Ways you can give quality time together and create special memories with those you love. As I’ve gotten older I’ve stopped needing or wanting as many material gifts as I did when I was younger, and have instead been enjoying alternative gifts, like gifts of quality time. But I’ve realized that it’s not clear to everyone what quality time gifts are, or how to give them — which is why I’m breaking down everything you need to know, from what quality time is, to the best quality time gift ideas, and even how to wrap and give gifts of quality time. Table of Contents: Here’s a gift-giving problem you might find yourself facing: you want to give someone a gift, but they said they don’t need or want anything, they’re hard to shop for, they already have everything they could ever want, or they said that they just want to spend time together. Or maybe you want to give your time as a gift instead of a physical gift because you’re short on money right now, or you don’t get to spend as much time with your gift recipient as you’d like to and you want to change that. Whatever the reason, this list has quality time gift ideas for everyone you know: your significant other, parents, grandparents, kids, or friends. For each of the quality time gift ideas that I share, I’m including ideas for if you have a larger budget or a smaller budget (which includes ideas that are free or lower-cost). Use these quality time gift ideas to spend time with those you love and create lasting memories. What is quality time? Quality time means giving someone your full, undivided attention, and being truly present in the moment you’re sharing together. It’s about the quality of the time more than the quantity of it — so it’s important to set aside distractions like your phone, work, or other everyday obligations, and focus on building a meaningful connection with the person you’re spending time with. You can spend quality time with someone by having a deep conversation, enjoying a shared activity, or even sitting together in comfortable silence while you each read a book or the paper. Quality time is about creating moments that matter with those you love. What makes quality time together special is that it’s not so much about what you’re doing, but who you’re doing it with. Even something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or cooking dinner together can feel significant if both people are engaged, enjoying each other’s company, and feel connected. Quality time strengthens relationships and reminds the people we care about that we value and love them. What does it mean to give a gift of quality time? Giving a gift of quality time isn’t about big or expensive gifts — it’s about gifting the opportunity to have special shared moments together doing something enjoyable. A gift like this can be deeply appreciated and valued by the recipient. It seems to be a growing trend that many people are choosing experiences and quality time gifts over typical store-bought gifts, because many people already have so many things in their homes, and an opportunity to spend time with those you love creating memories feels a lot more special. Quality time gifts work well for anyone you want to spend special time with or who wants to spend time with you — like your friends, parents, siblings, extended family, or significant other. In these times of rising prices for just about everything, many Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities, making quality time gift ideas a good option if you’re on a budget. All of these quality time gift ideas include options that are no- or lower-cost, as well as if you have a larger budget. 12 Quality Time Gift Ideas Use this list of quality time gift ideas to create the perfect present for your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, other extended family, or friends. 1. An experience to share Recommended for: Anyone on your list — significant other, parents, grandparents, kids, friends, other relatives The key to giving an experience gift of quality time is that it should be an experience you’ll be doing together, not an experience the recipient will be doing with someone else. There are many experiences for a variety of interests and budgets. Some examples are concert tickets, a specialty tour like a kayaking tour or a helicopter tour, amusement park tickets, a sunset cruise or brunch cruise, sporting event tickets, etc. Bigger budget: Helicopter tour, concert tickets, major league baseball tickets, golfing or driving range, tickets to see a play or musical. Smaller budget: Seeing a local band, going to a minor league baseball game, going to a rock climbing gym. Additional ideas for kids: A voucher for lunch or dinner and a movie together, one-on-one; a gift certificate to go for ice cream together at an ice cream shop, tickets to a children’s museum. Additional ideas for grandparents: If you have a grandparent who would rather stay home than go out, you can give a certificate for a special day together. You can enjoy spending time together, even if you’re just watching tv at home. You can also make and/or eat a meal together, work on a puzzle, play cards, or do some gardening.  2. Scheduled coffee dates Recommended for: Friends or relatives — a cousin, grandparent, aunt, uncle Provide a coffee shop gift card and a list of suggested dates to meet for coffee throughout the year, whether weekly, monthly, or bimonthly. You’ll always have an upcoming coffee date to look forward to and catch up!  Bigger budget: A generous coffee shop gift card inside of an insulated travel coffee mug; could also add a bag of coffee to have at home. Smaller budget: A coffee shop gift card in any amount you can afford. 3. A puzzle that you can do together  Recommended for: Parents, grandparents, kids […]

The best affordable coastal, nautical, and beach gifts for the beach lovers in your life. Sometimes you’re in need of small gifts. Maybe it’s an add-on to a larger gift, or you want to give someone a little something to thank them or to let them know you’re thinking of them. Or maybe you’re looking for stocking stuffers, or you’re on a budget. Whatever the reason, this list of coastal, nautical, and beach gifts below has something for everyone, and will save you time searching for the perfect gift. Whether for you’re shopping for gifts for your mom, your mother-in-law, your friend, your sister, your neighbor, or for stocking stuffers, white elephant gifts, coworker gifts, or teacher gifts, this selection of gift ideas will be a hit with any woman who loves the beach or the coastal lifestyle. It can be challenging to find great gifts for women, especially if they seemingly have everything, or if you don’t know them that well. But if you know that someone enjoys spending time at the shore, it’s hard to go wrong with coastal-inspired and beach gifts. I’ve come up with what I consider the best options in the around-or-under $15 category for anyone who enjoys life on the coast. The great thing about all of these beach gifts is that they were selected because they’re able to be used year-round. I avoided gifts that can only be used at the beach or during the summer, because there are many gift-giving opportunities throughout the year and when you give a gift you want it to be able to be used right away, not stored for many months until beach season comes around again. These beach gifts were selected to work with a wide range of styles and interests, so it’s hard to go wrong when selecting any of these coastal gifts. You can also easily combine numerous gifts from this list to create a larger gift or gift basket for your recipient. Discover a variety of affordable beach, nautical, and coastal gift ideas for under $15 that bring coastal living to any home or occasion. 1 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 1. A Coastal Picture Frame These picture frames will fit in with any coastal style or beach house decor. You can never have too many picture frames, as they work in any room and on any surface, including side tables, console tables, wall shelves, bookcases, and dressers. It’s easy to make this a personalized gift by adding a photo in the frame of a favorite memory. 2 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 2. A Versatile Turkish Towel Turkish towels are so versatile, they can be used as a beach towel, a beach blanket, a swimsuit wrap, a shawl, for home decor as a throw blanket for a couch, chair, or bed, for a pool towel, for a shower towel, and any other creative use you can think of. They come in a wide variety of colors to choose from. 3 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 3. A Beach-Scented Candle or Diffuser Bring home the scent of the beach for when you can’t be there. These clean and refreshing beach scented candles and reed diffusers will transport you to a summer day at the beach, whether enjoyed on a rainy summer day or in the middle of winter. 4 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 4. A Set of Nautical or Beachy Stationery Make writing lists and notes more fun with beach and nautical inspired stationery. This stationery is an elevated take on your everyday items for anyone who loves the coast. There are numerous cute icons to choose from – including a hydrangea flower, seahorse, flamingo, compass, pineapple, and many others. 5 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 5. A Pair of Beautiful Beach Earrings These beautiful and fun earrings will compliment many outfits, and will be especially loved by anyone who favors the beach life. They’ll make for a special gift, and at this price point, you can also get them for yourself! Related: 16 Essential Beach Toys to Keep Your Kids Entertained All Day 6 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 6. A Beachy Jewelry Dish A lovely decorative beach dish that also serves the purpose of holding jewelry and other special trinkets or beach treasures, like shells. This is so chic, it looks just as nice empty as it does with items in it. A lovely decorative beach dish that also serves the purpose of holding jewelry and other special trinkets or beach treasures, like shells. This is so chic, it looks just as nice empty as it does with items in it. 7 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 7. A Fancy Set of Ocean Swizzle Sticks A fun way to stir drinks, these swizzle sticks can be used to elevate any beverage, from your morning coffee to a fancy cocktail. They’re also great to put out when hosting a party for your guests to use. 8 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 8. A Beach Themed Activity or Coloring Book for Adults These ocean and beach-themed activity books are fun to do at the beach, or are something fun to do at home when you’re dreaming of the beach but can’t be there. As an option, you can gift this paired with a nice pen or marker set. 9 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 9. A Set of Beachy Coasters These neutral coasters will fit in perfectly with any coastal or beach decor while also looking sophisticated, meaning you won’t mind leaving these out on your coffee table or nightstand. In addition to using them indoors, they’ll look great on your table when dining outdoors (just remember to bring them inside when you’re done). 10 of 15 Beach Gifts for Women 10. A Decorative Game A classic tabletop game for all ages that you’ll want to leave out because it doubles as home decor. It’s a fun and useful accent piece that will […]