Gift EYEdeas4Less

Christmas, Hanukah, Celebrations OH MY!!  The holidays are behind us but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn how to be a great gift giver now! There are still plenty of opportunities coming up that require spending money for someone else’s enjoyment. Seriously, I truly believe someday there will be an excuse to celebrate something or spend money on someone every week if not every day. So for those Millennials out there you may want to learn how to get more bang for your buck now!!  Let me show you how to put that eye for gift giving into action for celebrations to come. It seems daunting but getting thoughtful creative gifts is possible. You just have to take a little extra time (usually several thousand hours) into finding that perfect star worthy present. Here are some tips to help you come up with some EYEdeas.

First, I am a firm believe that experience is the best gift possible. Experiences are much more memorable than material items (This is proven science folks!!!) Of course this will depend on how well you know the person and what your relationship with them is like. I don’t suggest buying your boss that exclusive VIP club experience if you hardly know them (unless you really need that raise then I say go for it!!). But if you are trying to get a gift for someone you truly care about then try to think about an experience they would like to take part in. Seriously, if you’re significant other has been stressing a lot lately then get them that massage, facial or spa day package. Groupon, Living Social, and Travelzoo have these deals ALL THE TIME!! And it’s perfect for those of us who love to be poked, prodded, and pummeled by strangers’ foreign fingers. If your friend has expressed interest in some adventure, dining experience, event, excursion or anything that involves living life, then get it!!! Check to see if these magical deal sites have those experiences because most of the time they do!! Making memories is much more valuable than a sweater that may eventually be too small or fade with use.

Next EYEdea worth thinking about: If you aren’t that close with the person anymore or you just can’t swing the cash, then the next best present purchase (in my humble opinion) is memories of experiences. This can include any form of expressing or showing how a memory was made or how an experience was lived. If you’re artistic then maybe drawing pictures or writing poems are the way to go. I’m a photo slut so I love to show my experiences with pictures. Framing fun times with friends, creating photo albums, or scrapbooking are great ways to revisit the good times and show someone you do care about them. You can put photos on anything these days: books, cards, blankets, coffee mugs, chinaware, clothes, and who knows what else. With technology these days anything is possible. Even if all you can get is a gift card, maybe making a homemade birthday/holiday card with a picture can make it all the more meaningful. And doing all this does not have to be expensive. Check groupon, they have deals ALL THE TIME!!!! (sensing a theme yet?)

What if you don’t have photos and aren’t creative? Well then I suggest trying to personalize the gift somehow. People love to see their names on things. Especially if they have a unique name that can’t be found on tourist shop key chains. I once got a cousin a colorful make-up bag with her name engraved on it and she loved it (that’s what she said and I choose to believe it!). The best thing is: you can personalize gifts however you want to. It doesn’t have to just be with their name. You can engrave inside jokes, or important dates, or meaningful quotes. The point is to make things personal. Doing even just that shows you didn’t forget about them and run by Walmart on the way to their birthday party. And these things really aren’t that expensive. Groupon, Living Social, Travelzoo OH MY!!! If you personalize gifts frequently then joining a site like shutterfly becomes beneficial in the long run. I receive discounts through their site and free gifts all the time (especially around the holidays). It pays to spend but it’s always better to spend less!!

So this is usually the part where I breakdown how much I’ve spent on stuff versus what it normally costs, but I’m not going to put myself on blast and let everyone know what I spent on their gifts. Sorry guys!! But I will provide a list of gift EYEdeas I have purchased before.

Photo albums galore! These are great for any reason. Christmas, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, you get the EYEdea. They take time to create, but are worth seeing the person’s face light up with joy at the memories.

Photo calendars. Another great gift for any reason. Photo gifts are especially good for people with kids. Creating a calendar or album with pictures of their kids shows you sense what is truly important to them. And with social media at our fingertips every second of every day you can just facebook stalk the person to get whatever pics they post online. Seriously though, be careful what you put online!!

Photo blankets, mugs, holiday/bday cards. Like I said I’m a photo slut. Having photographic proof of my life helps me remember the good times. Although, there are probably plenty of times where having photographic evidence wasn’t a good thing (JK no shame here)

Subject specific t-shirts as graduation gifts.

LIFE EXPERIENCE!!! If someone has mentioned something they want to do, I try to make it happen if it’s feasible on my limited graduate student budget.

So all of this is going to depend largely on how well you know the person. First consider what your relationship is with that person. How close are you? How often do you talk or see each other? What kinds of things do you definitely know about them? A wine enthusiast may love engraved wine glasses but a recovering alcoholic will not appreciate that so much. An 18-year old girl may love an engraved make-up bag but your 50 year old father probably won’t. For me, if I’m really stuck I try to make a list of everything I do know about the person, even if all I know is their age, gender, and location. Simply knowing that can help you narrow down or have a starting point for gift EYEdeas.
Of course you may not be able to provide those perfect tear-inducing presents all the time. And it does get stressful when you think “crap now what am I supposed to get next time” when you’ve already gotten the most amazing heartfelt gift of eternity. I’ve often thought I’ll never be able to top myself next time. But if you are getting gifts for the people you care about and they care about you then they will understand you can’t always be perfectly amazing. But if every once in a while you are able to show the thought and effort you put into a gift then they will truly cherish you in their lives.

Now for all my family and friends out there who have said they love the gift I got them but really don’t like it: Please keep that to yourself. I’m not trying to lose credibility here. Love you all!!!!!!!!!! :-D

SHOWmetheMONEY!!!

I don't mean that in the literal sense (unless you want to give me some money which I'm all for!!).  I mean that in the figurative going to a show and saving money while doing so kind of sense.

Personally, I absolutely love going to shows.  Comedy shows, concerts, plays, magic shows, variety shows, drag shows, etc.  Any time someone is putting themselves on stage to be ridiculed for my comical benefit should definitely be seen!! 

I have seen all kinds of shows thanks to the wondrous inventions Groupon and Living Social.  Everything from comedy shows, Broadway plays, Backstreet Boys (don’t judge me!!), dinner shows and much more are all life changing events I have experienced in recent years.  Seriously, I would not have a life at all if it weren’t these magical online deal-guru sites!!  Here’s a list of some of the shows I have seen and what I paid versus what a show snob would pay:

	What I Paid	Show Snobs Pay
Latin Comedy Jam in Sacramento	$12	$25
Backstreet Boys in Sacramento	$20	$35
Rock of Ages on Broadway in New York	$60	$129
The Perfect Crime off Broadway in New York	$30	$68
Lipstick & Lashes Dinner & Drag Show in Santa Ana	$21	$45
Pirate Dinner Show in Buena Park	$33	$66
Dinner Detective Show for 2 people in Sacramento	$101	$160
TOTAL	$277	$528

 Yes folks you read that correctly.  I paid $277 for $528 worth of shows.  That’s $251 in savings!!  Am I good or am I good? (Trick questions, there’s only 1 right answer)  Now I know I have mentioned some of these events in other posts but they are relevant again so I’m repeating myself (you’ll live if you read it again!!). 

The Latin comedy jam didn’t have many big name comedians but the performers were pretty funny and it was a fun time for only $12. 

I wasn’t completely excited to see the Backstreet Boys (I was more of an N’Sync girl) but I was absolutely surprised how good the show was.  They put on a great performance for a band that’s been together for 20 years and they didn’t look half bad (check out Brian) for nearly 40 years old (40 = over the hill right?).  Not to mention a friend of a friend was very punctual and scored us closer seats than our purchased lawn seats!  Plus I was very proud of my friend Cherita for not crying (she cries at every concert)!! Love you Cherita!!! BACKSTREET’S BACK ALRIGHT!!



 

Now Rock of Ages is a show I was entirely ecstatic to see.  I’m an 80s soul at heart (I took a facebook quiz that told me this and you know those quizzes are completely VALID).  I saw the movie first and thought it was pretty good so I wanted to see the musical too.  A little piece of advice: SEE THE MUSICAL.  It’s absolutely hilarious and enjoyable.  Where else can you sing 80s music at the top of your lungs and not get sideways stink eyed? LOVE IT!!  Travelzoo and Living Social have deals on Broadway shows all the time so there really isn’t any excuse to pay full price (just saying)!

The Perfect Crime was an interesting and quirky show.  I don’t know if I would want to see it again but if you are into plays but not a fan of musicals then this would be a good show to see.  It’s played by a very small cast but is pretty engaging and keeps you guessing throughout the whole show.  Something different at the very least.

I’ve mentioned Lipsticks and Lashes before but I must repeat myself.  GO SEE IT!!!  If you aren’t shy and like to see scantily-clad womenly-dressed men twerking and lip-synching, then GO SEE IT!!  It’s hilarious, fun and they provide food.  What more do I need to say?

 

The Pirate Dinner Show is another one I have mentioned before. This is a great show for all ages.  It’s an engaging show that has it all: singing, dancing, acting and food! Again, what more do I need to say.  AND this show has been put back up on Living Social so you have NO EXCUSES!!

The Dinner Detective Show in Sacramento is almost always on Groupon so if you are interested in trying it out I definitely recommend it and I absolutely recommend paying less than full price (catching a theme?).  This is another really fun engaging show where food is involved so obviously I was doing it!!  You get to interact with everyone at the show and mixed in are actors pretending they have no idea what’s going on (i.e. "acting").  Throughout the show people “die” and you have to guess who the killer is. The person who guesses correctly gets free tickets to another show a few months out.  So if you’re a regular Sherlock Holmes you can win and get 2 shows for the price of half of one.  WIN-WIN right there!!

 SO have you booked a show yet?

BucketYourList

FIRST of all, I am NOT an Adventure Junky!!  I only like to soar high through the sky, drive fast cars, jump from a ledge attached to a bungee cord, ride fast and high rides, roller coasters and plummet to the depths of the ocean.  None of that makes me an adventure junky.  An adventure junky is someone who will lock themselves in a cage and submerge themselves into shark infested waters and I will absolutely positively never EVER do that (seriously, would anyone actually do this?)!!!!

BUT I do still have adventurous excursions and it’s all because I finally created my bucket list.  I got tired of saying someday I want to do that and someday I will do this; someday will never come if you don’t start planning for it today.  So I wrote everything I want to do down and started crossing the items off my list.

OKAY, so I know it seems strange for me to have a bucket list at this point in my life when I have a good 10-11 years left (40=death right?).  Most people tend to think they don’t need a bucket list until they start receiving their social security benefits but I believe you’re never too young to start experiencing life.  And as cliché and silly as the motto goes, 

We really only have so much time on earth and I believe we should try to make the most out of it while we still can.  Therefore, if you haven’t already, you should create that bucket list and start experiencing shark diving (if you're clinically insane) ASAP.  However, trying to accomplish everything on that bucket list can be very daunting (which is another reason to start young).  AND it can be super expensive!!

WHICH is why you have come to read my blog; so you can find out how to accomplish that exciting (i.e. terrifying) shark diving adventure on a budget.  I have said it before and I will say it again, GROUPON, LIVING SOCIAL, TRAVELZOO!!!!  These sites are at your literal fingertips every day so USE them (or I can find them for you)!!  I have found so many different adventures on these sites that it has provided me with even more mind-altering excursions to add to my bucket list. 

Here are some of the adventures I have so far accomplished thanks to these wonderful online creations.  Now you may notice some of these adventures have been mentioned in other posts but they are still relevant here so I’m repeating myself (deal with it).

	What I Paid	Adventure Junkies Pay
Skydiving	$99	$200
White Water Rafting	$59	$119
Rock of Ages on Broadway	$60	$107.50
Dinner Detective Show	$101	$156.88
Snorkeling in San Diego	$30	$70
New York City & DC Trip	$1000	$2000
Food Tours	$82	170
TOTAL	$1431	$2823.38

YES that is almost 50% of savings on exciting life adventures.  Don’t be jealous, just start doing it yourself!!! (you can be a little jealous, I really won't mind).

 

 

Skydiving was absolutely thrilling and I can't wait to do it again from a higher altitude and a better view (the cow chow view of Lincoln, CA really didn't do it for me!). I don't have any pics of the actual skydiving experience but you can enjoy the pre-skydiving pics below!

 

White water rafting was also too much fun and I highly recommend doing it whenever California has rivers again!!  Side note: Do not wear flip flops, you will likely lose one or both of them when being thrown out of the raft by chasing rapids.  AND hopping on one leg because you didn't bring extra shoes and the ground is too hot is not fun!!  Another side note: Gripping your paddle for dear life will NOT keep you from being thrown from the raft.  Lessons learned the hard way for me!!!

 

 

Snorkeling is always a new adventure no matter how many times you have done it.  There are so many different sights to see lurking in the ocean.  But if you come across any sharks I was not the one who suggested this to you!!

If you have never been to a dinner detective show you should definitely do it soon.  It is a lot of laughs coupled with great food.  What could be better than that?

 

NOW, not all of the adventures I have done have been purchased through these sites.  I have had other mystical life changing experiences throughout the years that haven’t been a deal but are still worth experiencing and saving for.  I have been on a hiking, kayaking, zip lining experience in Hawaii, hiking and rock climbing in the Grand Canyon, para-sailing in Hawaii, snorkeling in Mexico, visited New York TWICE and more that my brain can't remember right now (my parents used to play catch with me when I was a baby so I've had brain damage for as along as I can't even remember)!!.  

HOWEVER, not everything on your bucket list has to be death defying.  I have plenty of items on my list that are actually responsible grown up activities (I am too a grown up!!!).  I have things such as buying a new car (finally did that), getting my Masters (about to start that), opening an IRA and receiving my social security benefits before they no longer exist!!  That’s the beauty of creating your own bucket list; it doesn't have to be like anyone else’s.  Do what YOU want to do and do it NOW!!!            

With that being said, I do of course have many more gravity defying adventures I want to do and you better know by now that I will be purchasing them through my godsend that is Groupon, Living Social or Travelzoo.  (I should really start getting commission from these sites right?)

            

Put Some Pleasure In Your Business

Are you naughty?  Do you like to have fun during inappropriate professional times?  If so, can we be friends?  I really like to have a good time no matter what I’m doing or where I’m going and this includes business or business-like trips.  Just because you have to travel somewhere for serious reasons doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun while there (that is if your boss isn’t breathing down your neck the whole time). 

I’ve had to take a lot of mini-trips to SoCal this last year for Grad school interviews, job interviews and apartment hunting (sometimes driving there and back in the same day).  But just because I’ve been going there for important life changing reasons and have had to drive from Sacramento to Los Angeles far too many times for not being a truck driver, doesn’t mean I haven’t made the most of it. 

When I went to Orange County for my CSU Fullerton interview back in April I asked my mom to join me and we made a mini trip out of it.  I found a deal on Living Social for a Pirate dinner adventure which included a 3 course meal and a Pirate adventure show.  So I bought the deal and we went down to LA the day before my interview.  We arrived to the hotel, got ready and drank Caribbean Mai Tais with some blimey pirates.  AND I was still fresh-faced and doe-eyed for my interview the next morning (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it)!!

The best part was this 3-course dinner adventure only cost me $66 total ($33 per person) when it’s regularly priced at $66 per person.  Plus I only paid $45 for the hotel (booked on Orbitz).  My total cost for the mini 2-day/1-night trip was $111.  If that price isn’t pleasurable then I don’t know what is!!

Then I just went to SoCal again to do some apartment hunting.  My friend Rachelle joined me and we made another mini-trip out of it.  Even though I wanted to make sure I spent most of my time finding my future castle (or a 25 square foot shack, whichever is available), I wanted to have some fun too.  We took a Friday off and drove down at the butt crack of dawn to search for my next humble abode.    Amidst the never ending apartment hunting we went wine tasting which included an appetizer ($11 per person) and to a dinner & drag show ($21 per person).  Total cost for these adventures was $32 per person whereas they are regularly priced at about $60 per person (both purchased on living social).  We got to taste some delicious wine and eat some fantastic food as well as witness life changing entertainment in the form of womanly-dressed men bouncing their body parts and lip synching to (and dressed as) Madonna, Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, etc.  What could possibly be better than that?  

The only thing better than twerking drag performers was all the good food we ate!!!!!  The appetizers at the wine bar were absolutely delicious.  The best charcuterie plate I have ever had, yummy chicken sliders and such mouthwatering BBQ pizza made my taste buds dance like happy hungry hippos.  The 3-course meal that was part of the drag-show dinner package was actually pretty tasty and was a lot more food than I had expected.  All in all a very entertaining weekend with lots of good food makes for a pleasurable while productive weekend!!