Alternative gift ideas

Okay, not giving or getting gifts may seem a bit extreme for some of you.  Here's a few great gift ideas that require no paper wrap and still can satisfy your need to spend your money.

Massage gift certificates...if you have to buy me something, I'd always take this one!
Movie tickets - going to the movies with all the trimmings is a small fortune these days.
Brunch/Dinner gift certificates to your peoples favorite places.
Introduction to some kind of class (you pay the course fees) that you know the receiver would enjoy.
E-books instead of paper books - Save the trees.
A bag of "green" goodies - canvas re-usable bags, lunch box, water bottle...you get the idea - be creative

In fact, be creative in general. Your thoughtful gifts will be remembered far longer than those last minute, "damn I hate shopping with the crowds, let me just get this" present.

Another very cool gift would be making a donation/loan/investment in your gift receiver's name.  It's called Microfinance and I'll copy a little blub I found:

Microfinance is a simple but powerful tool that enables the poor to pull themselves out of poverty. Most commonly, it involves making small loans to the working poor in developing countries. These loans are usually less than $200 and are made by local organizations called microfinance institutions. The loans are used by the working poor to establish or expand small businesses that generate additional income for the family. This extra income allows a poor family to buy food, access healthcare, educate their children, put aside savings and lay the foundation for a better future.


Microfinance has emerged as an effective poverty alleviation tool because it is based on the fundamental principle that human beings are motivated to do whatever it takes to make themselves as well off as possible.

Consider the story of Puja Patel, a single mother who lives with her four children in a village in India. With a $50 loan, she bought a sewing machine. She made clothes, sold them for a profit, and repaid the loan with interest. She was also able to save some money to buy books and send her children to the local school. This is microfinance in action.

New to MicroPlace?


For the world's working poor, a $100 loan is often all it takes to make the difference between running a successful small business and begging for a handout.

Dara Mon used her $100 loan to start a business making hats. She doesn't want your charity. She wants a loan that she can repay with interest and dignity.

Check them out at : https://www.microplace.com/learn_more/microfinance
to learn more.

This is an E-Bay owned company, so you can research it more.  If anyone gets involved I'd like to hear and share it :)