Three Gifts That Won't Break The Bank

The holiday season means there are many parties and gift giving events we all have to attend.  However, these prices can add up after attending all of your holiday functions.  We have found a few gift options that will not break the bank.  Your friends and family will also appreciate these thoughtful gifts.  You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.


Give Your Time

Be it babysitting, dog walking or heck, even watering your neighbor's plants, your time is a valuable commodity and spending it for someone else, especially for something they need, is a great gift idea that will always be appreciated.

Give an Experience

Some experiences will cost you (like a trip or a show) but they don't have to. Surprising a loved one with a visit to a special place, to see a sorely-missed person or just with a unique, new experience that you can do together will probably be the best gift of the season and one they're likely remember for years to come.

Use Your Skills

Are you really good at doing something? We bet you are. We bet it's a valuable skill that other people would love to get a piece of. Why not use your baking, sewing, photography, graphic design or DIY skills to help someone you know who needs help in your area of expertise? You will feel so much more satisfied sharing something you love with someone you love than you would by charging something on your credit card.

Let's make holiday giving more about celebrating the people you love and less about the stores you shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you have a great Thanksgiving!  What is your favorite food?

Holiday Party Emergency Kit

Are you starting to prepare for the holiday parties this season? Make sure you are stocked up on all holiday supplies including this one. Every host should have an emergency kit to clean up stains and spills throughout the home. Keep reading to learn about what to include in the kit! You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.

It's hosting season and you know what that means: your home will soon be getting a workout. Be it parties or houseguests, lots of traffic means lots of messes. Since you know spills are inevitable, do yourself a favor this year and put together an emergency cleaning kit so you'll be prepared to act fast when someone slips up.

Having this quick kit on hand has two benefits. Firstly, it'll help you deal with those messes quickly (and therefore more effectively) and more importantly, it lets you avoid the drama and embarrassment that can go along with an accident. Keeping these key things close means there's no need to frantically empty everything from under the sink in the middle of a party or family dinner (and make the spiller feel worse then they already do!).

The Emergency Kit

• Sponge or microfiber cloth
• Small handheld broom and dustbin
• Countertop cleaner
• Soda water (to dilute a stain but it's also handy to have on hand in case you run out during your party)
• Salt (combine with soda water as an effective natural stain remover)
• Laundry stain stick or wipes for clothing spills
• Masking tape for picking up those final, invisible shards of a broken glass
• Put these things in a caddy and get ready to be the graceful host who can dispatch spills and get back to the party that much quicker.

Having a Thanksgiving Apart

Travel can be expensive during the holiday season. However, you can still have a great holiday season with friends and family.  Apartment Therapy has come up with eight ideas on how to have a great Thanksgiving even if you are apart from friends and family.  Keep reading to learn more!


Phone Tag: Consult with the host on when a good time to call would be— during the cocktail hour? After dinner when everyone's lounging about? Ideally, everyone could pass the phone around for a quick holiday chat, without interrupting the festivities. If your family has Skype capabilities, so much the better.

Send Photos, Low-Tech: Your parents, grandparents, and/or other loved ones would love to see recent (printed) photos of you (and your family and friends), especially if you or they are not on social media. Don't be shy— you look awesome and you're always doing cool stuff. Pro tip: if your grandparents— or any relatives— have vision trouble, consider having your photos printed larger than you normally would.

Send Photos, High-Tech: The day of, text your family photos of yourThanksgiving, so they can imagine where you are and what you're up to. One year I sent my family photos from my morning hike up San Francisco's Twin Peaks and then from our lovely post-dinner stroll around Bernal Heights.

Send a Treat: if you always bring fudge or cookies or peanut brittle to Thanksgiving, look into making some ahead of time and shipping it. You could also send mail-order pie, cinnamon-glazed pecans, or dark chocolate chickpeas, and while this might be a bit pricey, it's nothing compared to the cost of plane tickets.

Send a Soundtrack: Who wouldn't love a custom-made mix CD to play during dinner? If I'm hosting, the last thing I want to worry about is the music.

Send a Game: At every family gathering, we wish that someone had remembered to bring board games. Come to your family's rescue by sendingQwirkle ($20 on Amazon) or Bezzerwizzer ($16 on Amazon), and reap the rewards the next time you do visit.

Gather Family Recipes Ahead of Time: Nobody makes apple pie like your uncle or rolls like your mom, but you can try your damndest. Most cooks would be beyond flattered to be asked for one of their signature recipes, and you'll insure that their dish lives on in the family.

Declare Your Own Thanksgiving: Many of us have to work on Thanksgiving, leaving little-to-no time and energy left for cooking and feasting. Celebrate Thanksgiving on whatever day you do have off, and live it up.