Creative Ideas to Make Father’s Day Gifts More Special

This year, Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 19^th, 2011.  The holiday always falls on the third Sunday of June in the United States.  Thinking of a gift for your father can be hard sometimes.  You don’t want to get him a generic, boring present, or “the usual”.  If you don’t know the list of typical Father’s Day gifts, here it is:

• A “World’s Best Dad” coffee mug
• Ties
• Things for golf, or things that have to do with golf
• A restaurant gift card
• A picture frame with a picture of you and family members

Although these gifts can be appreciated by any father, they are mostly boring, not creative, and repetitive.  You should get more creative with the things you can get, or do, for him on this special holiday to show your appreciation.  Here is a list of some things that you can use as a base of your present, adding your own personal touches along the way:

• Instead of buying golf accessories, create a miniature golf course in your backyard.  It doesn’t have to be a perfect miniature golf course, but it will be fun for the whole family!  An economical person demonstrates on YouTube how to create one for under $10.
• Make him a feast with all his favorite foods and desserts
• Have a personalized hat made with his favorite team on it
• Put together a gift basket with beers, BBQ sauces, and seasonings for food
• You can get something with a personal engraving on it such as a lighter, business card holder, or a watch

These are just some of the things off the top of my head; you could get even more creative and do something amazing for him.  Fathers Day is a holiday to show your appreciation for your father.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money on the holiday, since you can show your appreciation for your father in so many ways.  So get creative and come up with something he will cherish!

Dannielle Kyrillos, editor-at-large of Daily Candy, discusses with Better TV a number of creative gift ideas that you can try as well!

Taylor P.

FacebookTwitterWordPress

— @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now

Do consumers spend more for moms on Mother’s Day than dads on Father’s Day?

Naturally, we love both our parents equally, but when it comes to their special days of recognition, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, who are we spending more on?  Whether it is time or money, do moms and dads get equal attention or does one beat out the other?  In one of my previous blogs, I wrote about the differences between the way we celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  Based on my research, I found that more time went into Mother’s Day, but does that also mean that more money was spent on mothers?  Many studies have been done to figure out the answers to these very questions.

In certain studies, many people gave testimonials based on how things work in their household.  For example, some said that they like to make Mother’s Day much more special because moms are the ones who have nurtured and cared for us since conception.  On the other hand, some argued that dads work just as hard to provide for the family.  To get to the bottom of this, these questions can be better answered by looking at the statistics.  In 2008, the projected consumer spending for Father’s Day was close to $9.9 billion, which happened to be $5.9 billion less than what we spent on our moms that year.  This year, consumers were expected to spend $16.3 billion on moms and did, in fact, surpass that expectation.  Will we surpass expectations and spend $11.1 billion on our dads this year?  We shall wait and see.

Joie Montoya

FacebookTwitterWordPress

— @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now

Differences in the Way We Celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

In America, it is customary to celebrate a special day for just mothers and another special day for just fathers.  Although we may not realize it, we celebrate the holidays in different ways.  There have been some studies focusing on the surprising differences between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  For example, with moms, things are more personable and family-oriented, while with dads, things are usually formal, business-like, and tend to focus on hobbies.

Mothers always have higher expectations than fathers, which is why we usually take the extra time to plan out a whole day for our moms.  For example, studies show that the kids usually plan to make Mom breakfast, do all the chores, give her a gift, take her out to go shopping, and end the day with a nice dinner.  Meanwhile, Dad’s kids tend to make him breakfast, give him stereotypically predictable gifts such as a new tie, watch, or golf clubs, and then let him relax on his day off before going back to work the next day.  Even though the extra effort is put in for our mothers, in a study conducted by Nicole Gilbert, a graduate student at the Department of Psychology and Education at Mount Holyoke College, mothers end up being more disappointed with their special day due to their high expectations.  In addition, a fight within the family or an argument between the kids could ruin the rest of the day.  In the end, I feel that, even though it is very important to show your parents how much you love them, it is even more important to show them that you love them not only on Mother’s Day or Father’s day, but every day of the year.

Joie Montoya

FacebookTwitterWordPress

— @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now

Gift Ideas for Under $10!

Have you ever sat down and tried to compile a list of gift ideas for under $10 for any occasion of the year, whether it’s Christmas, Mother’s Day, or Valentine’s Day?  BetterBudgeting.com author, Michelle Jones, has compiled a money-saving list that will help you save money during this down economy.

1. 

   Whether you need to buy a present for a birthday, graduation, or Christmas, here is a list of gift ideas under $10 for any occasion!

   Gourmet coffees with a personal coffee cup

2. Pound of pistachios
3. Child’s artwork, framed
4. Journal with special inscription inside
5. Teacup with box of herbal tea
6. Deck of cards and book of card game rules
7. Homemade cocoa mix in a pretty jar
8. Collage of special photos
9. Gel pens and pretty stationary
10. Bottle of sparkling cider
11. Home baked bread, include recipe
12. Disposable camera or rolls of film
13. Basket filled with deli cheese and fruit
14. Craft supplies
15. Holiday serving bowl or platter

Read all 63 of her money-saving gift ideas here.

Francis M. Unson

FacebookTwitterWordPress

— @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now