With less than a week before Christmas and Hanukkah well under way, there’s not much time left for carefully crafted and well thought out gift giving. As deadlines for exchanging presents with friends and family draw nearer, the stress of holiday shopping compounds itself, as does the tendency to cave into thoughtless gift grabbing and spending.
The biggest faux pas for any frugal shopper still looking to finish his or her holiday shopping is to give into those pressures, spending money on unwanted gifts that will go unused. To avoid the trap of spending just for the sake of giving something, take a moment to consider the personality, interests and values of each of your gift recipients and use these last minute gift ideas to ensure your hard spent cash doesn’t go unappreciated.
For the entrepreneur: For the friend or family member who is always on the go, laptop in hand, working from anywhere and everywhere, consider useful business services. A Virtual Private Network, commonly known as VPN, is a method for securing and encrypting the data you send and receive when using a public network to access the Internet, including passwords and credit card information. Give your loved ones the gift of protection with a VPN so that they can work anywhere without fear of being hacked.
Another option for the entrepreneurs in your life is business software and accounts. With greater business comes greater expenses for purchasing systems and software to help streamline tasks and fulfill customer or client needs. That’s where accounting software like QuickBooks or web support like Bluehost can come in handy.
For the millennial: For the young person in your life who loves to capture every moment, from their latest meal to their upcoming world adventure, consider the “selfie” stick. The extendable selfie stick solves the problem of arms too short to capture the full glory of “the selfie,” whether it’s a large group of friends or a vast landscape in the background.
Another option for your plugged-in millennial loved ones is touch screen gloves. Keep the generation of mobile devotees warm this winter with gloves that work on touch screens like smartphones and tablets.
For the entertainment buff: For those who crave the endless selection of online entertainment options, think about Google Chromecast. It plugs into the HDMI port of your television, allowing you to stream your favorite shows, movies and apps on the big screen, straight from your Android and Mac devices. Entertainment buffs can enjoy all the features and selection of the online world without being confined to the small screens of their phones and tablets.
You might also want to look at entertainment subscriptions, including Netflix, HBO Go, Amazon Prime Hulu Plus, Spotify or Pandora. There are many ways to keep the entertainment coming with subscriptions to streaming services.
For the travel junkie: Consider a scratch map, which allows travel lovers to keep track of where they’ve been (and where they’ve yet to explore) with a scratch off map of the world. Another option is giving the gift of adventure with a credit to Viator.com, a site that offers a mix of classic and unique things to do in cities all over the world. The option of email delivery for gift cards is convenient for last minute shoppers.
For the fitness buff: It might seem like your fit friends and family members are covered with the latest shoes, workout wear, GPS watches and health magazine subscriptions, but there’s always something new to try in the world of health and fitness. Give the option to experience the latest fitness trends through a Class Pass at ClassPass.com, which offers access to the best boutique fitness classes in cities around the country. There are over 1,000 classes available to ClassPass members, from cycling to strength training to dance.
For almost anyone: Give the gift that keeps on giving with a subscription gift box. Or purchase tickets to some kind of experience, whether it’s a round of golf or a day at the spa. You can also opt for gift cards. For the eighth year in a row gift cards are the most requested gift items this holiday season. You can make them personal by buying them at a store or for a service that will fulfill the needs, interests, and hobbies of your loved ones.
Just because you’re down to the last minute for your holiday shopping doesn’t mean all semblance of thoughtfulness and personalization has to go out the window.
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More Gift Ideas for Last Minute Shoppers originally appeared on usnews.com
