Gift Giving: Three Steps to Make the Perfect Gift Bag

So, my neighbor and good friend went in for knee replacement surgery.  I wanted to get her a care package/gift bag because she is just such a great person and I wanted to make the hospital stay a little less taxing.  Not having a lot of cash on hand, I used this 3 step process to put together a fun yet affordable package to see her through.  Consider these 3 steps whenever you have to put together a gift for someone to reduce consumption, spending, and stress!

1.  Shop the House.

We all end up with 'extras' of things, either items we didn't use from gifts, samples we didn't try, or multiples that we bought and haven't used yet (if we ever will).  These can be used to plump up gifts to others and promote those items to actually get used.  Make sure anything you gift (or re-gift) is sanitary/sanitized (especially for a get-well gift, as they are already having health issues!)  It should also look in mint or near new condition to follow gift-giving custom.  Some items you can simply take out of multi-packs and re-wrap in smaller quantities (like sponges, hair ties, etc.)

2.  Make Your Own.

Many items can be made from household items depending on what the gift bag occasion is.  For example, someone with a sprain may like a homemade gel ice pack, while someone getting eye surgery may enjoy some burned CD's of music or audio pod casts.  I made for my friend a homemade 'dry shampoo' of cornstarch and cocoa powder, since she wouldn't be getting a shower for a little while.  Look online for unique gifts to make as well as ideas for packaging/wrapping of these special creations.

3.  Shop the Rest - Efficiently.  

Whenever spending money, you should make sure you are getting the quality of item you require for an acceptable amount of cash.  For any gift, you should know what the person really values so if you spend a lot of money, you can make sure it is on those things (for example, someone who loves an expensive brand of nail polish would love a new color and probably would not notice other things in the bag not being name brand or brand new.)  Not everything needs to be brand new, but always use common sense.  I ended up at the thrift store and saw the perfect book for someone about to be bed-bound for 2 weeks - "150 Ways To Play Solitaire".  Other items you may find at thrift store that can be properly cleaned up would be containers, special dishes (like coffee thermoses), linens, stuffed animals, or anything easily washable in hot water that looks in good shape.  For many gift baskets, the convenience of an item being disposable is part of the gift, so things like disposable ear plugs, wet wipes, or little bags of Kleenex should find their way in the bag.  For these items, the Dollar Store provides the 'throw away' quality that gets the job done for a reasonable price.  For those high-dollar quality items, like a special lotion or name-brand toy, look for sales, coupons, and do some price comparisons before making the purchase.

And Other Notes:

Following these 3 steps, I put together a very nice gift bag for $10 bucks.  I was going to make it prettier, but when I gathered all the stuff together, there was so much that I ended up just delivering it 'as is', and let her discover things as she dug in.

For whatever the gift bag occasion, look online for ideas of things to include.  I put together the full list of possibilities I considered in my "Injured and Immobile Gift Basket Contents".  I based much of this list on things I'd heard and read people had wished they had in the hospital, as well as things I wish I had had the first week I was laid out with a broken leg.  I'd say include one or two 'big ticket' or expensive items that the person really wants or needs, and think small and practical for the rest.

Also, remember who you are giving it to you and customize it to them.  In some ways, my gift basket was incomplete, like it including hair ties and dry shampoo, but no brushes.  This is because I knew she had plenty of brushes, yet never seemed to have a hair tie on hand.  Consider the person, not just the occasion.  When the gift bag fits the person so uniquely, the person feels unique.

Curious what made it in this bag?  Here's a list:

From the House:
Magazines - all 3 had just arrived in my mail box (see my post, "Getting Free Magazines".)
Earplugs - new in the bag, from a box of 100 I bought when I played in a metal band
Notepad - re-gifted from the voluminous stack my mom sends me every year
Pens - from the pen drawer (please make sure each pen works and has lots of ink)
Hair Ties - from a new pack I just opened, tied up with a scrap of ribbon
Bag of cough drops - the 2nd untouched bag from a BOGO deal
BB&B Lotion- re-gifted Secret Santa item (too strong of scent for me!)
Silly Putty Toy  - re-gifted gag gift that continues to make people smile
Deck of Cards - an extra from a 2 pack that was never opened
Card holder - a travel soap container that works perfect for holding cards

Made It Myself:
Bottle for Ear Plugs - I cleaned out a bottle and labeled it "CR's Ear Plugs", so she had a place to put the ear plugs to stay clean and not get thrown out/lost right away.

Dry Shampoo Powder - just cornstarch and cocoa powder (as she has darker hair), with a little mint essential oil to smell pretty, put in a spice jar with shaker lid/cap.  I warned her she would smell of hot chocolate after its use.

Purchased from the Thrift Store:
"150 Ways To Play Solitaire" Book, 50% off day, cost $0.50.

Purchased from the Dollar Store:
Back scratch-er
Fuzzy socks w/sticky bottoms (hospital requirement)
Eye mask
Eyeglass/Device Screen Cleaner w/microfiber rag
Kleenex-pocket sized
Metal tweezer/clipper/cuticle kit
Hand sanitizer
Clorox wipes
Purple Basket to stuff it all in.

There are a multitude of ways I could have spent even less, such as sewing my own eye mask, making my own hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, or carving my own back scratcher (gift someone a stick from outside and see what they say, hah!) However, with the time I had, I put together a basket that was happily received.