Secret Santa Saturday: Gifts for a Dollar

A Thrifter's Guide to Secret Santa Success

Thoughtful, Inexpensive, Secret Santa Gifts
 

Stress-free and FUN Secret Santa Solutions

(they make great Stocking Stuffers, too!)

INSTALLMENT TWO: It's Not About the Money!

Believe it or not, you can get great Secret Santa gifts for only $1.00!

  

It's easy to focus on the wrong things in Secret Santa. If you worry too much about whether or not the recipient will like their gifts, you can expend a lot of needless energy in the wrong area. That can lead to spending more money than you need in an effort to compensate for not knowing whether the gifts will be appreciated. But making your "giftee" happy is so much simpler than that!

The point of Secret Santa is that it's supposed to be fun (remember Installment One: Secret Santa is Supposed to be Fun?), and by taking a more casual, lighthearted approach to things, it is fun!

Take, for instance, the ten gifts I've highlighted below. Each one came from the Dollar Tree, and cost $1 (the exception being the last gift where I combined 4 $1 items). The trick to using these items is taking a little time to "dress them up." By adding a little note and/or adorning the gifts with simple trimmings, your $1 item can look like a million bucks (okay, maybe that's pushing it... but it looks like it cost more than $1!).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that every gift you give cost $1, but the point of this exercise is to prove that you don't need to spend a lot to get a positive result. Mix a couple of these one-dollar ideas with some bigger gifts, and you've have a great Secret Santa Run.

You'll see that the emphasis here is practical usage. Most of these items are things that people will probably need at some point anyway, so why not take advantage of that? In addition, the gift tags hold clever (errr, super-cheesy) messages, to communicate a personal, light-hearted touch. And, after reading them, I think we will all agree that my shopping skills greatly surpass those of my wit and witticism :)

One more note: By no means do you have to replicate the wrapping/tagging methods I'm demonstrating. A simple handwritten note will do the trick! As far as packaging your presents, Dollar Tree has tons of gift bags and wrapping supplies (affiliate link), so you can pick up a roll of gift wrap for a dollar and use it for all of your gifts, if that works... just be sure to disguise your handwriting...   :)

Full Disclosure: I'm happy to now be a Dollar Tree affiliate (yay!), which means I help them highlight some products  in exchange for a small percentage (5% to be precise) of any sales originating from my blog. So if you click one of the links and then buy one of these $1 items , I make $0.05 ;)

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #1: A Pretty Ornament

     

 

Nothing says Christmas quite like a Christmas tree, and what better way to start the season by giving a shiny new ornament for trimming said tree? They have a whole wall of ornaments to choose from in store, and even more on their website (affiliate link), so your style options aren't too limited. Shiny and bright, it doesn't look like it only cost a dollar!

To achieve the look, all I did was use a clear favor bag ($2.00/20 bags from Target) and shredded paper from Dollar Tree (affiliate link). Tied with a ribbon and finished with a cute tag, this treat makes a simple first Secret Santa gift.

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #2: A Flashlight

 

Who can complain about having an extra flashlight around? Need one for your desk? Your car? Your backpack?  I know in the days after Hurricane Sandy, we couldn't get enough of them! The packaging here was also simple. I took scrapbook paper, glued it to thin cardboard, and used Glue Dots to attach the flashlight from the bottom. To give this gift some extra-special love, throw some batteries in it, too!

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #3: Deck of Playing Cards

 

 

Ever have those times when everyone wants to play Gin Rummy or Spades, but NO ONE can find a deck of cards? Plus, you can get TWO decks for a dollar! Now your giftee will be prepared for any impromptu card game! The packaging here consisted of a linen bag (I have a bunch of them on hand because I love them; I got them from Save on Crafts) and another gift tag.

 

 

 One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #4: 8-Bit Screwdriver

 

It doesn't get much handier than a screwdriver with 8 bits! This baby gives you plenty of options so you can tackle those weird projects that come along. One of these days, your Secret Santa giftee will thank you. Packaging again was simple. Scrapbook paper combined with Glue Dots to hold the screwdriver on.

 One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #5: A Sports-Themed Nightlight

 

The Dollar Tree had a whole section of nightlights, so if your giftee isn't interested in sports, you've got plenty more options there. But in terms of sports, they had baseball, basketball, football, and soccer, so if you've got a fan of any of those activities, you're in luck!

Simply print out a logo of your giftee's favorite team and include an encouraging note! "Go Jets!" or "Terps Rule!" would suffice... I just hold a soft spot in my heart for the Yankees, so I chose a more specific message :). For packaging, I used the clear favor bags and shredded paper again.

 

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #6: Microfiber Screen Cleaner

 

Almost everyone has a phone, tablet, or computer with a screen that accumulates smudges. You can't go wrong with this handy screen cleaner that they can throw in their desk or car. Put it in a cute gift bag, add a tag, and you're good-to-go!

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #7: Bungee Cords

 

How many times have you had to strap down some awkward, oversized instinct purchase without the right tools? Okay, maybe that scenario plays out more in my scattered DIY-lifestyle than is typical, but still, you never know when you'll need a bungee cord. This set features three different sizes, and the cost? You guessed it, one dollar. Wrap them in a giftbox (used Spritz giftboxes from Target-sorry, can't find a link, they were on an endcap near the party section), tie it closed with some cute cord and a bow (both also on that Target endcap), and you've got one fancy-looking present.

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #8: Stylish Hairbands

Ok, so this is probably the first gender-specific gift here (although I don't want to speak too soon), but they were so darn cute, how can I resist? They have tons of hair rubber bands, barrettes, and headbands, too! These are very trendy right now, and some big-fashion retailers are selling them for A LOT more than a dollar. If you've got someone who fits the bill for this gift, then scoop them up (and maybe grab a set for yourself, too, like I did)!

I covered some thin cardboard (from a spaghetti box) in burlap ribbon (the same kind I used for my Chevron Bunting and Beach Scavenger Hunt, actually). Then I removed the bands for their original boring packaging and slid them on. Easy and adorable!

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #9: Word and Number Puzzle Books

 

The Dollar Tree had a huge selection of Crossword puzzle, Sudoku, Word Find, and Trivia books. A popular gift choice as it is, but here you're paying a lot less than at some other major retailers. Packaging doesn't get much simpler than this. Just one big, honkin', cheesy tag.

One Dollar Secret Santa Gift #10: BATTERIES!

 

Maybe one day our society won't need batteries any more... but I don't think that day will be here anytime soon, and until then, we all need batteries. And pretty often. And maybe I'm alone here, but I can never find the size I need right when I need it! So this is the most expensive gift I'm featuring here today... at a WHOPPING $4.00, this combination of 4 Dollar Tree items includes AA, AAA, C, and D batteries. You could even mix things up and throw in a 9V... get creative! But $4 for all of these batteries is a pretty darn good price. And everyone needs batteries. Especially on Christmas morning!

Looking for more $1 Gifts Ideas? Check out the $1 Valentine's Gifts Series--all of the gifts featured could be easily adapted for Secret Santa or Stocking Stuffers!

Plus, More in the Secret Santa Series:

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Tips for Selling on Craigslist

Want to Sell on Craigslist but Not Sure Where to Begin?

Here are some tips to help give you an edge:

Craigslist is a great place to make a little money by passing on things that you no longer have use for. I use it a lot for kids equipment and furniture; it's a great place to sell items that you're done with but still have value. But Craigslist isn't exactly a goldmine. You need to have reasonable expectations and in some cases, be flexible. There are a lot of savvy Craiglisters out there; if you've never sold on CL before, here are some good ideas to help give you feel more comfortable.

TIPS FOR SELLING ON CRAIGSLIST

1. List your item in the appropriate category. Choose you geographical region, then choose which category you're listing in. It's pretty self-explanatory, but if you list in the wrong one, you may get "flagged" and your listing will be deleted. Just as an example, Ikea furniture isn't considered "Antiques" :)
2. Consider posting your ad in nearby counties, too. The only downside is that you need to go through the entire posting process again (including photo upload) for each region, so it takes a little more time, but you'll reach a broader audience. Copy and paste your text to save a little time.
3. INCLUDE PHOTOS! This is an absolute must! Would you buy something without seeing it first? This is a really simple step, and it's going to get you many more potential buyers. Honestly, if a seller doesn't include a picture, I usually just skip over the listing and don't even consider it. CL lets you include up to 12 photos, so take advantage! Post as many pics as you can; take shots from different angles, take pics of any imperfections.  
4. Include sizes and dimensions in your description. If it's furniture, measure width/length/height/depth... whatever will help a buyer determine if it will fit in their home. If you have a link to the item in new condition, include that, too, so they can check out other details and see the original price of the item.
5. Be honest about the condition of the item. There's no point in trying to hide any flaws until the potential buyer gets there; you'll just end up wasting both of your time and risk losing the sale. Take photos of any scratches, rips, broken parts... let the buyer know exactly what they're getting into. They'll appreciate your "forthcomingness" and be more likely to trust you. No one on CL is expecting brand-new Tiffany's-condition items. They just want a deal. If it has a few scratches but is saving them $60, that's likely not going to bother them.
6. Be reasonable about pricing. People on CL want to get a deal. For example, we recently sold an Ikea Kritter bed that was 3 years old. Including the frame, bed slats and mattress, we paid $170 originally. We used it (and in some cases, lightly abused it) for 3 years. I listed it on CL for $55 (hoping for $50, would settle for $45). That's about 30% of the original price. Now I'm not saying that 30% is a magic number here, but you need to evaluate your piece and what it's really worth. Antiques tend to increase in value over years, but inexpensive kids furniture does not. If you really want to sell it, you need to motivate buyers with a good price.
7. Expect to negotiate. I repeat, people just want to feel like they're getting a deal! I usually set my price about 10-20% over what I'm hoping to get so that there is room for negotiation. If you don't want to negotiate, make sure you specify that your "Price is Firm." Although be aware, that may turn some buyers off.
8. Be wary of spammers; sometimes you'll get a email in broken English with a link in it. Ignore it and don't click the link. Talking to someone on the phone can usually give you a sense of how serious the buyer is. Ask them for their phone number.
9. Don't take things personally. People on CL aren't there because they've won any politeness awards. You may have a 10-email interchange with someone, and then suddenly they'll disappear, thus wasting all the time you've put into the sale. Other times, people just won't show up. It's annoying, it's rude... and it's all part of CL. You can often avoid the no-shows by speaking with the person over the phone; it's harder to completely ditch someone you've had a sincere conversation with. Don't expect long, grammatically correct email exchanges either. Almost everyone on CL wants to work quickly.
10. Don't promise your item to anyone unless you have a deposit! You don't want to turn away potential sales while waiting for someone who very well may not show up. Tell them they need to get there or the first person who can will take your item.
11. Be patient. Your item may not generate a lot of interest right away, but some people don't check CL on a regular basis, so they may find your item in search in a week or two. If you really need to sell it quickly, make sure you set a price they can't refuse! You might want to use wording like "Must go!" in your subject.
12. When it comes time to meet your buyer, have another adult present, and if possible, meet outside. You wouldn't regularly invite a perfect stranger into your home, so try to stick to those same standards when dealing with CL. 99.9% of the time, I'm sure you're buyer will be normal, but you never know.... If your item's too big to bring outside or into the garage, just make sure you've got someone else you know at home with you.
13. Keep in mind: don't forget about the Free Stuff section! This is a great place to get rid of things, the advantage to you being that you don't have to bring it to the dump or move it yourself. You'd be surprised at the kind of things people will take, especially when they are free! There are a lot of DIY-ers and collectors out there. We got our entire kitchen demo done for free through the CL free section!
    
    

Good luck with your Craigslist pursuits!

Want more CL info?

A Thrifter's Guide to Secret Santa Success

Thoughtful, Inexpensive, Secret Santa Gifts

Stress-free and FUN Secret Santa Solutions 

(they make great Stocking Stuffers, too!)

INSTALLMENT ONE

Introduction: Secret Santa is Supposed to be Fun!

If you've ever been involved in playing Secret Santa, you probably feel one of two ways about it: you love it or you dread it. Or maybe you're the Secret Santa Organizer, and you feel a combination of both; you're trying to balance getting people excited about it, managing the group's participation, and planning out your own gifts. One way or the other, the simple game of Secret Santa can turn into a stressful experience, much of the stress stemming from wondering what to give.

What qualifies me to write about Secret Santa?

There's something inside me that is compelling me to write these posts, and believe it or not, it's not my love of Secret Santa. In fact, I'm going to be honest with you here: I'm not a big Secret Santa fan. I'm just not. Just thinking about the whole process of playing gets me a little anxious. You see, I tend to over-think things. Like, a lot. And for some reason this over-thinking goes into overdrive during the holidays. I worry about two main things during Secret Santa: 1) Will my giftee like his/her gifts? and 2) Will I have the appropriate reaction to the gifts given to me? And honestly, it's Worry #2 that sets me over the edge... but enough about me.

Actually, no, that's not true. Back to me. Because this is starting to feel therapeutic.

As far back as my middle school years, I've navigated my way through many Secret Santa games. Why did I play if I didn't like it, you ask? Well, I didn't always feel that way. The whole premise of Secret Santa is so much fun! Finding clever ways to stick to a budget, hiding gifts, receiving gifts... really, there's nothing NOT to like! But I think that over the course my Secret Santa experiences, I began harboring some anxiety towards the game. Because, like I said, I over-think things, and not in a good way. I'd wonder if my gifts were well-received, and I always worried about having appropriate reactions to the gifts given to me. And, honestly, maybe it's my personality, but I tend to put more effort into the game than others, thereby setting myself up for disappointment.

But I think the best way I can explain all this stems back to my most vivid Secret Santa experience. So let's go there:

I was the year of 2005 (or so). I was playing Secret Santa at work, and I decided I would be GREAT. And I was. I felt like I could have won the award for best Secret Santa. Okay, there was a little bit of luck involved: I happened to pull the name of someone I knew pretty well. So that made gifting easy; she loved coffee: I got coffee; she loved snowboarding: I got handwarmers. I even went so far as to knit a (really cool, if I do say so myself) pair of mittens as my final Secret Santa gift (keep in mind, this was during my obsessive knitting years, so it wasn't obscenely time-consuming). I was Secret Santa On Fire. I had thoughtful gifts, and I was clever about hiding my identity and planting the gifts when I wouldn't get caught. I felt great!

Well, sort of great. I was on the receiving end of some questionable gifts, and even then, nothing came until the day before the game ended. On that day I was given a Hello Kitty eraser (I had no children at this point, and no obvious ties to Hello Kitty). I became convinced that my Secret Santa was a prankster and must have something big planned for the next day. And then it came: the next day, the LAST day, the FINAL Secret Santa day... and here it was... wrapped up sloppily and placed in my work mailbox... I received... wait for it... I received... a mini spiral notebook with a florescent-colored cat on the front. Okay, now this feels awkward. I glanced around the faculty room with a forced smile, wondering if the gift-giver was around. I held my smile as I stuck the notebook into my bag and trotted off to class. Oh how very awkward I felt. 

But that awkwardness had had nothing to do with the actual gift. While most of my coworkers knew me as a dog person (I had two dogs and brought them to school with some frequency), I really didn't mind the presents. I didn't care what I got. What concerned me was the possibility that someone put thought into these gifts, and I just didn't "get it." And I felt guilty about that. 

To make things worse, all day there were calls of, "Hey! Who was your Secret Santa?!" and "What'd'ya get today?" and I smiled past the quizzical looks when I told them about my Neon Kitty Pad... I had to smile, maybe my gifter was watching! 

There you have it. And that was the last time I played Secret Santa. And here I am now. Retired from playing, but still available to share my ideas as a Secret Santa Coach.

So you see with the story of Secret Santa Circa 2005, I've painted two very real pictures. And neither one is good. But my experience certainly wasn't an isolated one; these are universal Secret Santa dilemmas. And here they are:

• Problem #1: Super Secret Santa (i.e., me!): Super Secret Santa's are certainly well-meaning, but that's not the point of the game. The objective is to give gifts that total less than a certain dollar amount. Did I go over that dollar amount in 2005? I'm certain I did. I know I used really nice yarn for those mittens, and Starbucks coffee's not cheap! In my mind, I thought, "It's not a problem to go over because I'm only being nice! Who could fault niceness?" But in reality there's a big problem with going over: you make others feel bad because they didn't do the same. And no one wants to feel bad around the holidays!
• Problem #2: Slacker Secret Santa (i.e., my gifter): One might wonder why Slacker Secret Santa is even playing the game. Because they don't seem to put any effort into the gifts at all. But let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe they got pressured into playing in the first place, or maybe they've got something going on at home. Or maybe they just forgot they were playing until 7am that day and the only place open was CVS, and hey, they love cats... doesn't everyone? Well, no matter the reason, Slacker Secret Santa needs some work, too.

This is where I come in as your Secret Santa Coach. 

I may be retired from the game, but I'm still involved. Last year my husband (who might be described as a Secret Santa Slacker), was lured back into Secret Santa at his new workplace; like the good sport that he is, he agreed to play (not fulling realizing, at that time, I'm sure, that I would be doing all the work). But as he began freaking out the week before Secret Santa was to begin, I came to his rescue, and vowed never to "go over" the Secret Santa budget again. So I coordinated a fantastic, budget-friendly, Secret Santa week for him. And now I'm here to help you do the same.

Over the next 5 Saturdays, I am going to highlight easy ideas to help you thrive during this year's Secret Santa season. No need for you to overthink things, because I'm here to do it for you! It is my goal to renew the spirit of Secret Santa in the American people (well, I guess you don't have to be American... is Secret Santa played in other countries, too?). Because that's Rule #1: Secret Santa is Supposed to be Fun!


What's Up Next?

Chapter One: It's Not About the Money