Gift Ideas for Him and Her Under $50

December 1, 2019November 30, 2019by Ingrid27 Comments

The holiday season is once again upon us and shopping for gifts is in full swing. I think I’m one of those rare people who enjoys the whole holiday shopping frenzy. It doesn’t matter if I’m strolling through stores or scrolling on the internet, I enjoy the Christmas gift shopping process.

Snow Mountain Ranch, renting a winter cabin in Colorado, #cabininthewoods — Are you in the holiday spirit? I am! When our children were young, this is where we used to spend Christmas – Granby, Colorado

This year, our small family has decided to keep Christmas gift-giving simple and stay within a budget-friendly range. As I was jotting down ideas and switching from my recipe search to gift idea search on the internet, I thought I’d share some products that I came across which I believe would make great gifts for him or her. Maybe you’ll find this post helpful with your own quest for the perfect holiday gift. (This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The cost is the same. I appreciate your support.)

Gift Ideas for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Whether I’m RVing in our 5th wheel with my husband or embarking on one of my crazy camping adventures with my daughter, there’s some equipment that I feel are an absolute must-have for any outdoor enthusiast. At the top of that list are a headlamp and flashlights. Tripping over a tree root in the dark is no fun … at least that’s what I’ve heard😉 And flashlights and headlamps make great stocking stuffers or box fillers.

A great gift idea for anyone, whether you RV or not, is an Emergency Weather Radio . You never know when a life-threatening storm will head our way. Weather conditions are definitely something we want to be kept up to date on and we can’t count on a Cell phone or WiFi signal working during those severe weather conditions. Another must-have and great gift idea for anyone is a multi-tool. My husband uses his regularly, and we gave both of our adult children one a few years ago for Christmas. My daughter used her multi-tool during our Zion camping trip … and maybe we used a few things from our first aid/survival kit as well, but I’ll never tell.

Gifts for enjoying the outdoors in comfort.

With the necessary stuff out of the way, let’s talk about some fun stuff. Although, these are still necessary in my book. I’d be lost without my outdoor camping chair and throw blanket … gotta be comfy watching those sunsets during happy hour. We use and abuse our canvas chairs and end up replacing them every couple of years or so. Do you have a sports fan who loves tailgating? These chairs are perfect for camping, tailgating, and going to the beach.

And let’s not forget about quenching our thirst. I love these adventure enamel camping mugs for my morning coffee or campfire hot cocoa, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the stainless steel tumblers that are perfect for cold or hot beverages. Wine, anyone? These make the best wine glasses! But my most treasured beverage container is the large travel bottle that I take everywhere with me filled with hydrating water. When ya live in the desert half the year like I do (Phoenix, Arizona), staying hydrated is important.

Living in a tiny home like an RV where space is limited, storage is always an issue. It’s not like we have extra space to store multiple coolers. I found this collapsible cooler bag last year and absolutely love it. It came in super handy on Thanksgiving Day when we visited some fellow RVers and needed to bring/transport cold beer and deviled eggs.🦃🍺🌵

The cooler bag is also perfect for taking to the beach as are these versatile Turkish Bath and Beach Towels. Since these towels fold up small and dry fast, they are perfect for any traveler wanting to take their own towel along. Speaking of traveling, when my daughter and I visited Disneyland and she engaged in the Play Disney App, the app used up quite a bit of her phone battery. Fortunately, she had one of these External Cell Phone Battery packs to recharge her phone. Guess who put one of these on her Christmas list?

Gift ideas for air travelers

My son and his wife enjoy cruise ship vacations which usually require air travel and a little more forethought when it comes to packing. Here are some gift ideas I’ve gathered with them in mind.

Last-minute gift ideas

Ok, let’s face it, there are some people that are more challenging to shop for than others. When all else fails, I turn to food. Ah, but it’s a good idea to know the gift recipient’s tastes, dislikes, and potential food allergies.

Happy shopping!

Do you enjoy holiday shopping? Have you finished your shopping list?

Ingrid's Corner

30 Gift Ideas under $50

November 18, 2018November 18, 2018by Ingrid20 Comments

Yesterday morning, I was sitting in my chair with my computer on my lap perusing Pinterest for recipe ideas when I happen to glance at the calendar hanging on the wall next to me …. the high-pitched screech that escaped my mouth had Al jumping up the steps into the RV from outside to see what the heck happened. “Do you realize Christmas is less than six weeks away?” I exclaimed. In an annoyed tone, Al responded “Yeah, what about it?”

Sure, he can be all calm about the matter. He’s not the one doing the shopping. I don’t know why the date didn’t register with me sooner. After all, the time and date are clearly visible at the bottom right side of my computer. I guess, there’s something about staring at an old-fashioned wall calendar that made the date resonate with me.

San Xavier Mission Tucson Arizona

For most of my adult life, I’ve always been one of those people who shops for Christmas early, and it wasn’t unusual for me to have my shopping complete by Thanksgiving. Yeah, how annoying! But that all changed when we moved into the RV and space became an issue. Therefore, shopping for gifts, whether it be for Christmas, a birthday, or other occasion, would need to wait until the gift giving time was near.

Fortunately, our small family has decided to keep Christmas gift giving simple this year and stay within a budget friendly range. As I was jotting down ideas and switching from my recipe search to gift idea search on the internet, I thought I’d share some of the products I was considering for my family members. Maybe you’ll find this list helpful with your own search for the perfect gift. Please note, this post contains affiliate links.

Gift ideas for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Whether I’m RVing in our 5th wheel with my husband or embarking on one of my crazy camping adventures with my daughter, there’s some equipment that I feel are an absolute must have and a headlamp / head torch is at the top of that list. Tripping over a tree root in the dark is no fun … at least that’s what I hear 😉 and of course, a supply of flashlights are equally important. Flashlights and headlamps make great stocking stuffers or box fillers.

Another important piece of gear is an Emergency Self Powered AM/FM Solar Weather Radio. This is actually a great gift idea for anyone. You never know when a life threatening storm will head your way and you’ll want to be kept up to date. You can’t always count on a cell phone or WiFi signal working during severe weather conditions.

Another great gift idea for anyone is a Multi-tool. My husband uses his regularly, and we gave the kids each one last year for Christmas. My daughter used hers during our Zion camping trip.

On a more fun note, I’d be lost without my comfortable outdoor camping chair and blanket throw … gotta be comfy watching those sunsets during happy hour. We use and abuse our canvas chairs and end up replacing them every couple of years or so. Got a sports fan who loves tailgating? These chairs are perfect!

And let’s not forget about quenching our thirst. I’m considering one of these coolers for my daughter. Hmm, I can’t decide …
Soft-Sided Collapsible Cooler Tote Bag or the Picnic Backpack with Cooler Compartment?

Gift ideas for those that Travel by Air

My son and his wife love their cruise ship vacations which requires air travel and a little more forethought when it comes to packing. Here are some gift ideas I’ve gathered with them in mind.

*** Noise Cancelling Headphones
*** Floating Waterproof Phone Case
*** Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Messenger Bag Purse
*** Neck Pillow Airplane Travel Kit with Sleep Mask and Earplugs
*** Jewelry Travel Case & Accessory Holder Organizer
*** Cable bag – keep cables and chargers organized
*** Travel Hanging Toiletry Bag
*** Luggage Tags

And More Gift Ideas Under $50

It has been fun researching gift ideas, and although the following items may not be serious contenders for my family this year, I thought I’d list these items for possible gift ideas for next year. My memory doesn’t work like it used to. So, I’ll actually use my own post as a brain jogger.

Perhaps one of these items will be perfect for the people on your list.

*** Solar Charger – Backup Battery Phone Charger with Carabiner and Compass
*** Emergency Paracord Bracelets
*** Car Trunk Organizer – Adjustable Compartments
*** Sling Backpack with Multiple Compartments and Headphone Cord Access

*** Leather Journal for travelers, business sketching and writing
*** Camera Shoulder Neck Strap, Fabric Satin Scarf Strap
*** Portable Speaker
*** Outdoor Emergency survival Tool Kit
*** Camping Hammock
*** Stainless Steel Tumblers – Customized With Cute Sayings

Books make great gifts!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a few books on my gift giving list idea. I love books … real books. Sure a Kindle comes in handy when storage is an issue, but there’s something about holding a real book in my hands that can’t be replaced by an electronic device, especially cookbooks. My weakness!

I recently purchased The Sprinkles Baking Book . It’ll be a joint gift for my daughter and myself. Yes, I’m one of those who buys gifts for herself, wraps them, and then thanks hubby Christmas morning for getting me exactly what I wanted. “Awe, thank you honey. However did you know?” lol

Books on cooking or travel can serve as inspiration and make for a wonderful gift. Plus, they’re budget friendly and easy to wrap. I’ve never figured out how to wrap a book on Kindle 🤔🤣😉

When you don’t know what to get them!

When all else fails and you’re at a total loss about what kind of gift to buy, a Gourmet Food Gift Basket filled with tasty treats will usually work for just about anyone. I know it works for me!

So, there ya have it, 30 gifts under $50. I think I’m ready to tackle my holiday shopping list and I’m a lot less stressed about it now than I was yesterday. How about you? Have you started shopping for the holidays yet?

Ingrid's Corner

Holiday Shopping Ideas

November 26, 2017December 11, 2017by Ingrid42 Comments

Tis the season!

The holiday decorations are in full twinkle mode and they’ve put me in the holiday spirit, and that means it’s time to go shopping. When Black Friday rolled around, my daughter and I entered our first store before 8:00 a.m. … with coffee in hand, of course.

Gambels Quail

Our lists were short, and although we didn’t need to brave the masses on Black Friday, it’s kind of our mother – daughter tradition. I don’t enjoy shopping as much as I once did, but I still love strolling the stores around the holiday season, especially with my daughter.

Chili Chocolate Festival Desert Botanical Garden — Ashton buys some locally grown honey at the Chili and Chocolate Festival at the Desert Botanical Garden

However, we did start our shopping a couple of weeks before Black Friday when we visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. The garden was hosting a Chili and Chocolate Festival which was too intriguing to miss. Nothing like shopping with a glass of wine in hand while chocolate samples are being passed out. Oh yum! Note to self to attend next years event. Is there such a thing as too much chocolate? I think not!

Shop till you drop — Don’t shop till you drop!

All those extra calories were easily burned off on our Black Friday shopping excursion when Ashton and I walked over 6 miles and 13,000 steps. Between all those steps, we managed to squeeze in a tasty meal at the Yard House and eventually checked off most of the items on our lists.

We had a fun day and didn’t think the crowds here in Phoenix were too overwhelming. We’ve experienced a lot worse during earlier years while shopping near Denver on Black Friday. Hmm, wonder if more folks are choosing to shop online.

I do have a few more gifts to buy, but I too intend to make those purchases online. Yep, Black Friday was fun, but I’ll let my fingers do the walking while fulfilling the rest of my Christmas list. After all, I don’t intend to shop till I drop! Although, after cyber Monday, I may experience signs of carpal tunnel 😆

Have you started shopping yet? Do you need some help with ideas? I’ve put together a list of some of our favorite items. Please note, these are affiliate links.

Desert Botanical Garden Phoenix — This photo was taken mid November in Phoenix. Flowers bloom year round in the desert.

Camera Gear

Okay, for those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you know how much I love photography, but I have a hard time calling myself a photographer and refer to myself as a snap-shooter. Sure there are times I pull out the tripod and really focus on composition and camera settings, but that’s not the norm for me. Most of the time, I hand hold the camera, set it to auto or program, and snap away. I do have a ton of fun doing so and don’t take my photography too seriously. With that in mind, here are a few of my recommendations. Note – I do have an entire page dedicated to my camera gear.

If you want to take your photography up a notch but don’t want to be bothered with changing camera lenses, this Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ300K might be the perfect fit for you. I shoot with an earlier model and absolutely love my camera. My latest edition is a PANASONIC LUMIX DC-ZS70K. This is a powerhouse of a camera in a little package. All of my photos shared on this post were taken with the PANASONIC LUMIX DC-ZS70K

I do travel with a couple of inexpensive tripods – VANGUARD Tripod and JOBY GorillaPod

I love gear bags. Thank goodness I don’t have extra storage space. When we moved into the RV full-time my handbag/purse addiction got purged along with everything else 😲 But gotta have someplace to put the camera gear and keep it protected. Ah, so many cute camera bags these days.

In the Kitchen

We don’t go out to eat very often, much preferring to eat at home. However, having a small kitchen can present a few obstacles, one of which is storage. Thus, I’ve had to pick my priorities as to items I can’t live without …. BUT … there are items we can live without, but oh so fun to have.

RV Related Gift Ideas …

And more gift ideas ….

Hope I’ve given you some gift ideas whether it be for a loved one or yourself. I know there’s a couple of items on this list that I’ll be ordering.

I’ve tried to add these links to pop up in a new tab, but not all cooperated 🤔 If you get taken away from my site, hit your back arrow to return.

Happy shopping and just a reminder,

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wish me luck on cyber Monday ….

Salt River Arizona — My search for fall colors continues – not much luck for me this year.

Tag: gift ideas

Gift Ideas for Him and Her Under $50

Gift Ideas for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Gifts for enjoying the outdoors in comfort.

Gift ideas for air travelers