Buying gifts and receiving presents happen all year round but for that special occasion that falls in the summer why not consider a gift that is Eco-friendly or can be enjoyed outside. Here are some of my favorites.

Solar Educational toys

These are great gifts you can buy for children as well as adults depending on the level of difficulty and skills required to assemble the toy. These toys are powered by sunlight. In today’s climate of environmental awareness these solar powered toys and kits are not only great fun, but also introduce children of all ages to the concept of renewable energy and demonstrate alternative energy principles. No batteries and tools are to assemble the toy.

Solar gadgets

If you have a housewarming coming up, consider these cool solar friendly gadgets. I like the Sun and Moon Jar. By day these jars are ordinary looking jam jars but at night these jars will glow either a soothing yellow (sun jar) or blue (moon jar). So how does it work? The idea is to leave the jar either outside, near the window exposed to sunlight, to collect energy from the sun throughout the day via the solar cell. When it turns dark, the jar gives a warm ambient and relaxing glow. It’s a feel good factor for the ecologist in you and not to mention a money saving device so out with the candles and in with the jar! You can even actually store your essential items in it.
Other useful eco-friendly gadgets are solar charging devices for cell phones and other electronic accessories.

RC Flying Toys

Remote controlled toys such as helicopters and planes are great outdoor toys for both adults and children. These toys are usually equipped with pre-installed two channel proportional infra red control system and integral Lithium Polymer flight battery which will provide flights of approximately 8-12 minutes or more between charges. The battery can be recharged in less than half an hour. These toys are great fun and can be enjoyed in the back yard, garden or even the park. It is something that both the parent and child can do together.

Slingshot Flying Toys

These are fantastic toys and inexpensive. The soft toy comes in various animal characters such as monkey, pig and frog. When hoisted in the air they make hilarious noises such as screeching monkey noises, oiking noises and in the case of the frog croaking sounds. It is really quite entertaining. A great indoor as well as outdoor gift in the park, the yard or garden

Active toys

The sun is out and the weather is warm, your kids will no doubt love to play outdoors as much as they can. The Strap On Flashing Glider Shoes or heelys are great gift items for children and kids. Unlike traditional roller skates these wheels strap onto your existing running shoes! They are adjustable, to fit almost any size shoe/trainer and have flashing lights on the wheels when you skate around. The great advantage of these are that you can at least get a few years of use out of these without the worry of growing out of your traditional heelys. Not only are they fun your kids will sure get some exercise out of it!

Right from a child to a parent or an elderly person, everyone loves to be gifted something on their birthday. It is not the price tag that decides the worth of the gift but it is the emotions and the time you have given in making that gift special. If you are on a tight budget and it’s birthday birthday of your friend then you would need to put in some efforts to gift him/her something memorable.

You can send flowers; they are the most formal yet casual gift idea. You can get variety of flowers in budget and can choose according to the personality and likes of person. If you are thinking of a different idea you can gift a nice pen, watch or a personal dairy. While these gift items seem common you can go for a personalized calendar. You can sort out pictures of that person with you and when you have finalized on 12 such memorable pictures you can scan them and make a personalized calendar. This way your gift remains memorable till his/her next birthday.

If the person, you are gifting has a sweet tooth a nice collection of his/her chocolates would do the trick. You can go to gift shops online which offer budget gifts like showpieces, stuff animals, jewellery or birthday cakes. If you are willing to put in some effort, you can make your own piece of jewellery. Many cheap materials like beads, strings, wires are available, from which you can make your own design or a replica of one found in fashion magazines. Such a gift would be extremely personalized and would truly bring a big smile on your friends face when he/she unveils your efforts.

Never take the receivers economic status into consideration while presenting the gift. The intrinsic value of anything is more related to the person than to its price. An avid reader would be happy receiving a book or a music lover would love to get a collection of his/her all time favorite songs. Make a list of birthdays of your friends and relatives and then make a list of their likes and dislikes.

To avoid crowd and disappointments plan ahead for shopping. Make sure that you start looking for the appropriate Unique gifts at least a week before the occasion. This would avoid wastage of time if you go to shop the same day. So with a little planning and efforts you can gift a memorable gift on a budget.

This Christmas, you can expect everyone to get stuffed with all the delicious food and just forget about their diets or their belts. What better way to help them get back to shape than by giving them one of these very useful aerobic training machines? Not only are you promoting a healthier lifestyle, these machines can actually be used for a long period of time, and can be used not only by your friend, but his or her family as well. If you don’t know what to get, then see the list below for the best of these machines in the market today.

Top 10 treadmills – aerobic training machines Christmas gifts for 2008

1. Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill – this multi-awarded fitness machine can track the heart rate of the user. Its platform is wide for comfortable use, and it comes with 15 different programs to choose from.

2. Stamina InMotion II Manual Treadmill – the beauty of this machine is that it is stylish, quiet, and customizable. Your friend can choose his or her own workout style, and get awesome results in a short time. It even tracks time and calories burned, too!

3. Stamina InMotion II Manual Treadmill – this is perfect for people you know that doesn’t like clunky, big machines. The Stamina Motion Treadmill is sleek and stylish. Storage won’t be a problem since this machine can be folded. The treadmill itself is wide enough to allow walking or jogging exercises.

4. Horizon Fitness T91 Treadmill – this treadmill’s quality is at par with those found at health clubs, so you won’t regret getting one for your friend or loved one. It’s strong, durable, and has 9 intense workout programs to boot.

5. Phoenix 98516 Easy-Up Manual Treadmill – this treadmill is manual which makes workouts more strenuous and gives faster results. It’s also less expensive than its electronic counterparts, so if you’re strapped on cash, this is your best choice.

6. Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill – this small but very durable and stylish treadmill won’t take up space in your friend’s home since it can be easily folded up and stored. It offers very intense workouts for its small frame.

7. Merit Fitness 715T Treadmill – this middle-priced treadmill offers the best of both worlds: affordability plus usefulness. It gives great, vigorous workouts and you won’t have to spend a lot to get it for your friend.

8. Cadence C44 – this small machine can actually give you a great cardio workout with added weight loss advantages. The speed and incline of this treadmill can also be controlled for better and faster results.

9. Sole F85 Treadmill (2008 Model) – this gift is great for your friend who’s serious about his health. It’s quite pricey, but it’s worth it, seeing that this treadmill has a lot of features such as 6 programs, 2 additional programs which can be set by the user, and 2 programs that focus on heart rates. These are just some of the many features of this excellent treadmill.

10. Sole F80 Treadmill (2009 Model) – this newest model is lauded for being easy to use and made of very high quality materials. This is a great gift for those who are just starting to improve their health.

Do you think you have to lower your standards of gift-giving to save the environment?  Well, you don’t.  Read below to find out why eco-friendly gifts are the best gifts to give and receive.

1. Saving gas and saving stress go hand in hand.  Shopping online is easier.  No annoying sales people- you can stare at a potential purchase as long as you want without buying it or having someone trying to make you buy it.  Shopping online is often cheaper.  Many discounts are often offered online (this is because companies can save money when you shop online).

2. Green Gifts are unique gifts.  Not everyone makes the effort to go take the time to shop carefully.  Eco-friendly gifts show you put in the thought that counts (although, it doesn’t really take they much time- you could finish your shopping today).  Of course there are those environmental gifts that are so “unique” no one really wants them.  You don’t have to buy those.  There are many excellent green Christmas gifts at your finger tips.

3. Some of the best companies are going green.  It’s not only the environmentalists any more.  Large corporations are seeing that they’ll benefit from helping the environment.  Check out the EPA’s website to see a quick list of all the companies that have already become 100% (or more) carbon neutral.  Buy from those companies when you can.

4. Health- Organic, non-toxic gifts are healthy for us and for the environment.  They are safe for us to touch and breathe next to.  And most importantly, they are safe for our exploring children to taste (although you may want to encourage them not to).  They are also easy for nature to dispose of.  They biodegrade much easier and often are more easily recyclable.

5. And lastly, we can’t leave out the most obvious: The environment improves when we act responsibly in our giving.  And it gets much worse when we don’t.  It’s a serious, scientifically demonstrated reality that our climate is becoming majorly disrupted.  We have a long, tough walk ahead of us to restore and renew our earth.  It starts with real action.  Give Green Gifts.

Take another step: follow me through the resource box below to discover some excellent green gifts, get some more tips, and become more environmentally informed.

Thanks for reading!

It’s that time of year again and like it or not you will soon have to get those presents organised. This guide can be used by ladies who wish to buy for their friends but we suspect that it’s the men who will have most trouble deciding on a perfect gift for their partner, mum, sister or friend.

Our first important tip for you gentlemen – if it belongs in the kitchen, please do not buy it as a Christmas gift!

Spa day or treatment

Treat the lady in your life to a beauty treatment, or if you can afford it, an entire spa day! There is nothing like some time out and a little pampering. If you decide to go for a beauty treatment a gift voucher may be the best option, this way your special lady can choose what she would really like to use it for – bearing in mind that if you hand over an appointment card for an anti-aging facial it may well backfire on you!

Gift vouchers

Vouchers are generally a good choice if you consider where your lucky lady will want to shop. Where does she go to buy herself a treat? Which shop does she always want to pop into but doesn’t because she “can’t afford it”? Gift vouchers can be purchased from all kinds of stores, from clothing shops to jewellers, so why not make her day?

Jewellery

Don’t be scared, jewellery isn’t limited to engagement rings and does not have to be diamond encrusted and expensive. A cute pendant makes a great gift and you can choose from an incredible variety, from the more expensive type you can pick up at a jewellers to a more fun item from a high street fashion outlet like Topshop, who sell some lovely pieces at very reasonable prices.

Luxury robe

You can’t go far wrong with a luxury bathrobe. Buy something in your chosen lady’s favourite colour and make sure it’s the best quality that you can afford. Full-length robes are the cosiest and are fab for curling up in front of the TV on long cold winter nights. For maximum brownie points wrap the robe around a bath melt or bath bomb from Lush (keep it in its wrapping or it may stain the robe). Lush products are kind to the environment and will make her robe smell delicious when she opens it.

Leather bound diary/Filofax

If you’re buying for someone who likes to keep their life organised, a leather-bound diary or filofax offers a touch of quality and class. You can find these in a multitude of colours and designs from leading high-street retailers such as WHSmith.

There is a variety of fantastic recycled pens available for your promotional item advertising campaign. What makes green pens so great is the fact that there are so many different types to choose from. When we say green pens we are not referring to the colour of the outside or of the ink but rather to the way they are constructed, and the materials used in their construction. You can find green pens made from anything from recycled steel, recycled plastic to cardboard and wood. Most green pens are not only made from recycled materials but their ink and sometimes full pen bodies are biodegradable.

What better way to say I appreciate your business, and I respect the environment, than to promote your business with fully recycled pens. When you promote your company’s products and services with green promotional pens you are proving to your customers that you are making every effort to reduce your businesses carbon footprint and are therefore exercising corporate responsibility in a big way.

The variety of green pens made from recycled materials and fully biodegradable materials is astounding. Since the environment and our impact on our future has become such a hot topic there is no time better than the present to show your customers that you are conscious of your companies impact and are doing everything in your power to reduce it.

When having your company logo and slogan along with your contact information imprinted on recycled pens can open the door to even more possibilities. There is a variety of coloured biodegradable inks that can be used on the inside and outside of your green pens. Most of the inks are made with all natural ingredients and colourings. Inks are commonly thickened with corn starch to ensure they are safe for the environment while in use as well as after it has been discarded.

Pens are a great way to say thank you to your clients and to help keep you in the forefront of their mind the next time they are looking for products or services that your company provides. Recycled pens are among the most affordable and more responsible promotional items you can select for your advertising campaign. These types of pens are often easily recognizable by their colour and construction. These pens are frequently brown or beige in colour when they are made from recycled wood or cardboard. Selecting recycled an environmentally responsible products will help you to let your clients know you are environmentally aware. To ensure your pens stand out in the crowd you should choose a colour and a design that is unique while still reflecting the personality of your company. When your clients are out among their peers and using your company’s pen you are receiving more effortless exposure than a simple sign, or radio advertisement could get. Promotional items are simple, affordable, and far more effective that most people would think. Your clients will leave your shop or office with a good feeling about your products, services, and the free promotional items you provided them.

Baby gifts can either be easy and fun or a nightmare to shop for. The difference is usually made by the experience of the shopper and how well they know the needs of baby’s and new parents.

Mum’s typically love to shop for baby gifts as they know exactly what they needed or would have liked. Yet many shoppers aren’t Mum’s or Dad’s. Maybe a work colleague has just had a baby or the boss has just asked you to get a baby gift for an important client?

There’s nothing more exciting than a new life coming into the world and picking the right gift is a fabulous way to celebrate an event. An appropriate baby gift is cherished and appreciated buy the parents like no other gift.

There are many wonderful baby gifts to choose from, and some that are probably better left on the shelves.

Practical baby goods are great starting point. Choosing practical items means picking items that are both wanted and needed. Large items like baby cribs, bassinets, high chairs, strollers and car seats are all wonderful baby gifts, even if they are rather expensive and bulky. However they are best left for close family members to buy, as they know exactly what is needed and wanted.

Smaller baby gifts that are both practical and desired include clothing, nappies, feeding supplies (bottles for a formula feeding mother, shields, creams and pillows for a breastfeeding mother) and travel gear (visors for car windows, baby viewing mirrors, even shopping cart covers).

Clothing is always a good idea. All babies need clothes – and lots of them! New parents are amazed by the quantity of clothes and nappies they need on a daily basis. Of course baby clothes are available in abundance at all stores that carry children’s clothing. However gift sets, baby hampers or even Baby Buds make for far more imaginative presentation to give clothing a bit of “wow” factor.

Toys are another good choice for baby gifts. Plush toys that are made for a baby’s small hands to grab onto are a wonderful choice. Stuffed animals, rattles, “lovey” blankets with tags and different texture, and attachments for car seats and strollers are made in a variety of styles, materials and affordable.

Googling search phrases such as “baby gifts”, “baby hampers” or “unique baby gifts” in your area will uncover many valuable ideas and suppliers. Some gift companies can deliver the same day and most can deliver next day.

If you are like me and are a very lousy shopper and always end up getting everyone the wrong gift at Christmas time, think about a Gift-of-the-Month Club. G.O.M Clubs have all the things the lazy gift giver requires: Ease of purchase, no shopping at the dreaded mall and an almost guaranteed positive response accompanied by a monthly “At-A-Boy” from the recipient. And there are plenty of clubs to choose from for everyone on your gift-giving list.

First, you have to know your giftee. For instance, my dad is an avid coffee drinker. For him a coffee of the month club would be perfect…and there are plenty of choices. At some places, You can choose anything from flavored coffees to dark roasts to a monthly sampler.

However, coffee clubs aren’t the only types of gift of the month clubs. You can get Fruit-of-the-Month clubs for the vegetarian in your life. Flower-of-the-Month clubs are popular with husbands and boyfriends who are constantly screwing up. Sign up your significant other for any of the many Flower-of-the-Month clubs and you have a ready set apology landing at her doorstep every 30 days.

There are a number of other clubs for everyone in your life: Gag-of-the-Month clubs for the prankster in your life; Wine-of-the-Month clubs for the wannabe wine connoisseur; Beer-of-the-Month clubs for the sports fan; Chocolate-of-the-Month clubs for the addicted; Pizza-of-the-Month clubs for the teen or college student; and Cigar-of-the-Month clubs for Granddad.

But how do you decide the best club? The Internet is always a good place to start your research. Go to any search engine and type in Gift of the Month clubs. You will find nearly 1,000 sites trying to sell you everything from DVDs to practical jokes…all shipped monthly to the recipient of your choice.

However, you need to read the payment and delivery plans carefully. Many DVD and CD plans require that you put in a lot of work, sending back a card every month telling them if you want their monthly selection. If you forget, you are stuck with whatever they send. But worse than that, the recipient of your “gift” is stuck with the bill. Is that really a gift?

“The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one’s relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life.” – Hugh Walpole

Any happy couple will tell you that out of all the meaningful occasions, anniversaries hold a special importance. It’s an opportunity for each partner to express his/her love and gratitude towards the other by getting those creative gift giving juices to flow. The true significance of anniversary gift giving comes from the fact that each partner is forced to ask himself/herself these questions:

“What have I learned about my partner?”
“What is the best way to gift something to my partner that’s a true reflection of who I am?”
“What’s valued by my partner and what’s not?”
On the basis of the above questions, the final question usually is, “What can I do or give that will bring us closer as a couple?”

It’s true that even though anniversary gift giving is something that happy couples look forward to; some people can break into a cold sweat by just the thought of being unprepared for the occasion. This anniversary gift giving guide is the solution.

The First Anniversary:

Paper made gifts have always traditionally been the way to go for first anniversaries. There is a lot of room for creativity here and the anniversary gift can be anything from a love letter to a photograph to book. For a more contemporary first anniversary gift giving touch, it’s not a bad idea to buy something like a clock that can be placed on a highly visible place like the nightstand or on the fireplace – clocks represent the good time spent as a couple.

The Fifth Anniversary:

From a traditional perspective, a wood-based anniversary gift is generally the way to go. It’s a fantastic idea to carve and craft a wooden something for your significant other – something like a self made jewelry box (with some jewelry off course). Another great fifth anniversary gift giving idea is to plant a special kind of tree in a special place in the yard – the symbolic significance: a beautiful growing tree reflects a beautiful growing relationship.

The Tenth Anniversary:

The tenth anniversary is a milestone for any couple and deserves something out of the ordinary. The symbols: aluminum and tin. An all time classic tenth anniversary gift is a hand-made plaque for the front door – don’t shy away from adding an aluminum plate with the family name embossed on it. Traditionally, tenth anniversary gift giving could also include aluminum and tin jewelry, watches, diamond cufflinks, earnings and pendants. Be creative and personalize the tenth anniversary gift giving as much as possible.

The twenty-fifth Anniversary:

The twenty-fifth anniversary is another huge milestone for any couple. Anything that is given in terms of gifts should be made of silver (or at least it should contain silver) – some of the all time favorite twenty-fifth anniversary gift giving ideas are jewelry, self-made picture frames, keepsake platters and anniversary clocks.

The fiftieth Anniversary

The fiftieth anniversary deserves nothing but pure gold. Fifty years of marriage represents a very long journey traveled by the couple – it shows that the couple has been through the challenges and rigors of all the ups and downs, the good times and the bad times, the smiles of elation and the tears of sorrow. The fiftieth anniversary marks the pinnacle of everything that a relationship has to offer. It’s a rare feat. Whether it is gold jewelry or a personalized golden ornament; this occasion deserves the very best. There is not much anniversary gift giving advice one can give to someone who has been married for fifty years; but whatever it is; make sure it comes from the heart.

Coffee gifts are great to give to the person who has everything. More practically, they’re excellent presents for people who you don’t know very well, or even for generic gift exchange events.

These days, you can’t walk into a coffee shop without seeing hundreds of coffee accessories. At some point in time, coffee shops started focusing on selling something other than a hot cup of espresso and moved into the world of merchandising.

Nobody does this better than Starbucks. While there is a Starbucks on every corner (more than 13,000 in the world), you’re going to pay a bit more there than at your local mom and pop shop. Because Starbucks has such a clever marketing scheme, their prices are significantly higher than the market average.

As a result, if you’re looking for an affordable coffee gift of mugs, espresso machines or coffee beans, you may want to steer clear of the green logo. While coffee houses are fantastic places to get specialty beans and teas, if you’re going to buy somebody an actual coffee maker you may want to look elsewhere.

Department and specialty stores are best for larger item purchases, and you’ll save a lot of money if you go to one of those. Coffee houses thrive on impulse buys for those looking for coffee gifts. It’s best to be smart about the situation and split up your purchases.

For example, go buy the cappuccino maker at the department store, where you’ll save up to 30 percent. Then, head over to your local coffee shop and purchase the coffee gifts that you’re looking for. Fill up a basket with chocolate covered espresso beans and a bag of fresh coffee.

When in doubt, gift cards make excellent coffee gifts. They can be used at any time toward just about any purchase, and they’re as easy to use as cash.