Art of Frugal Giving, Part III – The Gift of Experience

This is the third and final installment of a short series of blogs showcasing different ways you can give inexpensive but meaningful gifts to the ones you love. You can read my two previous installments about the Gift of Thought and the Gift of Craft. Today’s entry is about the Gift of Experience.

In a world where we put a lot of focus on things, we often lose sight of what’s truly important. What’s more important than spending time with those you love the most? It’s a gift that gives back, brings as much joy as it provides.

The Gift of Nature

Does your loved one love the outdoors? Hiking? Trail-running? Why not take them on a back woods adventure, if you can drive to one. Or camping. If they’re not quite as outdoorsy, what about a drive through the mountains with a picnic? Even a trip to a secluded beach if you live near the ocean or a lake could be lovely. Even if being outdoorsy isn’t YOUR thing, your loved one will appreciate you choosing to spend time with them in an environment they love.

The Gift of Culture

CREDIT: B. KRIST FOR VISIT PHILADELPHIA

This amazing country of ours has an extensive museum system. Many of them are free (especially if you’re lucky enough to live close to Washington, DC and access the Smithsonian museum system). I know here in the Philadelphia area we have an exquisite Museum of Art, as well as the more offbeat Mutter Museum. Add to that all the historical significance of the area and you have a plethora of selections. Surely your loved one will love one of them! Are you a good cook? What about helping your loved one explore new foods? Cook them a nice dinner and enjoy it together.

The Gift of Learning

There are few things in life that help people bond more than learning something together. Is there a local class you could take together? Perhaps pottery, cooking or birdwatching. Or maybe something more active, like an exercise class, interpretive dance, or learning a musical instrument? These don’t have to be expensive. If money is really tight, invite your loved one over, fire up YouTube.com and learn something via video! (I’ll tell you a deep dark secret, don’t tell anyone okay? If I don’t know how to do something, I Google it! I have learned so much this way, included how to do hoop knitting. You can do it, too!) My favorite learning gift is cooking together. Does your loved one have a favorite recipe of yours? Show them how you make it, or work on perfecting a new recipe together.

This concludes my three part series on frugal gift giving! I really hope you found some value in these types of gifts and that you use some for your loved ones! I know I will be! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Merry Kwanzaa, etc, etc!