For Teens – Page 2 – The Birthday One

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.

Birthday Gift List

February 22, 2017February 24, 2017Tagged For Him, For Him or Her, For Kids, For Teens, GeneralLeave a comment

If you are not sure and or short on time, be honest and direct, and ask the Birthday One what they want for their birthday gift. Some Birthday Ones may be humble, and others don’t really care, but then you will not know until you ask. You can see whether the Birthday One wants to give a Birthday Gift List, and if they do, then you can try to see if you can work on getting a gift(s) from the list.

There shouldn’t be any guarantee or pressure on your part to give but you can also list some criteria like the items on the list should be under $10 (kind of like White Elephant or Secret Santa so maybe you can call this The Birthday One List). You can also say you would only pick one thing to give from the list to give. If they ignore your criteria, or if you do not set a criteria, and they put only Burberry items on the list, it does not mean you are obligated to give a gift on the list. However, there may also be some level of disappointment for the Birthday One if you do not. It is best to set criteria and set a low level of expectation for the Birthday One if you use this approach.

If you are able to get a list, it is also something you can pass to other friends if they are also figuring out what gifts to give to the Birthday One.

If you are not sure where to start, you can download this Simple Birthday Wish List Template (same as above pic) to start! Email it to the Birthday One and get their Birthday Wish List.

Why getting a Birthday Gift list may be a good choice for everyone? 1) You would know what items the Birthday One wants or need without racking your brain to get something that you are not sure they would 100% like. 2) If you get the list, you can also surprise them since you are not likely to get everything on the list. Always set expectations low, and if you decide to surprise them and get more than one gift, then they can be surprise when you give it to them.

However, I would recommend you use this Birthday List approach with only close family members and close friends only because getting this list from the Birthday One means there is some level of expectation set for something on the list. If you fail to get something the Birthday One wants on the list, close family members and close friends can forgive you, with others, you don’t really know (unless you want to test them, that is).

Where can you find the Birthday Gift List? You and the Birthday One have to sort it out. be direct and ask in person, on the phone, or by text. If you ask a few months in advance, it can also be more of a surprise since the Birthday One may likely forget about the Birthday list they gave you.

If you are on a budget, try to get the Birthday Gift List a few months in advance so you can check on sales and save for the purchase, especially around the holiday season.

Gift Cards for the Birthday One

February 20, 2017February 22, 2017Tagged For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For Kids, For Pets, For Teens, GeneralLeave a comment

I love Gift Cards, and I think when I give Gift Cards to the Birthday One(s), they also appreciate it a lot because of the gift card’s flexibility to make purchases based on their decision. Some people think Gift Cards are too impersonal, but on the contrary, it is very much personal since it’s something you know the Birthday One does like, would need, or would find useful, or it’s something a little luxurious that would make the Birthday One truly feel special.

Gift Cards comes in several categories as a Birthday Gift:

I.Something the Birthday One likes – It is a gift card to a place you are sure the Birthday One likes to spend money on or enjoy to spend money at. Most likely, you’ve seen them use their money there at that place or hear them talking about their purchases there. Food places are excellent choices to get gift cards at (Starbucks, Chick Fil A, Movie Theater, other Restaurants)

II.Something the Birthday One needs – It can be something the Birthday One may need like for example, maybe they have mentioned briefly they may need to get new tires ASAP, or they need a new car battery soon, or their labtop broke down, and they need to get it fixed by a technician. It could be something that stresses the Birthday One down, and or they are low on cash to get it.

III.Something the Birthday One finds useful– Something useful can be a Gift Card for Gasoline or a Visa Gift Card to be used on anything, a supermarket gift card, or a Walmart or Target gift card they can use to buy necessities. It may not be great, but when it comes time to use it, they will sure appreciate the extra help on payment.

IV.Something that the Birthday One finds Luxurious– The term luxurious can be different for different people. To me, it means it is not something the Birthday One would purchase regularly. In this case, you have to be careful that for some places, the Birthday One might have to fork out money to pay the balance, or they would be forced to give it to someone else. For example, if you give a gift card for Michael Kors, there are not many options that are under $15. This option should probably be only used if you know there’s something the Birthday One really want, or would like to purchase for the first time something at the store (in this case, your gift card would serve as some help to achieve their purchase.)

Why are these gifts a good choice for everyone? The decision on what purchases the Birthday One would get rests solely with the Birthday One. They can decide what they want, need, find useful, or get something to pamper themselves with. It’s in their hands and less headache on your part.

Where can you find gift cards? If you know the brick and mortar location of a store, it is the easiest to pick it up straight from the store. Otherwise, many many places have stands at their stores where a variety of store gift cards with different amounts are sold. To name a few, Walgreens, CVS, supermarkets, Target, and Walmart have these stands.If you choose to get gift cards , please do check that the code on the back of the gift card is not scratched off. There had been some issues years back where thieves target gift cards and steal whatever amount that was paid on the gift card because they had access to the gift card numbers and code on back.

If the store has a website online, they may be able to send the gift certificate straight to the Birthday One’s recipient email address. Some may offer to send it by snail mail. If you choose to p, you can either send it directly to the Birthday One’s recipient home address or to yourself so that you can have with you to give to the Birthday One in person.

If you are on a budget, decide what amount you can afford first before you buy a gift card. A simple $5 gift card is also very nice already. It is really the thought that counts if you decide to give something to the Birthday One. If possible, try to save some money each month to help with the gift card purchase. A few places offer a discount on a gift cards (for example, if it is $20, some places offer 10% off so it would a little cheaper to purchase).

College Sports Memorabilia or Collectible Gifts

February 18, 2017February 19, 2017Tagged For Her, For Him, For Him or Her, For Kids, For TeensLeave a comment

If the Birthday One is a fan of college sports or an alumni of a certain college, college sports memorabilia or collectibles would be a good choice. If the Birthday One has been seen in public with college sports memorabilia, then it pretty much means they are proud of whatever college team they are rooting for.

Now, when I say college memorabilia, I am not talking about expensive items with autographs by actual players but items that have the college sport team on it like mugs, or glasses, pennants, stickers, can holders, caps, tshirts, water bottle, and gym bags. Some places may even have baby clothes, umbrella, scarves, belts, cell phone cases, ice boxes, lunch boxes, etc. etc.It’s a variety of stuff out there – just have to go and check it out!

Why are these gifts a good choice for Him, Her, Teens, and Kids? There is so much variety of products out there that it’s not hard to find something to give to him, her, a teen, or a kid. Some things are useful and decently priced – I’ve seen umbrellas, lunch bags, cups, mugs. Some things are purely just collectibles or decorative – like pens, pencils, stickers, key chains. Some things are fashionable – I’ve seen scarves, tshirts, caps/hats, jerseys. Whatever it is, if the Birthday One is a college sports fan, then they would surely appreciate the gift.

Where can you find college memorabilia or collectibles? Target and Walmart should have some items. Academy definitely would have something. Hallmark has a few items as well. Some supermarkets also stock up on college sports collectibles If you want something a little bit special, do some search and find something unique online that can’t be found at stores.

If you are on a budget, college memorabilia does not need to be expensive. After the season is over, there are often clearances if you check at the stores. I like to visit Academy as sometimes there are some very nice college sport items that would be an awesome addition for the Birthday One. You may also get a few things together like a mug and some sticker decals and call it a day too. There’s just a lot of variety to choose from. If you can get the gift when it is on clearance, you may be able to save money and get something really nice with the college sports team the Birthday One roots for.

This is a seat cushion. It’s pretty unique, isn’t it? You can probably get it for someone against the team as well! They can sit on that team everyday! LOL