For Elderly – The Birthday One

Succulents

June 29, 2020June 29, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Him or HerLeave a comment

Why are succulents good gifts for him and her? Succulents are like flowers, but are not as colorful. However, it makes for a nice and simple decorative gift for the home or office. Most succulents are not like plants and do not need a lot of watering and sun, but they do need some minimal maintenance. There are a variety of texture, color, shapes, and sizes. If the Birthday One can take care of it well, it will last for many years too. There are also many positive symbolism associated with succulents. It is a good birthday gift for him, her, and elderly for the above reasons.

Where can you get succulents? There are succulents usually at the same places that sell flowers. I usually see succulents at the floral department of grocery stores. Amazon also sells succulents online. You can probably find them at the gardening sections at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s. The ones on this blog post have been seen at a garden nursery. Florists should have some, but it is better to call and check before going.

If you are on the budget, try to see if there are any seasonal sales or coupons available. Generally, most succulents are under $10. If you have some patience and time, you can buy the seeds and try to grow the succulents yourself. That would be a meaningful and memorable gift.

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Be cautionary about any allergies or health issues that the Birthday One may have.

Tea

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For Teens, Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

*Tazo Tea is one of the tea brands I enjoy. I like to share the different types of teabags (which are individually wrapped) as mini-gifts.*

Why are tea a good choice for Her, Him, Teens, and the Elderly? Tea makes wonderful gifts for the Birthday One whom you know enjoy drinking tea! There are a variety of teas – green and black, organic, decaffeinated, herbal, iced, fruit, etc. It makes a great drink for the Birthday One to get some caffeine or calm down after a long day, or just enjoy on a stress-free day. The packaging of most teas are nicely wrapped and its nice to grab a few and put it in a gift bag. It’s a simple and nice gift for anyone. If you know of a certain type of tea or brand the Birthday One likes, then it would be nice to get those for the birthday gift.

For ladies and gentlemen, it is great to have a variety or more beverage options for oneself and for guests in the kitchen cupboard. For teens, it can be somewhat useful for getting some caffeine while doing homework or studying. Teens may also like trying different types of tea. For the elderly, most elderly likes something hot for a beverage so they will most likely love it.

*One of my coworker/friend loves this tea so I get this for her birthday from the Asian supermarket.*

*This tea is from Lavande brand that I got from the farmer’s market. The tea leaves smells wonderful.*

Where can you get tea? Like many other food products the grocery or supermarkets have a variety of teas available. It is the easiest source to grab some teas. If you like to gift international teas for the Birthday One, try Asian markets like the Chinese or Indian/Pakistani supermarkets.

There are also special online sites that sell only tea. Some are specialty. Search google online for some Tea websites. Subscription services also provide different types of specialty tea. Here is a list of subscription tea brands. You may also find specialty tea at your local farmers’ market.

*This is a mini pack of teas my friend gave me for Christmas. I also like to do the same and give this as mini gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or a random surprise mini gift.*

If you are on a budget, you can check your kitchen or house to see what teas you may have. Grab a few individual wrapped teabags from some tea boxes, and you can make a cute little pack to give away as a birthday gift or other gift. Sometime grocery stores do have sales, so you can check for sales as well. You may also consider treating the Birthday One with a cup of tea at Starbucks or chai at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant.

*One of my coworkers gave me this tea. Quite fruity!*

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Be cautionary about any allergies or health issues that the Birthday One may have.

Coasters

June 1, 2020May 31, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For TeensLeave a comment

Why are coasters a good choice for Her, Him, Teens, and the Elderly? There are a variety of designs and types of coasters (ceramic/rubber/paper/marble/wood) available. There are coasters with brands, colleges, bands, states, interests, pets, countries or ones with witty sayings, or simple ones that are more for practical use. Overall, it makes for a useful gift for everyone as glasses and mugs are usually a norm in a home.

Where can you get coasters? You can find them everywhere – at your local Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, CVS, and Walmart to your local supermarkets. If you see something that looks nice or you think The Birthday One may like, you should grab it and give it to them when their birthday rolls around. While traveling, also keep an eye out for these as souvenirs and birthday gifts as local places have coasters with very local and unique feels.

At a Pinterest Expo, there was a course to make coasters.

If you are on a budget, you can make your own paper coasters with free designs from online or head to the craft stores where they sell blank coasters that you can design with paint/markers. The cutest ones I found at clearance prices were at Hallmark. I still recommend keeping an eye for coasters when you are just window shopping. If you find something you think The Birthday One would like, buy it and keep it with you until their birthday comes up. If you search for it, it may be difficult to get one you really like and you would also feel stressed if it is last minute.

Books

May 25, 2020May 25, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, for teenLeave a comment

Why are these gifts a good choice for Her, Him, Teens, and the Elderly? If the Birthday One is a reader, books make an amazing gift, especially if you read and recommend the book, or if you know it’s a book that the Birthday One wanted to get. Even if you don’t know which book the Birthday One would like, if they have mentioned an interest or hobby or a celebrity or character, you can follow that route to see which book to get.

If you know the Birthday One has a particular author, you can target books from the specific author an maybe opt for an autograph version if you can get your hands on it!

There is a variety of genres to choose from, fiction, nonfiction, mystery, thriller, self-help, historical, guidance, celebrity related, character related, children’s book, comic books, travel books, cookbooks – it’s limitless. If the book happens to be a series, the gift can be given each year until the series is complete – kind of no need to think about it, as long as they haven’t read the book.

What I love about books is that if it’s a good book, it often inspires the reader. I think there is always something every book can offer.

Where can you get books? Amazon and other online stores usually is the quickest place to get books. If you want to search for books in person, Barnes and Noble and Half Price Books is available, although there are also limited selection of books at Walmart, Walgreen, Target, CVS, and even some supermarkets as well! Hallmark also has some books as well. Malls have bookstores as well. There are also subscription services like Amazon that offer subscription monthly or annually, and also offer the book in online format or audio format.

If you are on a budget, try the dollar store! The dollar store, Half Price Books, garage sales and your own house/storage may have some books that you may want to give away as well. In the past, there are some big wholesale book events that Half Price Books and other book organizations where you can go and get books on clearance for a good price.

Chocolates

May 11, 2020May 10, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For Kids, For TeensLeave a comment

Why are these gifts a good choice for Him, Her, Teens, Kids and the Elderly? Chocolates make wonderful gifts! Tasty, decadent, and generally not an everyday snack, recipients usually enjoy and love this as a gift. If you like it simple, you can keep it simple with chocolates found at your everyday grocery store or convenient store like CVS and Walgreens. You can also find them at gas stations! If you like it with fancy packaging, this is also available from a variety of special chocolate shops like Godiva and Ghirardelli, and these shops also have online stores. Not to mention, the options are unlimited in the types of chocolates available: solid milk, with variety of nuts, with cookies, mint, with fruits, with caramel, dark chocolate with different types of percentage of cacao, etc. It’s a treat for a day that is supposed to be celebrate with sweetness and happiness.

However, keep in mind that there are people who aren’t into sweets and chocolates that much, so it is best to make sure the Birthday One would like the chocolates before purchasing and giving as gifts.

Where can you get chocolates? You can make it a simple chocolate bar purchased at your everyday grocery store or convenience store, or you can make it a fancier gift purchased from brand stores like Godiva and Lolli and Pops. There are also many local artisan and gourmet chocolate shoppes that offer different types of chocolate to be given as gifts. In Houston, Texas there is a specialty chocolate shop that makes its own chocolate call The Chocolate Bar.

If you are on a budget, a nice simple chocolate bar can be purchased at the local grocery or convenient store. Ferrero Rocher chocolate have great chocolate packaging and a easy grab and go gift too if it is in your price range. There are also Godiva and Lindt bars available at the stores as well. If you would like to save even more money, chocolate candies does tend to be on clearance after holidays. If you are able to find one with not an too apparent seasonal packaging (and hopefully not expired!), then it makes a nice gift as well. Sometimes grocery stores do run a special, and grabbing a bar of Hersheys here and Snickers there, Reeces Pieces, Kit Kat bar, and Nestle’s Crunch and wrap it up nicely with a birthday card, it makes for a nice birthday chocolate bundle!

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Be cautionary about any allergies that the Birthday One may have.

Birthday Cake

April 28, 2020April 26, 2020Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For Kids, For Oneself, For Teens, Real Birthday StoriesLeave a comment

Why are cakes a good choice for EVERYONE? Birthday Cakes are the *PRIMARY* traditional birthday gifts since forever! It’s a good way to celebrate and share with a group of people at a party too.

There are so many different types of cakes that it may be difficult to pick one that the Birthday One likes. It may be helpful to ask around to see what type of cake the Birthday One likes.

*A Hello Kitty Cake from Six Ping Bakery in Houston Chinatown*

Where can you get cakes? There are many local bakery shops that specialize in making cakes that you can probably find on Google or Yelp. Some Asian bakeries make the most cutest or gorgeous, and tasty cakes, but they are also very pricey.

If you are a good baker, you can also try making a cake. A Real Birthday Story example is when my good friend baked a chocolate banana cake for my birthday the last two years! It was so yummy and tasty. It was also a very sweet gift since it took her time to make it.

If you are on a budget, try grocery stores like Walmart, HEB, Kroger, etc. They usually have nicely designed cakes at an affordable price. Go for the ones that has the latest ‘good until’ date – those are usually the freshest.

If you are the Birthday One and are looking for some free cake, some restaurants and bakery stores offer a free piece of cake for dessert as birthday freebies for dining there or being a customer. Two notable ones are La Madeleine which offers a free pastry in the birthday month if you sign up for their app and Nothing Bundt Cakes which offers a free bundlet in the birthday month.

Another Real Birthday Story experience – My boss wanted to save money so instead of ordering cakes for employees on their birthday, he opted to get a birthday cake quarterly and all those with birthdays in that quarter would have their birthday celebrated. It’s quite a unique experience but I guess late cake is better than no cake.

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Be cautionary about any allergies or preferences that the Birthday One may have. Some may not want to eat cakes made with eggs or gluten. *

Roadside Emergency Kit / Auto Safety Kit

February 9, 2019January 27, 2019Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, for him or, for teenLeave a comment

Why are these a good choice for Her, Him, Elderly, and Teens? It’s a useful gift if the Birthday One drives. Cars are great for transportation, but cars also need regular vehicle maintenance. Some cars will still encounter issues even after regular vehicle maintenance. Car accidents can also happen. If no major life threatening issues, most would would want to get back on the road and onto the next destination.

Each auto safety kit has different items. Most would have booster cables, flashlights, small batteries for the flashlights, safety gloves, and first aid items. Some may also include umbrella and rain panchos.

For the Birthday One, the kit is not a flashy gift but it is nice and useful. If the vehicle breaks down or faces any issues that can be fixed with the auto safety kit, it may help save the Birthday One’s time and improve the situation. For example, at night time in a parking lot, if they have a booster cable, they can maybe ask a good samaritan or security guard to help out if they are around.

If you would like to make it personal, you can add some non-perishable food items like granola or energy bars, trailmix, dried fruits, road maps, a list of important contact numbers, etc. Note that the kit would be in the vehicle for a long period of time in extreme temperatures, high or low, so some food items may not be appropriate.

Where can you get roadside emergency kits or auto safety kits? You can easily find them at Walmart, Target, online on Amazon, AutoZone, and auto supply shops.

If you are on a budget, you can make your own roadside emergency kit/auto safety kit. Individual items can be purchased at the stores or online. You can pick up items at the dollar store or Five Below stores as well. Here are two websites to help make a kit: https://bugoutbagacademy.com/car-emergency-kit-must-haves/ and https://www.edmunds.com/how-to/how-to-create-your-own-roadside-emergency-kit.html

***Note of Caution: As with any other gifts, please make sure that the Birthday One read instructions on how to use the items properly in the roadside assistance kit or the auto safety kit. The use of jump cables can cause harm or body injury so if the auto safety kit does have one, make sure the Birthday One read the instructions on how to use it properly.

Pepper Spray (Mace) and other Self-Defense items

January 12, 2019January 26, 2019Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Teens, GeneralLeave a comment

It’s the start of the New Year, and I am back after a year long hiatus! Lets start the beginning of the year with a self-defense gift for the special birthday person(s).

Why are these gifts a good choice for Hers, Oneself, Teens and Elderly? These are not gifts that are particularly exciting, but it is something that is useful (when in difficult, life-threatening situations) and serves as good self-protection as last resort. Most recipients would be thankful for the thoughtful gift.

For females, teens, elderly, or oneself, it is scary to realize to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and may be a possible victim. These feelings creep up when walking alone in an empty parking lot at night or dark alleyway, in daylight at a park, at a crowded place, and quite possibly anywhere. There may even be no realization at all. Perhaps it was the only way to get to get to their destination, or maybe they weren’t aware of the possible dangers at the time. Whatever the reason, it is comforting to know that if they ever became a possible targeted victim (knock on wood), at least they may be able to somehow use the self-defense item to protect themselves and give them a chance to escape.

Where can you get Pepper Spray (Mace), and other Self-Defense items? Walmart, Target, Academy are a few good places to find pepper sprays and other self-defense items like personal alarms or sharp knuckles/pointed items. Not too sure whether these places carry stun guns, but their online websites show they do sell stun guns/tasers. There are also some places that specialize in carrying self-defense items online.

If you are on a budget, pepper sprays can be generally purchased for less than $10 at your local Walmart or Target stores or online on Amazon. It is possible that pepper sprays can also be homemade as well, but be sure to use protective gear when making. Check it out on the the Internet to see how.

If still on a budget, do something creative! Watch Youtube videos on Self-Defense moves, make a personal video with another friend and show to the Birthday One as a gift. They will enjoy and appreciate your efforts, and it may also trigger their memory if they are ever put in a difficult situation. Making a self-made book of self-defense moves drawing or even writing about self-defense moves will also do the same.

**NOTE OF CAUTION: Self-defense items and products can cause injury, harm, and even death to oneself or others if used incorrectly. If possible, do proper research to understand how to use the self-defense products before giving and using. Research on local laws or regulations relating to owning and using self-defense items may also be helpful. Understand carefully before purchasing, giving, or using self-defense items or products. Be sure to advise the gift recipient to also do the same. Give responsibly.

Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions (In Print, Online, or app) as birthday gift

February 24, 2017February 26, 2017Tagged For Elderly, For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For TeensLeave a comment

There is a saying that magazines and newspapers are slowly dying, and that may be true in the distant future, but they still exist now! There are many people who still like to physically have the magazine or newspaper in hand to read it properly. Others like to read it on Kindle, the Nook, other tablets, computer or labtop screens, or even cell phones. Whatever it is, if your Birthday One likes to read magazines and or newspaper, it is a good option to consider as there are usually deals, and there are many genres available. Some magazines offer subscription for only $12 annually or even lesser than that!

Why these gifts may be a good choice for everyone? If the Birthday One enjoys reading and likes a certain magazine/newspaper or genre, they would appreciate this gift. If it is an annual subscription, it is like getting a gift monthly in the mail!

For many, some magazines are fun to read like celebrity and gossip magazines. Guys may like to read about cars and technology. Gals may like to read about fitness and food. Newspapers are great for people who like to keep up with the news or build knowledge. It would be a great opportunity for teens and kids to learn and develop more knowledge and interest in different genres. The elderly would enjoy learning about new hobbies like gardening or news genre related to seniors. Pet owners would also enjoy pet related magazines.

How would you present the gift to the Birthday One? You can always print out the receipt and put it in an envelope with a greeting card, or write it down on a greeting card that you got them a subscription to the magazine/newspaper and to expect it in the mail, if you do not want to reveal the subscription purchase price. If it is an electronic print version, it is likely that an email from the magazine/newspaper would be sent to the recipient’s email address once you made the purchase, to inform them of the gift.

Where can you find magazine subscriptions? If you know a certain magazine or specific genre the Birthday One likes, you can visit the magazine or newspaper’s website and see what subscription offers they have. From time to time, Groupon and Livingsocial also have magazine and newspaper deals.

Zinio.com and Google Play Newstand offer magazines in electronic print versions online and in apps. Amazon.com also offers a magazine newstand online too.

-Do make sure it is only a one time purchase unless you want to give this gift to them for every birthday for the rest of their lives.

-If you get a print subscription to be mailed to the Birthday One’s resident, make sure you know their address, and they aren’t moving soon. If you mail it to your address, you will have to give them every time you get the mail (that would mean you are technically going to physically give them a gift every month you see them unless you live in the same place!).

-Magazines and newspapers may also build up, so it may not be a good idea to give to a Birthday One who is a hoarder.

If you are on a budget, there may be deals in emails if you sign up earlier with a particular magazine or newspaper, and you may see some offers on Groupon and Living Social sometime.

If you are really really on a budget, you can go around town and pick up free magazines and newspaper that the Birthday One would enjoy, package it nicely in a magazine divider and present it as a birthday gift. It shows your sincerity, and you got them a nice magazine divider they should appreciate if they like to read magazines and or newspapers. Some magazine dividers are pricey, but paper ones are generally $10 or less. The one below is only $4.99 before tax from Target.