Mo' Gifts, Mo' Problems

November 16, 2006 11:49 AM

Aid me in my quest for a satisfying gift(s). No doubt, there's

Ok, I'm sitting in a political reasoning course (Kant! Yay!) right now and the boredom has sparked this inquiry. As one can probably tell, I'm a college student-- and (not so obvious) a male.

My birthday is within a week of Christmas, so I have a flood of gifts in my future-- the problem is I can't think of anything and I don't feel like asking for money or some crappy gift card.

I'm looking for really cool or meaningful presents (seeing as my gift-recieiving days may be coming to a close given my age).

Here are some things you may suggest that I already own or may be cancelled by my lifestyle:

Macbook (It's working fine with 512 RAM)
Ipod Mini (update worth it?)
Palm TX
Xbox (not interested in 360)
Clothes (I've got nice clothes)
Sony Camcorder
Most major appliances aren't and option given dorm-life
A Car

A bike might be nice...but I go to school in another state that has bad winters.

So, great Mefi collective brain of intelligencia, giveth me advice (and links too)!

posted by jne1813 to Grab Bag (9 answers total)

I'd love cash or 'crappy giftcards' at this point. Yeah really.

I'm not going to play pious or holier-than-thou, because a couple years ago at your age, I was putting a gift list together at the request of gift-givers too. I also wasn't in the mindframe I am in now either and generally ignorant to what I could do to help.

If I can just bend your ear (or eye as the case may be here), for a moment... if there's nothing you need or want, and you don't have use for cash or gift cards, you're almost better off asking for money to be donated somewhere in your name. Another idea is finding a local charity that allows you to essentially adopt a child's Christmas and buy some gifts for them.

If that doesn't appeal to you, take the cash and invest it in your future. Open a CD or save it towards a future vacation.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:10 PM on November 16, 2006

A trip of some sort?
Tickets to a game or other event?
posted by mullacc at 12:40 PM on November 16, 2006

Like jerseygirl says, charitable donations in your name can be good (and cut down and the amount of useless crap you get, because how many throw blankets can one person use?). What Goes Around works as a wishlist for charities, so you might want to sign up for that and tell your family.

Also, in your case, services might be the way to go. I'm thinking cleaning and laundry services would be cool but I don't know how you'd go about getting those.
posted by stefanie at 12:54 PM on November 16, 2006

Experiences: balloon rides, tiger moth flights, white water rafting.

Seriously tho, what Jersey Girl said. Think about it - there's nothing you want, and yet, you're still thinking about asking for stuff?
posted by b33j at 1:20 PM on November 16, 2006

If you really don't need anything, perhaps instead of asking for straight cash you can ask for funds to start a small retirement fund, CD, or other investment.

Trust me, you'll be thankful for it later. Perhaps you could ask for some basic investing books, too.
posted by divka at 2:03 PM on November 16, 2006

Memberships to local museums, theaters, park systems, etc., or a good quilt to get you through the "bad" winters.
posted by textilephile at 2:10 PM on November 16, 2006

I am in almost the exact same position you are in. I am a college student, I graduate this December, and my birthday is Dec. 28th. Combined, that is 3 traditional gift giving sessions in the course of 2 weeks. On top of that, I've had a good job for quite some time, leading to me already having everything I really need.

My plan is fairly simple. For graduation anouncements, I am picking a charity (Larimer County Food Bank) and asking that any gifts instead go to them. For Birthday/Christmas I have one or 2 things I actually want (classic books in my field), and beyond that I'll ask for cash to start saving for a house down payment.

Basically I am actually implementing the suggestions of the people above me. As a student, it is so easy to tuck money away where you can't get at it (IRA or CDs) and use it in a few years to buy something huge.

Just be sure to get cash instead of gift cards. You can't invest gift cards. And I don't see cash as tacky if it is for the express purpose of investing in your future. Really they are giving you a small piece of your future house or future retirement or whatever.
posted by cschneid at 2:42 PM on November 16, 2006

Yeah, you don't really sound like you need stuff. Where would you put it? In your dorm room? You'll just have to move it umpteen times. And by the time you have somewhere more permanent to live, your tastes may have changed.
posted by amtho at 3:49 PM on November 16, 2006

Best answer: Ask for a gift certificate to University Massage. I've heard great things about them.

Failing that, ask for somethings to spruce up your room with. A nice big beanbag or a massage chair (don't know if this would fit) would be awesome.
posted by matkline at 8:34 PM on November 16, 2006