Category "Christmas"

Billfold With a Little Extra $$$

Queen Darlene - November 11, 2015 - Business, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Graduation, Money

My husband likes to receive a new billfold every couple of years either for his birthday or Christmas. It’s always on his list because he doesn’t like his billfold to look tattered and worn.

Randy specifically prefers trifold wallets.

Over the years, my mother took over the billfold gift giving. She liked giving him what he wanted, but she didn’t like him knowing what the gift was going to be.

She was all about the surprise. So she would place different amounts of cash in the billfold. Her favorite type of billfold contained hidden compartments or zippers where she could hide the money.

Sometimes she would find a billfold with an insignia related to his favorite hobby or his profession. Continue Reading

Just What the Dr. Ordered – Money!

Queen Darlene - November 5, 2015 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Money

I love to give money in unexpected gift containers and a prescription bottle certainly makes for a surprise dose. This is one of the easiest gifts to make.

just-what-the-dr-ordered-prescription-money-thoughtful-gift-idea

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HOW TO CREATE A MONEY PRESCRIPTION BOTTLE:

Prescription bottle
Large mailing label or paper and clear packing tape
Cash – bills or quarters

Just for the asking, my pharmacy provided me with a new prescription bottle free of charge.

To give you a couple of ideas, I created two different labels. One on a sticky mailing label and one on plain typing paper.

I found a large mailing label fits nicely on the large prescription bottle. For the smaller prescription bottle, I cut plain paper to fit and used clear packing tape to adhere it to the bottle. Continue Reading

Money Talks, Chocolates Sing! Perfect Women’s Gift

Queen Darlene - November 4, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Money, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

Want to give the perfect women’s gift? You can’t go wrong with chocolates and money!

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I love this saying – Money Talks, Chocolate Sings!

Give the special woman in your life what she loves – mouth-watering chocolates and a little extra money.

What you will need for this money gift idea:

Box of chocolates
Ziploc bag
Ribbon or bow
Money

The Giving Plate | A Heartwarming Tradition

Princess Diana - November 3, 2015 - Christmas, Family, Food & Drinks, Host, Housewarming, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You

No one likes to show up to a social gathering empty handed. After all, the more food the merrier!

Make a lasting impression by giving the host or hostess a gift called “The Giving Plate.”

The heartwarming tradition of The Giving Plate is that you bake a treat and present it to someone on the plate. The recipient could be a friend, family member, church member, neighbor, teacher or co-worker. Once the treat is gone, it’s time for the gift recipient to pay it forward by passing The Giving Plate to someone new.

The Giving Plate makes for an especially touching gift during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

You can find a variety of styles of The Giving Plate on Amazon.com or you can find other designs on Etsy.com. If you’re artsy, you can make your own using food-safe porcelain markers or paint pens on a blank plate or platter.

The Giving Plate I like contains this special message that explains the tradition in a beautiful poem.

The Giving Plate

This plate belongs to everyone
wherever it may go… with each new sharing
of its gift, the love and blessings grow,
So fill it up and pass it on to
family and to friends… to start
the circle one more time,
love’s journey never ends.

Beer Money Koozie Gift

Princess Diana - October 30, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Money

Sometimes, the best way to celebrate is to buy someone a drink… or two or three.

If you can’t be there in person to do it, the second best thing is to give them a Beer Money Koozie Gift.

Pick out a koozie (or coozy) for the lucky gift recipient, and place some cash inside. Then write a note with one of the following messages or one of your choosing.

Thought you could use some beer money!
Let me buy you some drinks for your 21st birthday!
A round of drinks on me!
Beer is happiness. This will buy you a lot of happiness!
Use this money to make happy hour last well into the night!

Play it Safe Money & Candy Gift

Queen Darlene - October 28, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Housewarming, Kids, Money

Princess Diana has written a post about the importance of a fire and waterproof safe. My gift idea includes giving a fire and waterproof safe with money and candy inside! Surprise!

Many people usually stash a little cash somewhere in their homes for emergencies. And no…under the mattress isn’t a good idea.

So why not play it safe and give someone a fire and waterproof safe as a gift? For a thoughtful twist include money and candy to give it that WOW factor!

I’ve used this gift idea many times for my sons and nephews. I even gave one to my father-in-law so he could keep his candy under lock and key. (Seriously! In his house, he needed it.) Continue Reading

Buy Their Single Favorite Flavor of Candy

Princess Diana - October 27, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Business, Christmas, Congratulations, Family, Food & Drinks, Get Well, Gifts for Him, Kids, Party Favors, Teacher Gifts, Valentine's Day

What’s your favorite color of Starburst candy? Pink? Red? Yellow? Orange?

Pink for me! We all have our favorites.

The color or flavor we don’t like… yellow Starbursts for me… those usually stay uneaten in the bag or we give them away. Thankfully, my husband likes yellow Starbursts.

While my husband likes all of the flavors of Starburst candy, he doesn’t treat the different flavors of Airheads so equally.

The other day he mentioned how he wished the entire bag of Airheads candy he bought only contained the watermelon flavor. That’s his favorite!

My thoughtful gift idea light bulb immediately turned on in my head!

I searched the Internet, and there it was…. (cue heavenly angel sound effect)… a one pound bag of Airheads watermelon candy bars.

I’ve never seen single flavors of Airheads sold in any stores I’ve been inside. It’s always the assorted or variety pack. You gotta love the Internet and bulk candy options!

Did you know you can also buy single flavors of Starburst candy? Yep. I can buy a whole pound of pink strawberry Starbursts. Oh yeah, don’t mind if I do.

Old Family Photos Made New on T-Shirts

Queen Darlene - October 22, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Family

What to do with old family photos? Since my grandparents and parents have passed, I have become the keeper of old photos. I have thousands of photos in albums, boxes and drawers. Some are even dated back to the 1800s.

I wanted to create something new from old family photos for my two brothers and myself as a Christmas present. I found a wonderful photo of our parents in their early years of marriage and chose a cute picture of the three of us as young kids.

Picking the photo was no easy task since my mother took hundreds of pictures of her three children. She wanted to capture every moment of us growing up.

I used a local t-shirt screen printing business that transferred the pictures onto t-shirts. Since I gave at Christmas time, I chose long-sleeve t-shirts.

Want Cash Fries With That?

Queen Darlene - October 21, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Kids, Money

Drive through McDonald’s, order a hamburger and drink, and what do you immediately hear through the speaker? Want fries with that?

What if the voice on the speaker said, “Want Cash Fries With That?”

No one would refuse! Unlike French fries, Cash Fries contain zero-calories making them the perfect and clever way to give money!

HOW TO MAKE CASH FRIES

Pop-Up Cash | Gas Money Surprise

Princess Diana - October 19, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Money

Getting to drive is what makes turning 16 so sweet! A driver’s license equals freedom and independence… if you happen to have both a car and gas money.

Thanks to my parents, I had a car to drive. But until I found a part-time job, I was strapped for gas money and could only fill my gas tank $5 at a time.

Many teenage drivers feel the same pinch when it comes to gas money and probably even more so with today’s higher fuel prices. That’s why gas money and gas cards will always be a thoughtful gift for high school and college students.

But let’s not be boring by giving cash in an envelope. Presentation and the element of surprise go a long way when giving cash.