Practical or Frivolous? How to Know Which Gift to Buy photo courtesy of voxefx

Gifts generally fall into one of two categories: practical or frivolous. Practical gifts are things that are needed for every day life. The gifts that fall into this category are small appliances, bath towels and socks. Then there are gifts that would be considered frivolous by most of us. These include fancy candles, decadent treats and unnecessary gadgets. Trying to decide which way to go with a gift you need to purchase? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Is this a Romantic Occasion?

Anniversaries, your significant other’s birthday, and Valentine’s Day typically require gifts that fall into the frivolous side. In fact, to some people, buying a practical gift for a romantic holiday can be insulting. Things like roach spray, a vacuum, or a gift certificate for a car wash are probably not the best way to go.

Does this Person Have Any Big Needs?

Consider the needs of the person for which you are shopping. When the person you are buying for is low on funds, making a big life change, or facing an uphill battle, it is probably best to get them something incredibly useful. If you know they are struggling financially, buying a frivolous gift may not be received well. Instead, get them a gift card to a place you know they’ll enjoy. Avoid the $10 gourmet cupcakes or membership to the cheese of the month club. Instead get them something more useful.

Is There a Gift Registry?

Most brides, grooms and soon-to-be parents will tell you that getting gifts that aren’t on the registry is a little frustrating. It’s a time in their lives when so many things are demanding their money. So getting a gift that is not on the wedding or baby registry can be annoying. Since the person took the time to make a list of what they want and need it may be best just to go ahead and take the practical route by buying a gift off of the registry.

What Would Your Loved One Prefer?

Chances are, you know your loved one best. You know whether they would prefer a gift with more usefulness or a gift that is more lavish. Gifts are ultimately about the person you are giving them to, not yourself. So try to think about what they would truly prefer.

Go Green with Your Gift-Giving (photo courtesy of bindarri)

Earth Day is coming up which means many of us are thinking about how to be more eco-friendly and reduce our carbon footprint. You may think going green requires big, bold steps like installing solar panels on your roof or trading in your car for a bike. But there are so many small, simple ways you can go green– including with your gift giving! Here are ways to make your gift giving more green.

Buy Local

Shopping local not only benefits your community’s economy more than shopping in big chains, but it also can be more eco-friendly, especially if you’re buying locally made products. The further a product has to be shipped, the more impact it has on the environment. Look for American-made products or handmade items created by local artists. Chances are these will be more green.

Shop for More

Rather than head out on a shopping trip every time you need a gift, try to buy multiple gifts during the same trip. You’ll save money on gas and you’ll pollute less by limiting your travel time. And while you’re out, make sure you bring along your own shopping bags so you don’t have to use one from the store.

Use Alternative Wrapping

When giving a green gift it’s important to consider the gift wrap. Try recycling and reusing items like newsprint, fabric or gift bags. Wrapping a gift can create a lot of unnecessary waste.

Encourage Green Living

Try to encourage others to live a more green lifestyle through the gifts you give them. Find items like travel coffee mugs, products made from bamboo or solar powered gadgets. Not only will your gift be green, but you’ll be influencing others to make small changes, too.

Consider the Gift

Is your gift made from recycled or sustainable materials? Does your gift include excessive packaging or is it made from any dangerous chemicals? Consider the gift you’re giving and make sure it’s as green as possible. This is a great way to celebrate Earth Day beyond just one day in April.

Send Your Little One Back to School With the Right Backpack. photo courtesy of Tony Crider

Those three dreaded words are starting to pop up– back to school. With summer on the downhill slope, it’s time to start thinking about getting your little ones ready to hit the books once again. That includes giving them a great backpack for carrying around all that reading material. Wondering where to find a backpack that fits your child’s personality and your budget? Here are some cool backpacks that will help them get to the head of the class.

Skaters

For the skater in your family, head to CCS.com for some cool backpacks. Plus if your purchase is over $50 you can snag free shipping until August 6 with coupon code IPCC9L69 at checkout. They’ve got 60 different styles and colors to choose from.

Earth-Lover

If your child wants to be more green, go for The Reactor Solar Backpack. It comes with a solar panel that can be used to charge gadgets like cell phones without using any electricity. Another option is a European-style hemp backpack from rawganique.com.

Style Maven

For children interested more in fashion than function, check out the Bellino Luciano Backpack from ebags.com. It’s a cotton twill backpack with leather details that will give your student a grown-up accessory for lugging supplies. And because it’s $75 you don’t have to pay for shipping.

Sporty Kid

Check out this REI Stoke 19 Pack for kids who enjoy the outdoors. Not only can they stuff it with books, but on the weekends they can store supplies for day hikes.

Music Fan

Warning, this backpack may not be popular with teachers. It comes with two stereo speakers and a mini plug for attaching a CD player or mp3 player.

Little Ones

For the little ones in your house give them a backpack any kid would love. At Chocolatecakeclub.com there are several animals to choose from including a moose, dog and leopard. The best part is the backpack comes with an attachable handle with wheels so they can pull it along instead of having to carry heavy books.

Personalized

For those of you who would like to personalize their kid’s backpack, a good choice is the Personalized Butterfly Backpack for Girls or the Boys Personalized Sports Backpack, both from personalizationmall.com

Are you Thankful for What You Have? photo courtesy of andrewarchy

Chances are if you’re reading 1HappyCorner.com you like to shop. You enjoy giving the perfect gift to your loved ones and, from time to time, you enjoy treating yourself to the perfect gift, too. But making sure we can still be passionate about shopping while feeling thankful for what we have can be tricky. Even though Thanksgiving is five months away, here are some ways to keep that quest for bigger and better things from letting you forget how blessed you are.

Stop Comparing Yourself

If you find yourself shopping right after you notice the neighbors have new patio furniture or your sibling saunters around in a new designer outfit, then you may be comparing yourself with others. Shopping should be a fun search for lovely things that you need or that make you happy. But if you’re simply buying in order to keep up with the Jones’, then ask yourself why you’re feeling the need to impress others with your purchases.

Rethink About What You Have

Always feel like someone else has it better than you? Consider the fact that one billion people in the world don’t have clean drinking water. Just enjoying that cool glass of water or that long hot shower should make you feel thankful. Rethink about what you have. Your surplus may be what someone else needs to survive.

Find Some Suffering

A great way to get your priorities straight and truly be grateful for what you have is to find some suffering and do something about it. Maybe you can start shopping for supplies for a local homeless shelter or help an unemployed mom get an outfit for a job interview. There are plenty of ways you can put your passion for shopping to good use.

See What Others are Doing

Need some inspiration to help you realize just how much you have? Check out The Junky Car Club, run by a man who exchanged his nice car for a beater so he could give to more causes or The Uniform Project started by a woman who’s wearing the same dress for 365 days to raise money for school children in the slums of India.

Give It Away

Giving  your treasured belongings away may seem scary. After all, they’re yours and you bought them for a reason. But if you can give a few things away to someone who might need them even more than you do, you’ll prove that you own your stuff, and that your stuff doesn’t own you.

Gift Shopping at the Grocery Store? photo courtesy of ralphbijker

In our super busy lives full of family and work obligations, sometimes the inevitable happens– we forget a special event. Whether it be a birthday, baby shower, house warming or anniversary celebration there is no need to panic. Thoughtful, special, and affordable gifts are as close as your neighborhood grocery store. Here are a few options for finding last-minute gifts at the grocery store.
Flowers

Grocery store flowers can be just as pretty as the ones at the fancy florist. Pick up a few bunches of flowers. You can even ask if they’ll combine them and wrap them in coordinating tissue paper. Use the complimentary flower cards to write a sweet message about how you hope the flowers will brighten their special day or their new home– whatever the occasion may be.

Beauty Products

Put together a little gift bag full of bath time favorites. Try to steer clear of the more utilitarian products (like, say, Irish Spring or Dial) and find slightly higher end grocery store products. Grab some nail files, polish and a bath puff to complete the package.

Go Ethnic

Put together an ethnic-themed gift. Grab a strainer and throw in some pasta, sauce and a loaf of fresh bread for an Italian-themed present. Or do something similar with Mexican food essentials like tortillas, cheese, and salsa.

Sweets

Everybody loves sweets! Fill a baking pan with treat-making essentials like sprinkles, frosting, and cookie cutters.

Think Organic

The organic craze is everywhere these days. Just about every grocery store sells reusable grocery store bags. Fill one of these with organic and earth-friendly food. Your store likely has a special aisle stocked especially with these items.

Coffee

And who doesn’t love coffee? You don’t have to go to a pricey coffee shop to get some good beans. Peruse the coffee aisle for a nice roast, throw in a coffee mug and maybe even some coffee flavoring and you’ve got a great little present thanks to your neighborhood grocery store!

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If you have any other ideas, please let us know. Leave a message!

If you write for any specific amount of time – whether it’s for a few hours or an entire day – you know that long-term sitting is not good. Being trapped in your chair does nothing for your circulation not too mention your butt. Sure, you can get up to stretch or you can take a break and go for a run or even go to the gym, but the fact remains that eventually you will return to your seat and once again take on the attributes of a large pear.

Sit. Peddle. Get healthy! photo courtesy of www.HealthHaven.com

I have wrangled with this dilemma for years with limited success. But I think I came across a good solution: The Healthhaven.com Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike.

This motorized mini-bike is just what it sounds like: a small peddling platform that conveniently sits under your desk or if you’re on the couch with your laptop it can be placed in front of you. You put your feet in the peddles, turn it on and your off and running…er…make that peddling.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike was originally developed as a circulation/exercise enhancer for the elderly and for those in need of rehabilitation of movement. Because it comes with a remote-control speed gradient, the user is going through the motions of peddling without overdoing his or her exertion. That same principle works fine for me: I don’t need to be peddling so hard that it distracts me from what I’m doing, yet I enjoy the fact that my legs are moving. After a while I’m not even thinking about it and the next thing I know I’ve cycled for a half an hour or more.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike by healthhaven.com comes with a remote control, has a 20 minute timer and a speed adjustment and I gotta tell you — I feel a whole lot better because of it. I’m not nearly as concerned with muscle development or endurance – I can concentrate on those areas when I’m in the gym. I’m just happy I’ve found another way to keep my heart pumping, so by the time I’m into my 5 article of the day I’m not feeling like a sack of potatoes.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike comes with a 15 minute timer switch, a multi-function LCD display which displays scan, time, count, and calories. The bike’s quiet DC motor drive system will not interrupt your concentration while working at your desk. And last but not least – it’s lightweight and sports a compact body. The handheld speed control is easy to operate and offers adjustable speeds.

Anyone who reads my blog knows how much I like a good joke. But your health is no laughing matter. The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike offers a smart alternative for healthy living at a low, low price. And besides that, it works.

And THAT’S no laughing matter!

Shopaholic. photo courtesy of SassyPanda

Whether you’re a longtime fan of 1HappyCorner.com or you’ve stumbled on us for the first time, chances are you like to shop. Whether your passion is buying gifts for yourself or others, there is always the temptation to spend too much, buy too much and just shop too much. It happened to 25-year-old Rebecca Bloomwood, the star of the hit movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. She found herself struggling with an addiction to buy and her passion was designer everything– handbags, scarves and dresses. Eventually Rebecca found herself underneath a pile of credit card debt. Here are a few tips that will help you continue to be the great gift-giver you are without becoming a shopaholic.

1. Set a Limit. It’s important to know how much you want to spend before stepping foot in the mall or beginning your online hunt. Whether it’s $10 or $100, figure out what fits into your budget and stick to it.

2. Remember your Mission. Are you shopping for a baby gift for your co-worker? Or a wedding present for your cousin? When  you’re shopping with a purpose, remember your mission. Don’t stray from the plan. Chances are the baby doesn’t need anything from Coach and your cousin probably isn’t registered at Nine West.

3. Not Everyone Needs a Gift. There are many times in life that call for celebrations, special treats and perfectly wrapped packages. But there are some that do not. Use your best judgement and decide when a sweetly written card will do rather than an extravagant gift.

4. Be Honest. If you’re trying to hide your shopping habits from your spouse or find yourself sneaking to the mall, you may have a problem. Be honest and open about your spending.

We mentioned partybeans.com in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift Guide.

photo courtesy of partybeans.com

Today we’d like to recommend a fun, fabulous and one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day gift for anyone on your list: personalized Jelly Belly from partybeans.com!

Just go to PartyBeans.com, choose a fun container, and upload your own full-color photo and Valentine’s text.

They’ll fill it with JellyBelly beans in your favorite flavors–let’s say Very Cherry Red and French Vanilla for Valentine’s Day. They’ll ship your order the next business day and you’ll have a personalized one-of-a-kind gift.

Why did we choose PartyBeans.com? Here are a few reasons:

• Relive beautiful memories with full-color photos and personalized text.
• Enjoy low minimum quantities that won’t break your budget. (Yes, you can order just one.)
• Create everything yourself with their easy-to-follow gift guide.
• Fast shipping.
• Perfect for Valentine’s Day gifts for that special someone.

You design it…they print it…you enjoy it. How does that sound? Check them out today!

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Have you tried PartyBeans.com? Share the love! Tell us about your experience! Leave a message!

We had the pleasure of featuring Green Freet in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift guide.

Greenfeet is an online retailer that offers eco-friendly and sustainable goods. All of their items have a ‘green’ twist to them.

One of my favorite products is the Lavender Lamb. It is terribly cute and soft. You heat it in the microwave for 1 minute and it is ready to be hugged! It makes an excellent gift for kids and adults at the same time! It is filled with lavender (known for the stress-relief properties) and flax seeds (will keep it warm). You can wash it in cold water once the insert is removed.

Price: the Lavender Lamb sells for only $25.95.

Envirope Hammock Family Size. photo courtesy of greenfeet.com

Another product that I like from Greenfeet.com is the Envirope Hammock Family Size.

Some of the features:

• made from recycled soda bottles.
• holds up to 450 pounds
• measures 5 feet by 7 feet
• UV and mildew resistant

Excellent Valentine’s gift for romantic couples who want to relax!

Price: the Envirope Hammock Family Size sells for $139.95 but you can save $14 if you are a GreenStep member!

Available online at www.greenfeet.com Check it out!

Christmas Shopping Crowds. Photo courtesy of Peter Hilton

One in three people feel stressed out during the holidays, according to a Gallup poll. That’s not hard to believe when you think about the obligations, the crowds and the craziness that comes with the Christmas season. To make sure you’re on the other side of that statistic, here are five ways to have fun shopping for holiday gifts, rather than getting stressed.

Put Someone Less Fortunate on Your List

When gifts become so extravagant you worry more about what they’re doing to your budget than how they’ll be received– take a step back. Rather than getting your kids one more video game or your spouse another sweater, try sharing your gift-giving spirit with someone less fortunate. Buying new shoes or a winter coat for someone who doesn’t have one will remind you of the true reason for the season. And it does a lot to squelch stress.

Bring Along a Friend

Solo shopping can be dangerous– especially when the crowds grow to enormous levels. Bringing a friend will make the excursion seem more festive and fun. Plus you’ll have someone helping you make difficult decisions.

Don’t Overspend

Nothing can swell stress levels more than money problems. Make a Christmas budget and stick to it. Ending the holidays without lingering debt will wrap up the season on a much happier note.

Start Early

If you haven’t started on  your shopping list– now is the time to do it. Waiting until the last minute will turn joy into stress because you’ll have less time and be dealing with more crowds.

Remember Why You’re Doing It

Don’t think of Christmas shopping as an obligation. Instead, think of it as a way to bless your family and friends. It’s your chance to show them you care about them by buying a great gift. And if they don’t like it? Don’t stress out.