Gift Guide for 20-Somethings

Image stolen from here, who took it from here

During Thanksgiving dinner I heard no fewer than five times from my mother, "You need to give me a Christmas List!!!" As I sat down with a pen and paper and tried to brainstorm, I was reminded of days of yore when I would spend hours with the Toys R Us Christmas Toy Advertisement, carefully circling every little thing that I wanted, with stars next to the things I REALLY wanted. These days, it's a little more difficult--despite the fact that I could still probably find hours of enjoyment with an Easy Bake Oven. I know simply saying "money." won't work, as my parents love to find special things for me and wrap them to open under the tree. And since money is tight (as money is wont to do), it gives them more options if they can spread it around a little and hit the sales.

I think my list this year went something like this:
-Clothes (American Eagle, Express, Forever21, Macys)*
-Makeup (Clinique, Sephora)
-Dutch Oven
-Cast Iron Skillet
-Waffle Maker**
-Travel stuff
-Expensive Things That You Could Give Me Some Money/Gift Cards To Go To (Canon Macro Lens, EGO lights)
-My favorite vodka is Absolut
-Absolutely NO VIBRATING DUCKS***

A little different for sure. And I was really hurting for ideas because I honestly couldn't come up with specific things I wanted that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I came up with. So here I present to you, the 20-Something Gripes Gift Guide. Hopefully these are things that your favorite 20-Something will enjoy, and not just me.

For the 9-5 Commuter 20-Something
Thermos-brand Vacuum Insulated Commuter Bottle ($30.99)

For us newly-jobbed 20-Somethings, coffee is our lifeblood. When I was making my 45 minute drive to my first post-grad job, or my 1 hour public transportation ride to my college internship, I needed coffee to get myself going. This is an addiction that lasts a lifetime, and we all know that coffee is at its most powerful when piping hot. What's worse than cold coffee? Cancer. Jeez, you're so insensitive. But still, cold coffee is pretty gross. That's where this amazing little device comes in--it is not your standard travel mug that lets coffee go cold before you even get to your car, OH NO. When I got my first REAL post-grad job (the job I'm currently in, actually) my mom got me one of these travel mugs. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER... I promptly lost it, and miss it dearly BUT... it keeps your coffee hot for EIGHT HOURS. EIGHT. HOURS. And keeps cold stuff cold even longer! I even left ice cubes in it once and they were still frosty over 14 hours later. When it comes to coffee transportation devices, this one is the best.
EXTRA POINTS: Hide a Starbucks gift card inside! $3 for coffee is a serious TREAT and not one most of us can afford upon entering The Real World. Oh pumpkin spice lattes, how I miss you...

For the 20-Something Who Clings to Their Childhood
Custom-Made Plushies of their Favorite Childhood Characters by Battleaxe Custom Sewn (Pricing by Order)

HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THIS FALCOR FROM NEVERENDING STORY?? Seriously, this girl is amazing with the plushies. I may be biased because she's a friend of mine, but go check out her Facebook page and tell me you wouldn't love a Kermit or a Hobbes or any of your other amazing childhood favorites. Sure, you COULD find a Carebear at Hot Topic, but do you really want to support corporate greed like that? Why not support a fellow 20-Something in her entrepreneurial endeavor? She also does clothing repair and seamstress-ing and the like. As real life sets in for us cynical 20-Somethings, it's nice to have a piece of our past to cuddle with and cry into every now and then.

For the Pseudo-Professional 20-Something
Their Name. ($10 and up)
This makes sense, I promise. Okay, so, think of your favorite 20-Something. Now, write Theirname.com (with their name in it instead of theirname, you're smarter than this, I know it). Does somebody have it? No? Then buy it! Domain names are pretty cheap these days, and it's an invaluable tool for making an online web presence when job hunting. Go the extra mile and set up a Wordpress or Blogger account and give them the appropriate info to start building their website and online presence  When potential employers Google them, the first result will be the .com name. Take it from someone who was mildly cyber-bullied in the past--Google results can make or break you in certain situations.
EXTRA POINTS: Are you HTML-inclined? Build a site template to go with it! A great "DIY" gift.

For the Foodie 20-Something
Sushi Making Kit ($34.99)

Sushi is delicious, there's no arguing that. If the idea of eating raw fish makes you squeemish then you just need to get over it and open your mind and palate to the wonders of this Asian cuisine. 20-Somethings, particularly 20-Somethings who have any sort of "foodie" background, love sushi. Sushi, however, is expensive. The only time I can afford sushi at my favorite local joint is if I happen to be there during the lunch specials mid-week--does not happen often. With a kit like this, you can attempt to make sushi at home! Save money! Yay!--and probably fail terribly, but it's the thought that counts, right? Plus it gives hours of frustration...uh... I mean, enjoyment?
EXTRA POINTS: Spring for a special super-sharp sushi knife ($14.49). Once you perfect the art of the sushi rolling, it's rather disheartening to tear it apart thanks to a subpar knife.


For Any 20-Something with a Car
Gift certificates for: Car Washes, Oil Changes, Tires, Basic Repairs (~$30 and up)

You know what is last on my list of spending priorities? Routine car repairs. I KNOW that the salt on the road in the wintertime is bad for my car, but car washes are $10 or more and for weekly washes, that adds up. I KNOW my oil change light has been on for over a month but how important is an oil change ANYWAY? Losing $30 worth? ---dangerous thoughts, but when a repair isn't totally VITAL, it's not something I jump at doing. Plus you generally have to leave work (and thus, wages) to get it done, since most car repair places are only open 9-5. I didn't even KNOW I needed new tires until a concerned co-worker went out of his way to set up an appointment for me to get new ones, as mine were dangerously bald. While I was glad I didn't have to deal with a blowout, I was grumbling over the $350 it cost me to replace my tires. Anyway, what I'm getting at is, gift cards towards annoying yet necessary car upkeep would be a welcome gift!
For the City-Living 20-Something: A month of public transport! It was $60/month when I lived in Boston, check your 20-Something's MTA website for official pricing.
EXTRA POINTS: AAA Membership is ALWAYS a good idea!

For the Outdoorsy 20-Something
Swiss Army Knife (SOL Origin Survival Tool, $49.99)

I was never the outdoorsy-type in my formative years, but now that I'm on a budget I realize--HEY. HIKING IS FREE! This means I spend a lot more time outside than I used to. The ratio of bar-to-mountain or mall-to-hiking trail is more like 3:1, whereas it used to be... never... But seriously, a hike to a mountain top with a picnic lunch with friends at the top is equal parts tiring and rewarding. I asked my outdoorsy roommate for an idea, to which she said "Headlamp or Swiss Army Knife" and went a-Googling. I found this BADASS Swiss army knife for a whopping $50, but it seriously has everything! Look at it! Even a nature-inept person like myself could survive in the woods Hatchet-style with this thing-a-ma-bob. The kit also includes some other stuff, check it out.
EXTRA POINTS: Run around your local camping store and I'm sure you can find some supplemental stuff. Maybe an emergency blanket or some energy jellybeans? Camping stores have the weirdest "impulse buy" section at the checkout counter...

For the 20-Something Lush-on-the-Go
Packable Wine Glasses ($14.95)

Found this while looking for the former list item. Collapsible wine glasses! While yes, it's perfect for camping, I'm envisioning bringing it to anywhere I may be toting wine to that may not have suitable wine receptacles  How many times have you been to a party and had to drink your Bordeux out of a red solo cup? Every time you go to a male friend's apartment, that's how many. Also for regular, non-camping travel, it's great for hotel room pre-gaming! The possibilities are truly endless.
EXTRA POINTS: Include a nice-ish bottle of wine, something over $10 because I know I sure as hell don't spend more than $10 on booze for myself anymore...


For the 20-Something Who Still Goes Out on Friday Nights
Birchbox ($10/month)

One of the things lacking in my budget right now is the money for GOOD makeup. I let myself splurge on $12 eyeliner, but other than that I tend to grab what's cheap at the drugstore. That's why Birchbox would be an excellent gift: For $10/month you can send your beloved 20-something a box of premium makeup samples. For gifts, you can choose a 3 month, 6 month, 12 month, or "Ultimate" subscription--the lower priced ones being totally affordable and within most peoples' gift budgets. And the samples aren't those little condom-wrapper-sized ones you get in magazines or at the beauty counter of Macy's when you're roped in for a "free skin consultation" in hopes you'll shell out $50 for a tiny bottle of eye cream. Nope, these are generous little samples that will last a month if not longer. Everyone I know who has a Birchbox subscription loves it, and getting packages in the mail is always a fun time. Give your favorite 20-something a little bit of glamour--they have ones for guys too!
EXTRA POINTS: They have an online store with the full sized samples. Add a giftcard for the store so that your gift recipient can buy a full-size version of his or her favorite sample.

For Just About Any 20-Something
Nice Booze. ($25 and up)

Getting a special bottle of your favorite vice is a luxury that many of us don't have when we're on our own, doing our whole paying-rent-and-bills-and-student-loans thing. I think if any of my friends got me a bottle of Absolut Pear I'd cry tears of joy, as no one should have to suffer through Rubenoff after graduating college. If you want to shell out for top shelf, all the better. We will love you for it.
EXTRA POINTS: Include a pretty flask of some sort so that we can sneak a shot into a plain coke at a bar and save some $$$.


*Don't laugh at me for shopping everywhere that teenagers shop. DON'T. Plus I'm lucky my mom has a great sixth sense when it comes to clothes shopping and finds things that are exactly my style
**I cook, and bake, a lot. Have you seen my other blog?
***There's a story here. I'll tell it sometime.

I was not paid for this, all opinions are my own. Any pictures used are not mine at all were probably Googled (except the Yaris, that's my baby) but please don't come after me because I'm using them to promote your stuff? Thanks...