Broke as a Joke
Affordable Gift Ideas
Anna Turner Photos By Leanne Newman
Issue date: 12/12/09 Section: Entertainment
The Gift That Lasts All Year
Walgreens' digital photo printing provides a myriad of services, from personalizing mugs with pictures of your pets to personalizing mouse pads with pictures of other people's pets. Since pictures of pets dressed up as pumpkins and watermelons can only canvas so much desk paraphernalia, Walgreens also provides a calendar-printing service.
The calendar is like an expansion of the traditional photo collage: select pictures, images, or sayings that best represent each month and collage away. Walgreens offers both twelve and eighteen month calendars - that way when the holidays roll back around and you forget to give the calendar-receiver a gift next year, all you have to say is, "Well, you've still got a couple weeks left on last year's gift, so … I mean, you know. What did you get me, though?"
Walgreens provides the service for under $30, and will deliver you a bound calendar in 10 business days. You can also make the collages yourself and print out your own calendar pages, using a much less professional mode of bounding, like staples.
Night-In-A-Bowl
Sometimes the bars Uptown are just too crowded, too far, too expensive or just too familiar. Getting dolled up every Thursday-Saturday night can be a lot of work, and sometimes it's nice to just relax at home with some popcorn, candy and a cheesy movie from your childhood. Why not give such a movie night as a present?
Wal-Mart's $5 movie selection offers classics like The Sandlot and The Goonies, so the movie night gift's biggest component is roughly as expensive as dirt. Throw in some popcorn and big boxes of candy to create a movie theater ambience, put it all together in a popcorn bowl and you have officially created a movie night.
Nights in are just as fun as nights out, and this present proves it. If you have the budget, spice up the presentation with Easter basket grass, fake movie tickets and any other goodies you might find at Michaels.
Nothing Spreads Good Will like Goodwill
Goodwill is not a thrift store. It is an adventure store.
If the gift-receiver has a good sense of humor, head on over to Goodwill and pick up the most random objects you can get your hands on: salt and pepper shakers shaped like North Carolina and South Carolina, shot glasses sporting portraits of George Washington, an open box of latex gloves, etc. If the gift-receiver has a good sense of adventure, head on over to Goodwill for a scavenger hunt. Who can find a pirate sword? A mail-carrier's hat? A pair of Keds? A Notre Dame sweater? The list can include whatever you can dream up. If the gift-receiver has a good sense of fashion, head on over to Goodwill with a guarantee to buy him or her X amount of dollars worth of the best clothes he or she can find there.
Like I said, it's an adventure store. Good times and happy holidays are sure to ensue as soon as you set foot inside Goodwill. These ideas are just starting points. Don't limit yourself or your creativity - 4 and definitely don't let your poor college student status limit your gift-giving either. You may find that the less money you spend, the more a gift is worth.
Walgreens' digital photo printing provides a myriad of services, from personalizing mugs with pictures of your pets to personalizing mouse pads with pictures of other people's pets. Since pictures of pets dressed up as pumpkins and watermelons can only canvas so much desk paraphernalia, Walgreens also provides a calendar-printing service.
The calendar is like an expansion of the traditional photo collage: select pictures, images, or sayings that best represent each month and collage away. Walgreens offers both twelve and eighteen month calendars - that way when the holidays roll back around and you forget to give the calendar-receiver a gift next year, all you have to say is, "Well, you've still got a couple weeks left on last year's gift, so … I mean, you know. What did you get me, though?"
Walgreens provides the service for under $30, and will deliver you a bound calendar in 10 business days. You can also make the collages yourself and print out your own calendar pages, using a much less professional mode of bounding, like staples.
Night-In-A-Bowl
Sometimes the bars Uptown are just too crowded, too far, too expensive or just too familiar. Getting dolled up every Thursday-Saturday night can be a lot of work, and sometimes it's nice to just relax at home with some popcorn, candy and a cheesy movie from your childhood. Why not give such a movie night as a present?
Wal-Mart's $5 movie selection offers classics like The Sandlot and The Goonies, so the movie night gift's biggest component is roughly as expensive as dirt. Throw in some popcorn and big boxes of candy to create a movie theater ambience, put it all together in a popcorn bowl and you have officially created a movie night.
Nights in are just as fun as nights out, and this present proves it. If you have the budget, spice up the presentation with Easter basket grass, fake movie tickets and any other goodies you might find at Michaels.
Nothing Spreads Good Will like Goodwill
Goodwill is not a thrift store. It is an adventure store.
If the gift-receiver has a good sense of humor, head on over to Goodwill and pick up the most random objects you can get your hands on: salt and pepper shakers shaped like North Carolina and South Carolina, shot glasses sporting portraits of George Washington, an open box of latex gloves, etc. If the gift-receiver has a good sense of adventure, head on over to Goodwill for a scavenger hunt. Who can find a pirate sword? A mail-carrier's hat? A pair of Keds? A Notre Dame sweater? The list can include whatever you can dream up. If the gift-receiver has a good sense of fashion, head on over to Goodwill with a guarantee to buy him or her X amount of dollars worth of the best clothes he or she can find there.
Like I said, it's an adventure store. Good times and happy holidays are sure to ensue as soon as you set foot inside Goodwill. These ideas are just starting points. Don't limit yourself or your creativity - 4 and definitely don't let your poor college student status limit your gift-giving either. You may find that the less money you spend, the more a gift is worth.
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