Rainy Day Reads

The stocking is not really something I have been used to doing for Christmas Eve. Rather, we would use a stocking as an advent calendar receptacle rather than wait for Christmas Eve/morning to empty it. Santa would put a gift in your stocking each day or perhaps only some days, and you would get to check the stocking every morning.   When you are little you are quite excited for all the erasers, pens, stickers and tiny toys you receive, but once you get older, you might wish for gifts of better quality and usefulness. This is when Santa perhaps only leaves gifts every few days or so.  I find that it can be hard to balance between buying gifts that are actually wanted and will be used and not blowing your budget on the stocking stuffers alone. Below is a list of some ideas for smaller, but useful gifts, that I think would go well in any stocking. For pampering : Face masks Lip blam Nail polish Small sized body lotion Hand creme For the reader : Inex...

I love to travel, but it can be a bit expensive with all the gear you need, aside from the tickets and accommodation. Especially if it is your first big trip, you might find it helps to put a few of the bigger items on your wish list. That way you can save some money to spend once you are out in the world.   Before my big Asia trip in 2009 I got a lot of the stuff I needed for Christmas which was a big help as far as my travel budget was concerned.  Below are some of the bigger items any traveller might appreciate under the tree. Backpack - an essential if you are off traveling the world. Unless you are the type to bring a long a suitcase with wheels. But those can be expensive too. Perhaps settle for a gift card or consult the person you are buying for as a backpack is a very personal choice. Some like outside pockets, some don’t, some want them big, some small, some like color, some don’t. There are endless possibilities, so if you do decided to spring for the ...

Gifts in jar is a fun way to give gifts to those you struggle buying for or if you need to bring something for the hostess of a Christmas party or something similar. This post will focus on smaller, mostly inexpensive gifts in a jar, suitable for bringing along for the hostess or to give any friends or relatives you don’t really exchange bigger gifts with.   When making a gift in a jar, it is nice to have a theme. It can just be the person you are giving the gift to, if they have many varied interests and you know them pretty well. If you are struggling to come up with something, some sort of theme will help you fill that jar in no time. Below are a series of suggestions for themed jars and inexpensive items to put in them, that will hopefully help you out. Hot Chocolate in a jar Pour some of your favorite hot chocolate powder mix into a cute, small container and tie a bow on it. Add a small bag of marshmallows and a cute mug and you are good to go. If they really deserv...