Christmas Shopping is Over. Now for Birthdays and Other Holidays

I did some after Christmas shopping today and it was no surprise to see  Valentine’s day items being displayed. It used to amaze me how early stores put out new merchandise but anymore it doesn’t surprise me. We may have a long winter ahead but I know that it will be no time at all before we start seeing spring and summer merchandise being displayed such as grills, picnic tables and  patio umbrellas. And I can only imagine that those living in warmer climates pretty much shop for outdoor items year round.

March, April and May are actually big gift giving months around here with my mother in law’s birthday in March, my mother’s birthday as well as both sets of parents anniversaries in April, Easter and then Mother’s day in May. Often times we do combination gifts; for example, since my mother lives out of town I usually see her for her birthday or Mother’s day but not both so we often make her gift a birthday/mother’s day gift. And since she doesn’t really need anything I often go with outdoorsy items. An outdoor patio umbrella would definitely be a good fit for her.

You can easily find a patio umbrella in different sizes, shapes and styles. Two examples are half canopy umbrellas which are great for patios that get too much sun while beach umbrellas offer portability and can be moved from one sunny spot to another, either at the beach or your own backyard. With so many styles to choose from,  outdoor umbrellas make a unique gift for the hard to buy for.

Along with a wide variety of outdoor patio umbrellas you will also find that prices vary. Here is a frugal tip that many families do. Often when we find a gift idea for my parents or in laws that is a little out of our price range we ask other family members if they would like to go in on a together gift. After all, many resort to spending money on flowers or other unneeded gifts. Why not pool everyone’s money together for one nice gift instead.