Next week, millions of Americans will wake from their sleepy beds to find their stockings full of gifts and piles of gorgeously wrapped presents stacked high beneath their Christmas trees. Together, we will spend an anticipated $630 billion on presents for those we love this holiday season. That’s a 3.7 percent increase over last year’s spending, according to the National Retail Federation.
While you’ve probably already crossed off many items from your shopping list (yay, you!), chances are you still have some gifts left to buy. Don’t worry; you’ve got time. Rather than randomly (and often forgettably) panic-purchasing things at the last minute, try to buy everyone on your list at least one gift that will make their lives richer, literally. Here are my favorite gifts that will help save, or even earn, money for those you love. I promise, they’ll be their favorite, most useful and memorable gifts under the tree.
A sweet ride: Go to your local car-care joint and pick up a gift certificate for a quickie oil change. It’ll set you back somewhere between $20 and $50, depending on where you go, and yet your loved one will thank you when he or she is not stranded on the side the road or stuck with bills for expensive car repairs. Pep Boys and Jiffy Lube, for instance, both offer gift cards, and right now, with the printable or downloadable coupons from their sites, you can get 10 percent off select services or up to $10 off an oil change, respectively. If you’d like to make this gift a little sparklier, throw in a car wash and detailing, or a pair of kitschy fuzzy dice.
A side business: So this winter may not exactly be the coldest on record, thanks to El Niño, but, of course, you never know what January and February will bring. Snowstorms are notoriously tough to forecast more than a week out. Anyway, the balmy conditions may be why you can find some hot deals on snowblowers right now. Craftsman.com is currently offering up to $500 off gas snowblowers (and discounts on shovels, too, if you’re looking for a smaller ticket item). Through Christmas Eve, Lowe’s is also offering 25 percent off smaller Greenworks cordless electric snowblower (now $299).
I love this gift, because a good snowblower will save your loved one plenty of aches and pains (and possibly even doctor’s bills). It shows you care. It can even make the recipient money, if he’s particularly industrious and offers his snow-removal services to friends and neighbors. If that’s the case, throw in a custom T-shirt with a cute name or slogan for his potential new business, like “Jacob’s Snow Removal Service: We’ll never flake out” or “Ruby’s Snow Business: Melting driveways and hearts since 2015.” Custom tees are currently on sale for up to 35 percent off at Vistaprint.com.
Endless inspiration: I love buying people experiences rather than things. (Research shows this is the ticket to greater happiness, too, by the way.) So at the top of my list of last-minute gifts that save money are museum or botanical garden memberships for adults, and zoo and aquarium memberships for kids. They’ll be able to go all yearlong without ever spending a dime on admissions (and often parking, too). And every time they go, they’ll be thinking of you. Added bonus: Most memberships count as tax-deductible donations, making this gift rewarding for both the giver and receiver.
Fast fun: If you’ve got a newly avid skier or snowboarder in your life who rents equipment every time she or he hits the slopes (at up to $60 a pop), consider gifting a new setup. Snowboards.com is currently offering up to 71 percent off boards and boots, while Skis.com is offering up to 80 percent off new sticks. You can get an extra 10 percent off at either site with the code HOLIDAY10AFF, too.
A good read: Most magazines, if bought spontaneously off the newsstand, cost between $3 and $5, but you can often pick up an annual gift subscription for a friend or family member for not much more, saving them lots of cash. Through Christmas Eve, Magazines.com is offering up to 90 percent off retail prices. For instance, you can get 52 issues of Time for $30 or 12 issues of Good Housekeeping for $10. (Plus if you use the coupon code RETAILMENOT, you’ll get an additional $5 off.) I love giving magazines, too, because I only have to shop for it once and yet my loved ones receive a new issue (aka present from me) every week or month all yearlong. Easiest shopping ever. Happy holidays!
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The Best Money Gifts Can Buy originally appeared on usnews.com
