Last Minute Gifting Tips and Tricks

With only 4 days to go till Christmas… here are a couple of my gift ideas for those last minute shoppers out there that might want to snazzy-up their holiday gifting while helping the environment and making your purchases go further.

As a mommy that values finding ways to help our earth with every little bit I can (which Goodwill is also aligned with saving millions of tons of items from the garbage dumps every year in this country!) I like to be creative with my gift giving, including the wrapping it’s in.  So here are some of those items you can buy at your local Goodwill to use as the boxes and/or wrapping that will add something special to your gifting this holiday season while helping out our environment…

For those guys in your life… grab a car washing-mitt (like this one I picked up at the Seattle Dearborn Goodwill for $4.99) and put a tool in it (like this Craftsman level I picked up at the Seattle Dearborn Goodwill for only $19.99) add a bow (or not) and your set!

For girls on your list grab a holiday kitchen towel (like this brand new one picked up at the Bellevue Goodwill for $1.29) and wrap it up into a roll and put a bracelet or belt around it and then finish it off with a scarf! (also from the Bellevue Goodwill for $4.99)

And the finished look with a bow and a gift tag (made from repurposed wrapping paper)…

Or you can give an entire “Accessorize package” and wrap a handbag (like this beautiful brand new Tignello handbag I picked up at the Seattle Glitter Sale for only $39.99) in a scarf (also from the Seattle Goodwill for $3.99) with some bracelets (all from the Seattle Glitter Sale for various prices ranging from $9.99 to $12.99)!

And wrapped in the scarf as wrapping paper…

For those kids on your list… purchase a nice, cozy winter hat (like this GAP kids hat purchased from the Seattle Dearborn Goodwill for  just $1.99) and put some presents in it (wrapped or not)…

And here are a couple of more ideas for items to use as boxes or wrapping paper instead of using more materials that cut down trees…

How about a planter for a gardener’s gift to store items in

Or a Coffee Canister (or kitchen canister of some kind) to put trinkets for that food-lover on your list

Or a storage container for that kid or parent on your list to store all those toys they often get during the holidays!

Or how about using a men’s tie as a bow on a gift (even better if it’s a “bow tie”!)

There are many different ways that you can package your Goodwill items in repurposed goodies that will not only cut down on your environmental footprint, but give your gift a little added PIZZAZ when viewed against the typical wrapped gifts under the tree.

But no matter how you wrap your gifts… I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and I will see you soon to wrap up this year of Living the Goodwill Life for 2011!

Little media hints…

This holiday week started off with the KIROradio interview with Linda Thomas which you can read about more here.

Linda was a delight to speak with and I gave her a couple of hints of posts coming up next week that you can hear in the interview… namely the limited edition book from Harold Keeler that I picked up this summer (and found on the floor!) at the Seattle Dearborn Goodwill location for .97 cents but could be worth thousands!  Yep, this purchase could by far be one of the best I’ve ever scored in all my years of thrift shopping… and I want to share it all with you.

So watch next week for images of the book and for news of the gallery that might be showing it next summer!

Also, Linda reported out on the many, many receipts that I’ve been keeping for everything I’ve purchased this year.  So once I’m truly done spending money at the Goodwill (which literally could be up until December 31st!) I will tally them all up and show you what the final retail & Goodwill prices were and how much I SAVED this year!

Third, is my 2012 challenge where I will be taking Parents magazine, their articles, suggestions and yes… even their advertisers products, to task for a typical American family and blogging back to you how they worked (or didn’t) for us.  I will be sharing the link and my goals for the 2012 challenge “Parents Tested, Mommy Approved” in the post next week as well.

But for now… look for my last post on Goodwill holiday gift ideas this week for those last minute holiday shoppers and the other media interviews coming up in Seattle Met magazine and Seattle Times!