My close friend and her husband are moving out of state for the first time. I would like to get her a little moving away happy. Does anyone have any ideas?
By Brenda from Starkville, MS
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
You could enlarge and frame a picture of you and your friend or make a scrap book with all the "good time" pictures in it.
When someone moves, they usually don't have the time or means to cook for a few days. A gift card to a restaurant in the area where they will be moving would probably be much appreciated.
We moved about 2 years ago and these are some of the things we liked or would have liked.
-A digital picture frame loaded with photos of the "old" area (special people, houses we liked, sites, nature, even stores for a shopaholic) and some pictures (taken from the web) of our new area (sites to see within 50 miles, etc.). Helped with homesick blues.
-My daughter got a 500 minute calling card from her friend's mom so she could stay in touch for awhile without breaking the bank. The idea of the card was so she could call from anywhere. My daughter LOVED it.
-Letters/cards sent to our new address that arrived the day after we did to welcome us to our new home. (The envelopes were also useful to help us get library cards as they served as proof of residence.)
-Gift cards for local restaurants. My M-I-L didn't have time to get cards but she called a small, local (non-chain) restaurant and asked them what the typical charge for a family of 4 was, paid with her credit card, got a "password" for us to use and then told us about it over the phone. The password and our name was at the register and we had no problems even though the manager that set it all up was not there when we went in.
-Maybe tickets to the movie theater or other entertainment, 3 months at a local gym, etc. Moving is stressful and people tend not to take the time to relax or exercise right away.
I'm sure there are lots more things to do. Info on the new area, maps with locations marked, digital cameras to document the move or the journey and post on the internet. The sky is the limit.
Why not buy her a friend placque or pillow? That's what I'm giving my closest friends when I move. God bless you and your friend!
When my friend moved from NY to Florida I made her a big basket of items with a Florida theme. Maps, travel books of her new area along with suntan lotion, flipflops, sunglasses and other Florida themed items.
What about Googling their future city and finding an attraction/restaurant/event in the near future and giving them a gift certificate for that? It would get them out and about in their new location and they'd think of you that evening, too.
How long has your friend lived in this town? Long enough to have known a lot of people? I always loved to keep up with what events were happening in my hometown so what about getting your friend a years subscription to your local newspaper.
Along with all the suggestions I just read, all interesting, and depending on the $ available, why not think about making a recipe collection? Get them from mutual friends, and any special things that your friend has commented on in the past. I have always loved "new" recipes, and even some very old ones, good enough to pass on, over and over again. These things, though small, sometimes have the biggest emotional impact, even years later. I know! My dear mom cooked for most of her 88 years, and when she left this life, my sister sent me her files, notebooks, and file boxes. I still delight in finding one I liked as a child. Little notations along with the recipe just add to the enjoyment.
All suggestions were good ones. When I had to move a long way (1500 miles) to a new state I was gifted with things I could place in my collection which was teddy bears. If your friends have a collection of some sort that you can add to then do that with a way to mark it with your name and date to prompt their memory of who it was from years from now. There isn't a day that I don't pass by them (I got two) and think of them.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
