Useful Gifts for Someone Who Has "Everything"

For those who are in a nursing home or already have "everything", I have found that a great gift to give is a calendar made at CVS or Walgreens of photos that are meaningful to that person. My parents enjoy their yearly one that contains photos of all their grand-kids.

For each month, I find a photo from years past that are fitting for that month. For example, the grand kids building a snowman for January, kids in costume for October, and past Christmas photos for December. You can also get the calendar in an 18-month version, which works well for someone who has a birthday or anniversary during the summer months, as it runs from Jan to July of the following year.

Another great idea is to give gift cards that you yourself make that give of yourself, your time, and talents. We have given them in 12 packs, one for each month. Some months the coupon is good for dinner at our home, or for us to take the person out to eat. Others are good for chores such as cleaning out the gutters or changing smoke alarm batteries (and we provide the batteries also).

These are great for an older person who lives at home and has no business on a ladder. Other great ideas are coupons to detail their car, clean out the garage, paint a room of the house, or to go on an outing to one of their favorite antique stores or museum.

Other ideas for giving to those who are on a fixed budget could include paying for one month of their cable/dish or trash bill, a gift card for their pharmacy or grocery store, or a card for their favorite hairdresser or barber shop.

With times as tough as they are, this year we are really trying to focus our gift giving on items that we know people really need or want that they can not afford right now, instead of another pair of slippers or a sweater.

By mom-from-missouri from NW MO