Category "$20 or Less"

34+ Fun Alternatives to Passing Out Halloween Candy

Princess Diana - October 20, 2015 - $20 or Less, Kids

There may be many reasons people want to pass out something besides candy on Halloween night.

Maybe they want to be different from everyone else in their neighborhood passing out candy and chocolates to trick-or-treaters. Maybe they’re health conscious and don’t want to contribute to kids developing allergic reactions, sugar buzzes or cavities.

The Teal Pumpkin Project encourages households to provide non-food treats to create a safer, happier Halloween for trick-or-treaters with food allergies. Participating households are asked to place a teal pumpkin in front of their home.

Some people like to give kids a choice in their Halloween treats!

Please let me be clear though. Unless you’re a dentist, don’t pass out toothbrushes or floss. That’s just being a party pooper, and you may risk retaliation from the neighborhood kids and end up getting your house egged or toiled papered. Just saying.

Let me give you 34+ fun alternatives to passing out Halloween candy. Some of them are actually cheaper than candy!

Give Your Boss a Thumbs Up On Bosses Day

Princess Diana - October 13, 2015 - $20 or Less, Business

We have a fun way to get your entire office involved in Bosses Day, which takes place each year on October 16 or the nearest working day.

Get your entire department to give your boss a thumbs up!

Queen Darlene and I did this at our office last year, and it was a big hit! This method of celebrating Bosses Day gives everyone an opportunity to show their appreciation to their boss and to any other supervisor in their office.

Print out sheets of paper with a thumbs up graphic to use as a sign. I used the Facebook Like button since it has a thumbs up and the word “Like.”

Money Disguised as M&M’s Minis

Queen Darlene - October 9, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Money

My Mother started this Madness of Masking Money as M&M‘s Minis.

Mom loved being a grandMother to My two boys. One of her favorites was Making things different than they appear.

Want to know how she disguised Money as M&M‘s Minis?

She purchased the M&M‘s Minis that come in a cylinder tube and reMoved all of the M&M‘s Minis. I think she Munched on them until there were no More.

The cylinder’s round opening is the perfect size for filling the tube with Marvelous quarters.

The small tube holds 56 quarters of Money worth $14 and the mega tube holds 72 quarters of Money worth $18.

“Welcome to Our Business” Handwritten Card

Princess Diana - September 29, 2015 - $20 or Less, Business

It’s not always a superior product or service that makes one business more popular with customers. Sometimes, it’s how a business makes its customers feel.

Sometimes, all it takes is a thoughtful gesture from a business to catch a customer’s attention and create customer loyalty. It happened recently to my husband.

After my husband’s first visit to his new dentist, he received a nice card in the mail from the dental practice.

The front of the card said, “Welcome to Our Practice.” Inside the card, a handwritten note read, “If you ever have any questions regarding your dental treatment or our office procedures, please feel free to give us a call.”

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Click to enlarge

The father and son who own the practice both signed the card. The card had personal touch written all over it, and it was a novelty!

Neither one of us had ever received a card from any of our dentists before. Come to think of it, we’ve never received a card from any of our other doctors. Have you?

Baby Growth Calendar Photos

Queen Darlene - September 24, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower

Parents love to capture precious moments of their baby’s first year, especially how fast they grow every month. I have a unique, cute and easy photo idea for every month – a baby growth calendar!

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7 month, 8 month, 9 month, 10 month, 11 month, 12 month click to enlarge

My cousin took pictures of her baby girl with a large calendar desk pad. The photos consist of her baby lying on top of the calendar every month of her first year.

I’m sure it was easy at first but took several takes to get the photos just right when she started rolling or crawling. It’s all about creating memories, right?

She would write on the calendar 1st month, 2nd month and so on. This made for the most adorable baby pictures. Continue Reading

Money Stash | Hollow Book Safe With Secret Compartment

Princess Diana - September 21, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Gifts for Him, Going Away, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Money

It’s so much fun to give a gift inside a gift!

Hollow Books Safes look like ordinary hard cover books until you open them. Surprise! The book contains a secret compartment where you can place a small-sized item, such as CASH!

I call this gift the Money Stash. They’ll enjoy the money and they can use the book to hide any valuables or secret possessions in plain sight!

(Ahem. It’s also great for hiding a stash of candy you don’t want anyone else to eat.)

You can create your own or puchase a Hollow Book Safe from Amazon.com or Etsy.com. Some of them even come with keys!

If you’re into DIY, I’ve created step-by-step instructions for making your own Hollow Book Safe.

HOW TO MAKE A HOLLOW BOOK SAFE

Humourous Birthday T-Shirt for Gramps

Queen Darlene - September 17, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday

I couldn’t have asked for a better father-in-law, a quiet, kind man with a fierce love for his family. Including his in-laws.

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This t-shirt is guaranteed to get laughs!

Gramps was never big on celebrating for himself but that didn’t keep us from always looking for that perfect gift. In later years, it was either about comfort or something humorous.

It’s difficult to find a birthday gift for an 80 year old grandfather that would make him chuckle!

Well… I did! I created a birthday t-shirt that looked like a “For Sale” sign with these words.

80 YR. OLD

ONE OWNER

Needs Parts, Make Offer

S’mores Kit for Camping

Princess Diana - September 15, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Food & Drinks, Gift Baskets, Gifts for Him, Kids

It’s funny how your birthday plans change as you grow older. Instead of a fun night out on the town, this year I wanted to celebrate my birthday by going camping outdoors with my husband and son.

We’ve only taken my son camping once before and I was excited to continue want I wanted to become a family tradition.

When my boss heard about my big plans to go camping during my birthday weekend, it inspired her birthday gift to me.

She gave me a S’mores Kit for Camping which included an 8-piece marshmallow roasting fork set, a box of graham crackers, a package of Hershey’s milk chocolates, and a bag of marshmallows.

Frame the Perfect Quote for the Occasion

Princess Diana - August 25, 2015 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Birthday, Business, Congratulations, Father's Day, Get Well, Going Away, Graduation, Host, Housewarming, Kids, Mother's Day, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day, Wedding

When someone else’s words say it all or say it better than you ever could, you’ve found the perfect quote to use for this gift idea.

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This powerful quote says so much about my mentor and her accomplishment.

When my mentor, Valerie, achieved a major milestone in her business by officially franchising it, I wanted to give her a thoughtful gift to say, “Congratulations!”

I was so impressed by her vision and her tenacity to see her vision through until it became reality. And she did it despite the naysayers. She inspires me with her actions.

I didn’t know quite what to give her as a gift until I came across this quote, “She believed she could, so she did.”

It summarized her accomplishment so well – the perfect quote!

Hallmark itty bittys® | Friends for Little Ones

Queen Darlene - August 13, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Kids

Little ones attending day care, Mother’s Day Out or preschool are usually not excited about going unless… they can bring some friends.