We have friends who live in New Zealand who are very dear to us. I met them while I was living in Tanzania in the late 90s and they’ve remained a big part of my life ever since. In 2005, we went to visit them after the wife was diagnosed with cancer – the only vacation we’ve ever financed, although it was on a zero percent interest credit card until we paid it off.
Anyway, I had been pondering Christmas present ideas. I hate sending fragile stuff overseas, because I’m afraid it won’t make it in one piece. And the baked goods that I make for so many of my local friends probably wouldn’t be in such good shape after a ten day trip either.
But last week I was perusing our library book store and came across a book called Africa Solo, about a man’s solo hitchhiking trip across Africa. Perfect. It was brand new, the spine had never been cracked open, and it looks like a great book (I have it on hold for myself now at the library). I bought it for 75 cents.
Then today, I made ten note cards using photos I had taken in the mountains near our home. The scenery is totally different from what they have in New Zealand, and the pictures are really beautiful. I had them printed with artsy “canvas” borders, which look great against the cardstock that I layered them on. I was thrilled with how they turned out.
I packed everything up in a padded mailer that I had saved when someone used it to cushion stuff inside a box they sent us. So that was free. All told, the book cost me 75 cents, the cards were $1.20 for the prints plus a couple dollars for cardstock and blank notecards (which I keep on hand anyway), and about an hour of my time. And the mailer was free. It will probably cost about $8 to mail it all to New Zealand. I really like what I came up with for them. The book is reminiscent of the times we spent together in Africa, and the cards show them a bit of our life here in the US (he’s never been to the US, she was here for visits a few times in the 80s, but neither of them have ever been to the mountains where we live). I feel great about their Christmas present, and all told, it’ll end up costing about $10. Sometimes you get more than you pay for.
Mrs. Micah says
That’s a lovely idea! I’m sure they’ll appreciate it a lot too.
Library booksale shelves can be a complete waste of time, a place to put useless material. But sometimes they’re a gold mine. :)
frugalwayofliving says
I agree with mrs. micah, that the library book sales usually are a waste of time, unless you get a little lucky and find that diamond in the rough. The best gift is something that comes from the heart and is put together by you and not something you buy for hundreds of dollars. Live Frugal and Be Happy is what I say! Great Story!