It’s the holiday season again, and if you’re anything like us, you haven’t done a stitch of gift shopping. It’s okay, though. Laziness doesn’t always have to screw you over. We’ve rounded up some easy last minute (and cheap!) gifts that are purchased easily and quickly from your home computer or in the nearby area — but be ready to have that shipping expedited.
Under $20
- KODAK Picture Movie DVD ($14.99) – Pull at their heart strings. You know people love homemade gifts, so make them all teary-eyed by uploading sweet photos and adding in some sweet Marvin Gaye tracks. The whole caboodle takes about 15 minutes, and its done at a Kiosk — can’t get much easier than that. Once you’re done, wrap it up in some homemade paper created by your old Whole Foods bags, and voila! DIY perfection. *Kiosk locations here.
- Full Color Photo Book by Fast Pencil ($9.20) – Here’s another partial-DIY gem. Fast Pencil is an online publishing tool that allows you to print your own books — but you can also use it to make a really fabulous thoughtful gift. A 40 page full-color, saddle stitch photo book will run you less than $10 a copy. Or you could publish a handful of mom’s best recipes, complete with glossy photos and personal anecdotes to give to everyone in the family. The sky’s pretty much the limit with this one.
- Tenant Flash Cards ($10) – Tenant rights are always important, living in a city like New York. Make looking up common tenant issues way easier by popping out some flash cards, instead of sifting through a hundred pages of Google search results.
Under $50
- First World Trash Brown Tote ($40) – Supporting local small businesses right now is key in helping them survive the Great Recession of ’09. Do your part by picking up this trendy, goes-with-everything, recycled (green!) tote bag from Queens retailer, First World Trash.
- 8×12 Fine Art Print of Macy’s at Christmas time ($39) – Remind your gift recipient that you did not have to stand in insane shopping lines with this fine art print of the crowds at Macy’s that you can purchase through Etsy, the web’s best online craft store.
- Lego Recreation of the Guggenheim Museum ($44.95) – Legos are awesome. Lego recreations are even better. And in a twisted sense of irony, the most unique gift I’ve seen this year is available at the cookie-cutter mega retailer, Wal-Mart. It’s perfect for your geeky, artsy friend.
Under $100
- Quickbooks Accounting Simple Start Edition ($99.95) – Be practical. The best way to stay on top of that New Year’s resolution to finally get your finances in order is to actually make a step towards that goal. There’s a reason why almost every small business uses Quickbooks — it’s actually a good product. And the best thing about this version, is that it’s pretty much learning curve free — as long as you can pump out some data entry, it’ll do the rest.
- Dance Classes at Broadway Dance Center ($70) – A 5-class card at famed studio, BDC, is a way cool gift for for both the beginner or a seasoned dancer. With 16 types of classes, you can test drive a few to find out which is your favorite.
- Transit Museum Membership ($80) – Give someone a real New York gift — a membership to the Transit Museum. There’s all sorts of perks involved, including free museum admission for you, a guest, and four kids; discounts to museum events; and most importantly, access to train tunnel tours of old subway stations.
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