Comments on: Ideas for saving on wedding presents

By: jill

jill — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:49:52 +0000

I very rarely buy wedding gifts from the happy couple’s registry. One reason is that I buy gifts waaay ahead of time (like on after Christmas sales) and stash them. I have given a very nice “couples first Christmas ornament”, a guest book and a book or exhortation about hospitality in the home and (this one has been a favorite) a basket of goodies for the couple to eat when they arrive back from the honeymoon…since they often don’t have time to stock the fridge.

Jill mom of eight

By: castocreations

castocreations — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:42:08 +0000

We have a special savings account just for gift giving … of course it’s usually depleted because I love giving gifts. :)

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:34:44 +0000

For my nephews shower [not wedding gift] I put together a “dish” basket–lots of good dishwasher detergent, Jet dry, liquid dish soap, SOS pad, etc–several months worth and coupons for other brands in case the ones I picked didn’t work well in their dishwasher/water. I put it all in a laundry basket [since I knew they had a dish drainer] that was in their color scheme and “wrapped” the top with pretty dishtowels that matched their chosen kitchen colors. My sil did the same for laundry–laundry soap, softener, drier sheets, stain treaters, spray starch etc in a second clothes basket. Since my new niece had never kept house before [not even the dorm!] and had her hands full learning to run the house while finishing her degree, adjusting to marriage,etc, these gifts were really appreciated! It also helped with the first few months of their budget. Neither had ever had to buy groceries and stuff so this gave them a break-in period!
For the actual wedding gift I give cash. Stuff happens even on honeymoons that you need CASH for!!

FYI–I will think of you as we dine at the “Overlook” this Saturday! What’s the best dish there–I’ve never been there before!

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:46:03 +0000

When my aunt flies from Georgia to Pittsburgh bringing gifts on the plane, she wraps the bottom and top of the box separately. The lid can than be lifted off for inspection and she has one less thing to do after arrival.

By: beth

beth — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:17:27 +0000

I make quilts for all family members getting married, however if I can’t make a quilt I go to Things Remembered and buy a small photo album and have their names and date engraved on it. I spend about $20, and everybody is happy.

By: Janice

Janice — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:27:48 +0000

I’ve been giving Dave Ramsey books for weddings and Financial Peace Junior books for babies.

All the stuff I wish I’d known when I got married in 1980!

By: Sue Kerr

Sue Kerr — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:19:34 +0000

My dear friend married last June and we put together a huge basket of Pittsburgh themed “fun” items that she and her spouse could share — she’s from NYC but always jokes about moving to pgh. We included the Pittsburghese book of course, but two inexpensive Pirate tee shirts, two coffee mugs with Pittsburgh logos, a baseball cap (for him), a blanket (for her) and some Pittsburgh food stuffs that could survive the plane ride. They loved the personal touch. I shopped around for the items and then had the basket assembled. They received a ton of china, but I gave them mugs they could easily use every day and think of us!

By: Erin

Erin — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:40:15 +0000

This is slightly off-topic, but I notice in a lot of your recent posts you are poo-poo-ing the credit card in favor of the debit card. While I have a tendency to do the same, always remember that the credit card has a *lot* more consumer protection than the debit card! Once the debit card is used the money is gone, and very difficult to get back even if you find you’ve bought a defective product or were cheated, while with a credit card you can call the *card* company and get the charges back, and the card company will fight the seller for you. Definitely something to keep in mind, especially for online purchases, or products that may be a pain to deal with if they break, (or any large item repairs that might be defective…).

A lot of people think the debit card has the same protections, since it uses a Visa or MasterCard logo, but it does not. Something to watch out for.

Love reading and lurking. :)