5 Gifts for the Home They'll Love — That Cost Next to Nothing

Most people can remember giving their parents handmade coupons for chores around the house at least once. Whether they were for foot rubs or car washes, they didn't cost kids a dime and often made Mom and Dad happier than a macaroni necklace would have.

This holiday season consider bringing the same attitude to the presents you give. Most of us don't really need more stuff, so avoid cluttering up your loved ones' homes with unnecessary things, and instead give the gift of action. An afternoon or two of your time spent bettering a loved one's home and life will be cherished much longer than yet another sweater.

Print out this coupon to present to a friend or loved one. Simply open the image in a new tab, hit Print at the bottom of the image and trim away excess paper. Try using some colorful paper to make it extra festive!

Some ideas to get you started:

1. Tackle yard care. Even apartment dwellers with a manageable patio garden to care for could use a week off every now and then. Offer to do basic maintenance — water, mow and weed — for a couple weeks. Or if someone needs a big garden fix-up, offer to get it started. Spend a weekend weeding, mulching and setting up flower beds. Accompanied with a couple starter plants or seed packs, this is the perfect gift for any gardener.

Tips: 5 Ways to Naturally Win the Weed War

2. Give the decor a do-over.This gift works especially well for a family member or close friend — you need to be familiar with the house and to make sure that the recipient is willing to give you unsupervised access to a room for a while. Try to redecorate a space that will be of use to the person in mind — take complaints or problems into account. Has your sister recently decided to start her own business? Fix up her home office with all the organizational tools she'll need. Does your mother constantly complain about her entryway? Give her the afternoon off and dress it up with some cute baskets and a new coat of her choice of paint. Even if you just declutter bookshelves and add a new pillow and lamp for the armchair, the change will be much appreciated.

Tips: 20 Products to Organize Your Home Office in Style


3. Take care of home maintenance. While it’s not as glamorous as a dramatic before and after reveal, picking up someone’s chores for a week is a great way to say, “I love you.” Doing the dishes, emptying the trash and taking care of other dreaded chores for a while may be the best gift you can give a loved one who works hard.

Major cleanups — kids’ rooms, the kitchen etc. — can be helpful too. Some might opt to hire a cleaning service to help out a friend, but this is also something kids can do for Mom or Dad themselves.

Tips: Deep Clean Your Kitchen

4. Make life easier. Whether you have a parent, friend or sibling in mind, taking care of meals for a night or two can be a welcome relief during a particularly rough week. Cook favorite freezable dishes for the recipient to save for a night of working late, or offer to pay for grocery or meal delivery for a week. Want to treat your significant other? A beautifully prepared meal can be a real statement of love.

This goes for grandparents too! Not every grandma loves to cook. Think about the many ways you can make their lives or someone else’s life just a little easier — maybe your aunt or uncle needs some help setting up a new thermostat, DVD player, TV or Wi-Fi. Donating an hour or so of your time to make home technology a little more seamless for someone will be much appreciated.

Tips: 5 Ways to Organize Your Home Electronics


5. Offer indulgences. An afternoon off may be the perfect gift for the person in your life who seems to have it all together. Turn the master bathroom into a spa, complete with fluffy new towels, champagne or tea, candles and favorite music. Find a new bench for a favorite spot in the garden and set a relaxing, bubbling fountain nearby. Turn a spare room or an office corner into a reading nook with a comfy chair, pillows and plenty of reading material.

Tell us: What action oriented gifts are you giving this season?

URL: 5 Gifts for the Home They'll Love — That Cost Next to Nothing http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22167.html