 15 people.
I decided to make a few other gift bags and thought I would share.
womens- small bottle of polish remover, small bottle of lotion, clear polish, and matchbook of files.
mens- disposable razors, small shave cream, and nail clippers
I shopp the aisles in target,cvs and walgreens where they have the small travel items. A really inexpensive way to put together nice useful things.
Also I will use the little foil samples I get in magazines or from other places that give samples of lotions, shampoos, body wash, etc and will use a hole punch on them, attach a ribbon and use it as a name tag.
Vikki
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How exciting to find the "others" out there like me! I've been doing this with presents (and I have a card box, too!) for years! I'm horrid at shopping for an event near the event because then I start to go all panicky and paranoid that I won't get "The-Perfect-Gift" but I can usually go to My Happy Place et VOILA! I've managed to stash something from number of months ago that is perfect! Vikki, I, too, tend to save my little sample gifts (esp. from my Mary Kay gal)and they just tend to round out little gift sets.
Same thing with the cards...when I specifically go to find one in a store I usually am disappointed. But, over the years, I’ve run into really gorgeous ones in the oddest places and snatched them up! Again, I now just default to my little box and usually find some real treasures.
How inspiring! Thanks ladies!
Lynn
Got the card box too! I really need to get organized and get it all in one place.
i have a card box, and i love getting cards for it!
i do the gift closet as well, however i am not organized like you all! lol
i love it when we have a company store at work.. they have lots of little things i can get! like i bought these candle holders with the glass dish to hold the candles got them 2 for $1.oo so i got 14 of them! lol great gifts!
I have a card box too! My Mom bought it for me a few years ago and would refill it periodically. When she passed away we found her card box with MY name on it and a box full of refills.
I use it all the time...
But also when I need to buy a gift for someone busy a car box is what I purchase along with a book of stamps.
Vikki
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I have had a present box/drawer since my children were very small. It has saved me on so many occasions. When you see a bargain, you have to snap it up!
I also have a card box, filled with cards for any occasion you can think of! I buy in bulk from the Dollar Store...2/$1.00 for nearly all of their cards! I have sent cards to my clients for years and they really seem to appreciate it! I prefer the hand-written, USPS-delivered greeting vs the electronic greeting!
I have the gift box and the card box. When my kids were still at home it was a livesaver many times for birthday parties of classmates. I also buy gift bags in quanities at the dollar store. We have on many occassions put the gift together with bag and card as we were driving to the party! Call me thrifty or tacky or whatever you wish, but I also sometimes add perfectly usable items to my gift box that were gifts to me that were just not quite right. I work in an office an get perfumes and lotions for gifts quite often. I am allergic to these type of items. They are new and very nice - I just cannot use them - so I sometimes “re-gift”
Well I also try to replace an item when I use an item. I always try to stay one gift ahead just in case.....
Also there are a lot of women on here who make things that are perfect for gift giving. I have never been unhappy.
Vikki
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like being a candle maker, i have jewelry things for gifties at the last minute.
but now, think i will look at those clearance tables too.
I have a wooden chest for presents. I find lovely items that I know will become presents at some point and store them in this chest. Like some of you, I look out for amazing bargains on quality items especially during and after sales. Craft fairs are great for unique items - I have a weakness for handmade leather items in rainbow colours. Some years ago a ballet shop was selling off pointe shoes for some very very small (but adult)feet for very little. I bought several pairs, sewed on matching ribbons. These made great presents for ballet-loving overseas friends.
I buy cards in much the same way and have a table top set of drawers to keep these in.
I don’t have one, My Aunt has one and my grandma. I think I need to start having one also, sounds like a great idea, I am usually running out at the last minute to look for gifts.
Frannie some of the ladies on here make wonderful things. I have added some of Lu’s candles to my gift closet. And I’m looking when I’m out n about.
Vikki
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Vikki Hall- Stella & Dot Stylist
I always have a gift and card at ready! I have a gift house!
Thanks for all the postings here. This has really helped me. I do get the bargains and good at it as well but I had the items all over the place, even in the garage. Half the time I have forgotten about them and cannot find them. I especially love the one that says she makes baskets by themes. Now I know I will do the same and have a special shelf, storage area and not all over the place.
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