Clutter-Free Gift Suggestions for Holiday Shoppers

You'll see lots of articles with recommendations for "consumable" gifts — but how about some unusual consumable gifts, such as these postage stamps from Fresh Roasted Graphics? The company has a number of other stamp designs, too. [via Charles Apple]




Giving a gift to someone who knits? How about some handspun, hand-dyed yarn? You'll find lots of choices on Etsy; the yarn I'm showing here comes from The Naked Spinner. [via Charles Apple again, who recommends the yarn from London Nelson]




And while chocolates are one of the classic consumable gifts, I've never seen Chanukah-themed chocolates that are as stunning as those from Rogue Confections. Cool Mom Picks explains that "these are not foils — the designs are printed right onto the chocolate discs with gorgeous edible inks. This is one of two Chanukah choices; Christmas versions are available, too.




This final one is a bit of a cheat; while most children's art supplies are consumables, clay is less so. But I still like the idea of giving children items for creative, artistic play — and Mama K's aromatic play clay created with "subtle aromatherapy oils to soothe the mind" sounds intriguing. There are seven scents, including chamomile, bergamot and lemongrass. [via the Cool Mom Picks 2011 Holiday Gift Guide]

Want more clutter-free gift ideas? See all my gift-giving posts! And if you have some great clutter-free gift suggestions of your own, please add them in the comments.

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Simple Solutions to Holiday Gift-Giving Craziness

Idea #1: Minimize the Gift Giving

Want to give — and get — less stuff this holiday season? Miss Minimalist has a One Less Gift certificate you can use. However, even Miss Minimalist is not entirely opposed to gifts; for example, she suggests exchanging services, with "coupons" for babysitting, snow shoveling, etc. Another nice idea is this one:

Make charitable donations. The money we spend buying each other gadgets, knickknacks, and tchotchkes can do a world of good for those less fortunate. The key is to make it fun: spend an afternoon with loved ones choosing favorite charities together. Selecting a sheep, goat, or water buffalo to donate through Heifer International, for example, can be a lot more fun (and certainly more fulfilling) than fighting crowds at the mall.

Read her whole post for more ideas on ways to enjoy the holidays without going crazy on the gift-giving. [via The Consumerist]

And for more encouragement to minimize the gift-giving, watch this charming short video called Chip and Bean Buy Nothing.




Idea #2: Give Gifts that Won't Become Clutter

If you'd like to buy some gifts, and ensure they are still not clutter, there are a number of ways to go. If you know someone well, you may have a darn good idea what that person would love to get — and it might be a small thing that's somehow just perfect.



When I look around my home, I can see a number of such gifts that I've received over the years. Clo the Cow, the mascot of Clover Stornetta, is just one such gift — a perfect reminder of time spent in Sonoma County.

And then there are the standard non-cluttter gifts: gifts of consumables, gifts of experiences, and those gifts of charitable donations mentioned earlier. These still need to be picked with care — not everyone wants wine or chocolates, for example — but these are all gifts that won't add to the stuff lying around the house, at least not for long! Here are just a few suggestions:




1. Gift subscription to CoffeeCSA.org — or just a one-time delivery

Many of us are familiar with community-supported agriculture programs, where local farmers sell their produce direct to consumers. Most of us don't have a local coffee grower nearby, but this program provides the next best thing.

The site is not yet set up for gift subscriptions, but Thaleon Tremain, the CEO of CoffeeCSA.org, suggested this to me: "Subscribe to a CSA and then ship it another address, as a gift. If you would like to include a message, please email us directly and we will hand-write your message on a nice card."




2. Unusual seeds

This could be a fun gift for any gardeners you know. The seeds shown above come from the Italian company Franchi Sementi, which has distributors around the world. (This photo came from The Italian Gardener in Australia.) You could also give a gift certificate for such seeds.




3. Classes offered by local shops

LeeAnne Jones of Diablo Magazine wrote about classes offered in the East Bay (part of the San Francisco Bay Area). But lots of stores all over the place offer classes! The photo above comes from The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, which offers a class called A Year of Hats — and many other classes as well.

Related Posts:
All my non-clutter gift-giving ideas

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Non-Clutter Gifts You Can Buy Without Leaving Home

Photo by Gustavo Faraon, found on Flickr, licensed through Creative Commons

Today is both Black Friday and Buy Nothing Day. Those who have no intention of going near a mall today can still do some online holiday shopping if they don't choose to "buy nothing" — and they can get gifts that won't create clutter.

I've mentioned many such gifts in past years, and have now pulled them all out into a gift giving ideas label so you can find them all easily. (Kiva fans: Yes, I've mentioned Kiva in the past.) But, of course, I have some new ideas.




1. Give the gift of online backup.

I use CrashPlan, which has gift subscriptions, currently discounted.





2. Give a New York Times digital subscription.

The online version of the New York Times now has a paywall, limiting how much you can see for free. To get unlimited access, you need to subscribe — and gift subscriptions, which come with either a smartphone or a tablet app, are on sale right now, too.





3. Adopt a llama.

Most adopt-an-animal programs are benefits for zoos, conservation groups, etc. This one is different; it comes from Caroline at Llama-Rama in Somerset, in the U.K., who says: "The majority of my llamas have been re-homed from people who just cannot keep them any more. These are all conscientious owners who have had drastic life changes: death or divorce in the family, health problems, ageing, house moves and military deployment."

This is actually the gift of experience, as Caroline explains: "Unlike many other adopt an animal schemes, you will also get the chance to come and spend a session (by appointment) with your chosen animal. Helping to feed, groom getting to know them and perhaps even getting the chance to take one out for a walk."

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Donations to Good Causes

My family has more or less abandoned gift-giving. Dad said it's all goats for Africa this year. -- Ivor Tossell

Would your family and/or friends like to follow the same approach as Ivor's dad? Here are just a few of the many ways you can do that.

One such way is to participate in a zoo's adopt-an-animal program. Chester Zoo says it was "the first zoo to introduce animal adoptions" - and it's also one of the few that doesn't include a stuffed animal (or a similar type of item) in your adoption package. [photo from the Chester Zoo's photostream on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons]




The American Red Cross has all sorts of gifts in its catalog: hot meals, phone cards, cleanup kits, blankets, and much more.




You could give the gift of a tree, to be planted in a national forest that suffered from wildfires. [via Green Your Decor]




Or you could follow the recommendation of commenter Kate on Unclutterer, who suggested participating in one of the many buy-a-brick fundraisers done by schools, libraries, pet shelters, etc. The Warren Country Public Library Brick Paver Project and the Pet Save Buy a Brick program are just two examples; there might well be a similar project in your part of the world.

For more ideas, look at the posts listed below, from prior years. And yes, all you Kiva fans - Kiva is included in one of those prior posts.

Related Posts:
Christmas and Other Holidays: Donations as Gifts
Christmas and Other Holidays: Donations as Gifts, Part 2
Christmas and Other Holidays: Giving to a Good Cause

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Consumables for Kids

Consumables for kids? Sure - craft supplies, of all sorts! Here are a few ideas for some more unusual choices. Let's start with the luscious-looking products from Clementine Art: natural modeling dough, paint, markers and more. [via Ecosalon]




Another place with a wide range of products is Eco-Kids, where you get eco-dough, eco-paint, eco-sidewalk chalk, and more. The picture shows the eco-art pads; the sheets are "tree-free natural organic paper made from the discarded stalks of banana trees. The banana fibers give every sheet character."




Stockmar modeling beeswax comes to us from Germany, but is readily available elsewhere; A Toy Garden is one option.




You can also get modeling beeswax from Artemis Plantefarver Danmark ApS. Again, there are a number of places to buy this, including Rosie Hippo.




If you want something simple, you could get a box of Prang crayons, made from "a unique soybean oil formulation" - which means "100% renewable resources"; most crayons are made from paraffin wax, a petroleum derivative. The company claims the soybean oil makes the crayons "brighter and smoother." [via MetaEfficient]




And finally, let's take note of the various art kits from Eye Can Art. [via Cool Mom Picks]

Related Posts:
Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Consumables
Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Consumables, Part 2
Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Non-Clutter Gifts of All Sorts

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Non-Clutter Gifts of All Sorts

A few web sites this year have done a lovely job of providing gift ideas, so I'm going to point you to their lists for some holiday gift-giving inspiration.

1. Apartment Therapy: Meaningful Gifts for Grandparents (and others)

It may be too late to order some of these gifts if you wanted them for Christmas 2010 - but you could keep them in mind for the future, or just let the recipients know the gift will be delayed (if they are OK with that.) Ideas here range from custom portraits to gorgeous modern family trees to gifts of time and experiences.




2. SFGate: Extraordinary Consumables

This gift guide will point you to organic heirloom popcorn combined with Mediterranean sea salt enhanced with shaved Italian black truffles; interesting tea in gorgeous tins (combined with a yellow submarine tea infuser, if you like); soap-on-a-rope unlike any you've seen before; and a 2011 calendar with "seed-impregnated pages." The tea, shown above, is Damn Fine Tea from Andrews and Dunham.




3. Curiosity Atlas: Gifts of Experience

Know someone who would enjoy a class in canning, glass-blowing, or trapeeze and other circus arts? Know a kid who'd enjoy the classes at Rock Band Land? While these classes are offered in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can probably find some interesting out-of-the-ordinary classes where you live, too. [via Emily Wilska]




4. Why Did You Buy Me That? (What not to give!)

If you're considering a novelty gift such as fossilized dinosaur poop - or a Shakespeare tissue box cover, available here - this site should convince you to be cautious.

Other 2010 Christmas / Holiday gift idea posts:
Consumables
Consumables, Part 2
Books, Done Differently
Ideas for Those with Cars - and Those Without

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas for Those with Cars - and Those Without

Continuing the search for gifts that won't create clutter, let's look at some with a car (or local transportation) theme. My prepaid parking meter card is something I'm thankful for when I go to San Francisco - much easier than remembering to have quarters on hand. Other cities have these, too, including San Diego, New York, and Savannah, Georgia.




As The Thoughtful Consumer suggests, you could give someone - especially "a student with an unreliable car"- a membership in an auto club.




As my local detailer reminds me, you can get someone the gift of auto detailing.




On a similar note, you could give a car wash gift card.




For those who prefer public transportation, you can give gift cards for that, too - for cities such as San Francisco and Chicago - and Shanghai. [via sfgate.com]




And while that Shanghai card is also good for taxis, that's not how things work in many other places. However, you could get someone the gift of prepaid cab fare for San Francisco, Ithaca, Houston, etc. [also via sfgate.com]

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Books, Done Differently

If you're a reader and have friends who are, too, there's a good chance that books are a popular gift between you and those friends. If you know someone's taste, books can make wonderful gifts. And if you're not sure, you might consider bookstore gift cards, including ones from independent bookstores such as Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon and Octavia Books in New Orleans - and many more.

But here are some other ideas for book-related gift giving - in ways designed to ensure those books don't become clutter.




1. Just the Right Book

Experienced booksellers (and people who read a lot themselves) hand-pick books to send to your gift recipients, based on information you provide. And here's how Just the Right Book explains its guarantee: "If we get it wrong (unlikely, but not impossible), or if your gift recipient already has the book we send, we will gladly exchange the book for another selection at no cost to you or your recipient!"

The recipients can also provide feedback to help fine-tune the selection process. [via Springwise and Cool Mom Picks]




2. Bookswim gift membership

Bookswim is often called the Netflix of books; it provides book rentals. This might be perfect for someone who likes to read new releases, and would prefer not to wait in those long reservation lists at the library. [via Jamie Pearson, @TravelSavvyMom on Twitter]




3. A book PLUS an experience

This idea comes from Lisa Belkin at the New York Times, who writes: "For instance, give From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, then take a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and look for all the works mentioned in the book." Customize this for something local to you, and you have an interesting gift idea. [via Naomi Seldin, @SimplerLiving on Twitter]

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Consumables, Part 2

Looking for some unusual consumable gifts? Cookies might not seem unusual - but these are Cookies for Kids' Cancer, where "100% of the profit from your purchase will directly fund pediatric cancer research."




You could "adopt" a beehive and get raw honey and beeswax candles from that hive.




Know a crafter who works with fleece in some form - a felter, knitter, etc. - and who doesn't already have multiple years worth of supplies? You could adopt a sheep and get its fleece (raw or processed) - or, in some cases, pay extra to have the fleece turned into spun yarn. Some programs offer extras such as sheep milk soap or an invitation to the shearing party. Some of the farms offering adopt-a-sheep programs are Owens Farm in Pennsylvania, Quaker Hill Farm in Michigan, and Wise Guy Acres in Minnesota.




These Keep Calm and Carry On bandages (or plasters) are available from many online sources - just when I thought we'd exhausted the product possibilities from the old Keep Calm poster.

Other bandages you might like are the WTF bandages and the cat bandages.

For more consumable ideas, see my post from a few days ago.

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Christmas / Holiday Gift Ideas: Consumables

Since we're approaching the gift-giving season, it's time again for some suggestions of gifts that won't become clutter - and consumables are one type of product that, if well-chosen, certainly fits that description. Of course you can get wine or various food items - or soaps, candles and such if the recipient likes that type of thing - but here are some more unusual suggestions:

1. Artisan lip balms

You can even get someone a subscription to the "balm of the month." [via Springwise]




2. Floss

Accoutrements makes pickle-flavored floss, bacon-flavored floss, cupcake frosting-flavored floss, and more. Update on Nov. 24, 2011: I'm no longer seeing the pickle-flavored floss, but the bacon and cupcake options are still available - and others, too.




3. Coffee

OK, coffee isn't that unusual - but this particular coffee is somewhat different. As Springwise explains: "Texas-based Project7's coffees are all harvested from small, organic farms that are certified Fair Trade and USDA Organic. Sold through coffee-of-the-month subscriptions, each coffee blend is attached to a specific cause. Its French Roast coffee, for instance, is associated with its 'Heal the Sick' project, so that each canister sold translates into medicine provided for one person suffering from malaria."





4. Garbage bags

I've mentioned decorative garbage bags before. But now there's another company providing some new options: bin bags with Christmas pudding and pet goldfish designs.




5. Dog Poo Bags from Switzerland

OK, these are too expensive for anyone to buy for everyday use. But they certainly are a consumable that won't become clutter! They come in a box of 16 - two each of eight designs. (You may want to click the link above just to look at the other seven.) The Pink Monkey Company Ltd. is one place to buy them. Update on Nov. 24, 2011: I'm no longer seeing these at Pink Monkey, but you can get them here.

More suggestions from prior years:
Christmas and Other Holidays: Consumable Gifts
Christmas and Other Holidays: Consumable Gifts, Part 2

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