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Home » Family Articles » How To Give Gifts That Last

How To Give Gifts That Last

Buying gifts for friends or loved ones is not always easy. Even those closest to you are often hard to buy for when it comes to gifts. You may not know what they like and dislike, or what they need and don't need. If you're not careful, a joyful gift-giving experience can turn into a nightmare of panic! The good news is you can often find great, affordable gifts online that are sure to be adored for years to come. Use this checklist as a guide.

Get Organized

Keep an up-to-date list of birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and other special occasions where gifts are involved. You'll be surprised at how keeping a list of these dates will help you stay ahead of the game.

Shop Early

Buy gifts online a month or two before the occasion. You can take your time to find gifts that are unique and affordable. Whether shopping for jewelry, electronics or household items, you will need to allow time for searching and shipping. Searching online can mean sifting through hundreds of products to find that perfect gift. And, shipping could take several weeks. So, allow enough time for both.

Gifts that Make a Difference

You've decided to give an unusual gift this year - one that will really make an impression. But, you aren't sure what that gift should be. Be mindful of the person who will receive the gift. Do they have an old vehicle they're trying to fix up? Check out the automotive parts section of an online shopping mall. Even a car alarm or a radar detector might work, depending on the person!

Are you buying for someone who has a home office? Try a new office telephone. Buying for your wife? Try lingerie or other clothing garments that she'll adore. Younger kids always enjoy toys, while a teenage boy might like a sports product with his favorite team player. Leather goods always make great gifts as well.

More Gift Ideas

What hunter wouldn't like a new set of knives? Women and teen girls are easy to please with a new handbag that matches their favorite outfit. A movie fan will enjoy a new DVD player. Or, the pets section of a site might reveal some great gift ideas for a pet owner. The possibilities are endless.

Amazing Gift Prices

An advantage of an online mall is you get the benefit of hundreds or thousands of gift items while shopping at one location. And often, these gifts are priced at "flea market" prices! The items are often sold at wholesale prices, and the manufacturer may dropship the items as well.

With so many choices, buying gifts for any occasion can be fun and affordable. With the Internet, you have a world of gift ideas at your fingertips!

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Your IR is Essential to Your Market Position

Often people look for the latest and greatest bells and whistles to market their company. Fact is, one of the most powerful marketing strategies is one that many folks overlook. Something that can make or break a person's reputation and their ability to gain and maintain strong position is their IR or the Integrity Reading. The IR determines their level of integrity. My definition of integrity is simple.

"Integrity is the ability to know we are doing the right thing in all situations. It is about accountability and responsibility. Accountability is when others can count on what we agree to and responsibility is the ability to respond. It has to do with following through on the agreements we make with others, even if following through is not the most convenient or comfortable thing to do. And if we can't follow through, having the willingness to be honest enough to let the other person know the reason why."

A quick read through in the newspaper will make one believe that for many people integrity, accountability and responsibility are viewed as foreign concepts. How many people make purchases on credit with no intention of paying the lender back in the agreed upon timeframe, or worse yet, having no intention whatsoever of paying any of the debt back?

This doesn't just apply to individuals, it also applies to companies who use the services of vendors and, through bad planning, overextend the company resources and write off the vendor's bill to bad debt.

What about the individual who agrees to be at a meeting place at a specific time and due to bad planning shows up late? Have you ever wondered how much money this can cost in lost production time? Figure a staff meeting where there are going to be 10 people in attendance and the meeting is 15 minutes late getting started -- that could literally cost the company thousands of dollars in lost productivity over the period of a year.

Or how often are people trying to get something for nothing? Interestingly, these very people want to get paid for their services and yet, they are constantly looking for ways to get free services from others.

On the other hand, there are so many people who live with the utmost integrity and their life seems to work pretty well. They are people who can honestly look in the mirror and say, "I feel good about the decisions I have made and the actions I have taken."

What is your IR? Take this simple test. Do you follow through on agreements? Do you deliver more than expected in your transactions? Do you honor your creditors need to get paid on time? Does your reputation help you or hinder your position in the market?

Your integrity reading can be one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have. After all, word of mouth marketing is the greatest marketing strategy of all. What is the word around town about you?

Copyright: © 2004 by Kathleen Gage

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.