20 easy gifts -- that aren't gift cards

By Liz Pulliam Weston

Hating gift cards is a lonely business.

Sometimes it seems that Miss Manners and I are the only ones opposed to the distressing trend of handing out plasticized cash in lieu of real gifts.

But I do have sympathy for those who resort to gift cards because they don't want to add to the clutter in other people's lives. Most of us already have too much stuff, and a misfired gift just adds to the pile of things the recipient has to dust, store or donate.

So I went on a quest to round up clutter-free gift ideas. Many of these I've personally road-tested: I've either given them or received them, to good reviews. They tend to fall into one of three categories:

• Consumables. Stuff you can eat, drink or otherwise use up quickly.

• Services and experiences. Stuff others can do to or for the recipient.

• Organizers and other life-enhancing gadgets. If it's a thing, it has to either help corral clutter or make life easier, guaranteed.

A cautionary note on gifting services and experiences: Choose carefully. Gifts should delight the recipients rather than attempt to change them, says Miss Manners, otherwise known as etiquette columnist Judith Martin.

"Giving people a professional service only works when you know for certain it is something they will enjoy, and that will not make them feel criticized," notes Martin, author of "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, Freshly Updated." "No sky diving lessons for the timid or cleaners for those whose houses meet their own standards but not yours. The idea is to please, not to improve."

With that in mind, here are some gift options to ponder, ranked by cost.

Under $10

For $8.99, you can buy your giftee a month's access to Netflix's huge library of DVD rentals. Spend a little more, and you can either buy more months or allow your recipient to have more than one title at a time. The three-at-a-time membership, for example, is $16.99 a month.

For $9.95, you can buy a Kiva key chain backpack. I carry one of these in my purse whenever I travel; it quickly converts from a tiny pouch (small enough to clip onto a key fob) into a surprisingly spacious little backpack. You can find other handy bags for shopping and toting at Reuseablebags.com; check out the long-handled Reisenthel Mini Maxi that you can loop over a shoulder.

$20 and under

If your recipient is a big reader, consider introducing her to one of the "Netflix for books" book rental services. A month's subscription to BookSwim is $9.95 and allows her to select and read three best-sellers.

• Talk back: How much are you spending on the holidays this year?

If your recipient is a kid, consider the Discovery Amazing Money Store Bank for $14.99. This gizmo keeps digital count of the coins you insert. Last year I gave these to a group of 4- to 9-year-olds, who immediately started playing with them and who still use them (according to their mothers). The four-chambered Money Savvy Pig for $16.99 is also pretty cool; if your budget's a little bigger, I also like the tin Moonjar for $24.95.

Just about everything can be personalized these days, including postage stamps. Create a packet of 20 first-class stamps with a favorite photo for $18.95 at PictureItPostage.

Speaking of photos, most photo Web sites, including Shutterfly, Snapfish and PhotoWorks, allow you to create personalized calendars or paperback photo albums for $20 or less.

If your recipient has kids, check out this colorful hanging organizer, which sells for $19.99, is designed to contain kid clutter.

Purse organizers provide pockets for your wallet, keys, cell and other important items. Even better than the tidiness is the fact you can easily swap purses without worrying about leaving something important behind. Purseket, which typically retails for $20, is one example.

Continued: The $30 limit

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