I know there was a thread recently about graduation gifts for relatives but this is a different request. Our neighbor's son graduated HS today and they are good friends/neighbors of ours. However, right now due to circumstances, we are just not able to give the kind of gift we would love to give him. But we want to give him something. He is going off to college in the fall. Does anyone have any suggestions for a gift we could give that would like nice, but not cost too much? (I don't want to do a gift card, b/c the amount we could afford to give wouldn't look like much.)

TIA
Suzanne

__________________
Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

What about a t-shirt or a stein/mug for the college that he will be attending? Or something that he will need to go off to college...towels or something like that?

cj/

Hope this helps...I saw this the other day on THEDOLLARSTRETCHER.COM...I liked the laundry kit idea! ~Lisa

College Coupons - One of my favorite things to ever get in the mail, when I was in college, was a care package. Giving the graduate coupons for care packages can be a very frugal gift and one that they can enjoy throughout their first year in college. Coupons can be assembled with a self-addressed stamped envelope. I like to provide a menu of choices and let them write on the coupon what they would specifically like. I include simple family favorites that can easily be packaged and enjoyed by them. Cookies can be shipped to them in empty Pringles containers or in Christmas tins. Bar cookies are very good choices for your menu options because they hold up well in the shipping process. You can download a template on my website to fill in with your own menu choices. I mount these coupons on cardstock and tie them together with ribbon.


Gift Cards - Gift cards, while not the most inexpensive choice, are something that a broke graduate can truly appreciate. I love to give gift cards to their local supermarket so that they can stock up on food while they are at school. Other good choices for gift cards are the gas station, the local salon, the campus bookstore, local eateries, or the movie theatre.


Useful Gifts - Some of the things that come to mind are a backpack, an umbrella, alarm clock, a shower tote (filled with toiletries they might need), a small lamp, bed linens, towels and washcloths, school supplies, luggage, or zip drives and disks.


Food Kit - I assemble the food kits inside of a dish tub. I include a set of four place settings (plastic forks, knifes, spoons, bowls, and plates) and a sponge and dish soap for doing their dishes. I also put in any foods that I can find that can easily be prepared in their room. Just tie a bow on the outside. All of these items can be purchased at your local dollar store.


Laundry Kit - Just assemble everything in a laundry basket and tie a bow on the handles of the basket. Inside stick a roll of quarters, a mesh laundry bag, detergent, fabric softener sheets, and a fabric softener ball. You can put together a tutorial for them on how to treat stains and easy directions on how to do their laundry. Step-by-step instructions can be found by doing a quick search on the Internet. These can be assembled in a binder or laminated with a magnet to be put on their dorm fridge.


First Aid Kit - What graduate is actually going to remember to stock a first aid kit before they leave? Put together a container of items for their medicine cabinet so that they are prepared when they leave home. Fill it up with aspirin, band aids, stomach medications, ointments, cotton balls, tweezers, and sun block.


Journals and Address Books - Gifts for a graduate who is not planning on attending college or who will be attending a community college can be a challenge. For these graduates, an organizer or a journal can be a wonderful and thoughtful gift option. Address books, so that the graduate can record where all of their friends are going, are also very thoughtful. These can be purchased at your local dollar store or found at local card retailers.
The important thing is to offer a gift that they can actually use. I am disappointed when gifts I give are not used because, to me, it is like money going down the drain. Don't be afraid to ask your graduate what they are in need of so that your gift is actually used.

I like the laundry bag idea - what a neat one for a college-bound kid!
As for the address book/journal idea, it seems that most kids nowadays keep that kind of information electronically - so maybe a USB drive???

cj/

If I was short on cash and wanted to do something nice, I would go for a gift basket/box idea. You could do a snack pack for the college bound student with beef jerkey, chips, sodas, popcorn, candy, just about any junk or snack foods plus you can purchase with coupons. The laundry bag is an excellent idea and can also be purchased with coupons. Don't forget that Linen's n things and bed bath and beyond ALWAYS have 20% off coupons for purchasing the laundry bag. Have some fun with creating it and it will surely be appreciated.

__________________
Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt, and
Dance like you do when nobody's watching.

MyCoupons Is #1 for Holiday Shopping

Went to a graduation party yesterday and discovered that I am out of the loop on this subject. I brought what I thought was a really cool and somewhat generous gift only to discover that I was the only one who brought something other than an envelope. There was a basket to collect the cards in the middle of the food table and no place to put a gift. I had no idea that money was the only gift for HS graduations....I was kind of embarrassed. Learn something new everyday!

cj/

Money is not the only gift for high school graduations! There are tons of things that college bound students need and if someone has already purchased them then that is one less trip they have to make. I personally think the creative ideas are the better gifts because it means you put some extra thought into the gift. I'm not in anyway knocking giving cash because we all know they need that too.

I would not be embarrassed to be giving an actual gift. I actually work at a college and have attended 3 graduation parties this year where they were coming to my college. So I bought them stuff from the book store - t-shirts, lanyards, mugs - all with the school logo - something less that they feel they "need" to buy when they come buy their books.

__________________
I was born free, but now I'm expensive!

yeah...I was the same way..bought a gift and turns out everyone else gave envelopes.

__________________
Live, Love, Laugh

Well, I hope you didn't feel like the dope that I did! And I thought my basket was soooo darned cute and had so many useful items in it...and it got shoved under the table.