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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsAnybody have monthly gift subscription suggestions?
I would like to give a friend a monthly gift subscription for her birthday. This woman is my son's chosen grandma...meaning that even though he has two actual grandmothers, they've not pursued a relationship with my kiddo and as a result, he has bonded with this close family friend that he calls Nannie. That aside, I am fresh out of ideas for her upcoming 72nd birthday and I'm looking for something unique - such as a monthly gift subscription. She's not a big drinker - so alcohol every month might be too much. I'm hoping to come up with something other than fruit of the month or what not. Any ideas out there? Please and thank you.
Cousin Dupree
(1,866 posts)Mix it up. Give them all to her at one time. I got a gift like that one time and it was like Christmas all over again.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)but second guessed myself. Thank you for the nudge!!
yewberry
(6,530 posts)Mouth.com has a variety or choices. My mom liked the 'Indie states of America' subscription.
https://www.mouth.com/collections/subscriptions?ref=box-2
Also Piquant Post for a few different spices every month. Good for diabetics, too. https://piquantpost.com
Or Foot Cardigan. Yep, a sock-of-the-month club. https://www.footcardigan.com
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I love all your suggestions. Thank you.
woodsprite
(11,905 posts)Like to cook? Bake? Craft? Knit? Garden? Read? Try new food?
My MIL is 82 and she loves to make jewelry. I love to play with polymer clay. They have boxes for each of those. I just googled. They pretty much have a box for anything!
I just subscribed to Misfits Market. I get to play "chopped" with a fresh produce box every month or so (you can set how often you get the box and the size of the box).
This list is in no way a full list, but to get you thinking you could start here:
https://urbantastebud.com/subscription-box-gift-ideas/
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I'll follow that link. Thank you!
rsdsharp
(9,146 posts)MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I can think of a few people who would love this!!!
Jane Austin
(9,199 posts)Audible Books.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)every month forever.
Jane Austin
(9,199 posts)so much good cheese when they went to Wisconsin last year!
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)The Washington State University Creamery...part of WA State University makes the most wonderful cheese. They make and sell it in limited quantities and selections vary year to year. Their flagship cheese is a sharp cheddar called Cougar Gold. Its exceptional. I just opened a can of 2014 this last weekend and served with fresh Macintosh apples. Sooooo good. Off topic but since were talking about cheese.
https://creamery.wsu.edu/
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)That's what I'd like to receive!
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)Youve got me thinking now...I wonder if I could hire someone for snow removal at her house...thanks for the nudge.
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)At 72, most people don't need any more "stuff" - they're trying to get rid of "stuff". Having someone else take care of a pesky task that you don't have the energy or desire to do, however, is golden.
If she's another Montana gal, that snow shoveling would come in pretty handy about now!
I've told my family "If I have to dust it, or feed it, or store it, I don't want it." Sentimentality is a nice thought, but I don't have room for it in my down-sized apartment. My favorite gifts are those that disappear in a timely manner.
Corgigal
(9,291 posts)or a monthly service for someone to straighten up the house.
At that age, well actually at my age, I would appreciate these.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)Thank you.
Jane Austin
(9,199 posts)who can get her recycling, trash and compostables out on the right days - a then bring the containers back from the street after collection.
I'm finding that more and more difficult to do - especially in bad weather.
Could your son do that for her?
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I may be able to find someone in her neighborhood that offers that service. My kiddo would do it but we live 10 miles away and he doesnt drive yet. I know a few people in her development that might give me a lead. Love it.
Alpeduez21
(1,750 posts)It's the gift that keeps giving the whole year.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)MountainMama
(237 posts)I immediately began thinking about magazine subscriptions!
"Smithsonian Magazine" is great for general knowledge/history.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)Nannie loves primitive antiques and old country decorating...She might really like a magazine subscription about antiques. You all have such wonderful suggestions.
MountainMama
(237 posts)There's also a magazine just called "Country" she might like as well.
IcyPeas
(21,842 posts)(edit: I know you said no fruit of the month club but I really enjoyed this, but I guess you have a reason for saying that)
Their pears are to die for. juicy, sweet - just scrumptious. They have other choices too. See:
https://www.harryanddavid.com/h/fruit-clubs
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)Nannie may very well like fruit...I was just looking for something a little more unusual...and I admit that I often overthink things. It's one of my "superpowers". Harry and David has wonderful gifts to be sure. Thanks for the reminder!
AirmensMom
(14,637 posts)if H&D didn't send you a bill for your gift. We had friends who sent us a gift from them years ago. The fruit was pretty mediocre, actually. A few months later, H&D sent us a bill, saying that our friends hadn't paid it and they would like us to pay, since we received the fruit. I refused. I never told our friends and I don't know what the story is, although they are not people who neglect their bills. I vowed then never to do business with that company and I never have. I mean, that was pretty damn tacky.
klook
(12,152 posts)That was a ton of fun! Some of them were super hot -- habaneros, Scotch bonnet peppers -- while others were sweet or smoky, for BBQ or tacos, or just "all-purpose" hot sauce. I can't remember who ran the club, but there are a couple of them.
Real Simple has more suggestions you might want to check out as well: 30 Surprising Subscription Box Ideas. (The first is a hot sauce of the month club!)
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I'm bookmarking it. There are such unusual items there!! I particularly liked MoonBox. Not for Nannie, but for me!! She already thinks I'm a hippie.
klook
(12,152 posts)mysteryowl
(7,363 posts)Give her a couple of massage gift certificates. You can even have the massage therapist come to the home for the service.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)Thank you!
cwydro
(51,308 posts)If she loves to read (or listen rather), its fantastic.
I love my Audible subscription.
Hadnt thought of that. Thank you!
cwydro
(51,308 posts)This allows me to do both at the same time!
Plus, I have some books I listen to just to put me to sleep. Great insomnia cure.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I am an audible newbie. Ive listened to a handful of books but I find that the readers distract from the material they are reading...at least for me. Maybe its my book choices or maybe Im missing something. Id love to have some books to listen to put me to sleep or just relax me. I love to read...and being read to sounds like it could be wonderful...I just havent found the sweet spot with Audible yet. Any tips?
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I like a lot of British authors, whose books generally have British narrators. My parents were both British, as are all my surviving family, so that accent is wonderful to me. Only one narrator has distracted me so far in the British selections.
For sleeping, Ive chosen some old favorites from childhood. Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, the Jungle Book, etc. (I was raised on those British books lol). Find your old childhood faves. Im a Harry Potter fan too, so those are fun to go to sleep to, not the later ones so much though. Biographies are good for sleep, Ive found.
They also have selections from the Great Courses, which I already was familiar with. So you can choose lectures on pretty much anything...even if theyre interesting, at bedtime usually they put me to sleep! Ive been listening to one called How the Earth Works, and that put me right out lol. That narrator does irk me a bit. No idea why.
Some really light reading that I love are the M.C Beaton books. They take place in England and Scotland. The Agatha Raisin series and the Hamish MacBeth series. Ostensibly detective stories, but funny as hell with lovable main characters and only bad people get murdered! Theyre great to listen to go to sleep to, but I always have to listen in the daytime again because I fall asleep and miss it all. I love those books, and have read them in print again and again. Now Im listening to them all even if Ive read them. Kind of soothing in these effed up times. Great characters.
One of my sources for books besides Audible are the free library services. Audible of course we have to pay for, but if youre a library patron wherever you live, theres a great free audible (and print) service called Hoopla. Completely free. Also Libby. The selections on Libby depend on your library, but Hoopla has a really large selection. Check it out.
Well, that was probably more than you wanted, but Ive really been enjoying it. I have to watch myself not to get carried away buying everything I want at one time. Let me know how it goes.
Meantime, Ive enjoyed this thread with all the great suggestions. Especially intrigued by the socks of the month club!
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)when it comes to Audible. I think Im looking at the wrong types of books to get into the relax zone. I never even thought of childrens titles like Wind in the Willows or Winnie the Pooh. Theyd be familiar and comforting. I will work a little harder at searching titles and genres. Ive been in the rut of nonfiction and the narrators are often the authors and they tend to set me on edge for whatever reason. Time to listen to something different! I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions cwydro.
ETA: My library has Hoopla! I never knew.
Jane Austin
(9,199 posts)Get Dr. Andrew Weil's Breathing.
Just don't listen to if you're driving!
cwydro
(51,308 posts)You can only borrow 3 a month, which used to irritate me, but now that I have Audible I can balance it all out.
Ive found some of the old classics are also good for going to sleep lol. Pretty much anything you were forced to read in high school.
DeminPennswoods
(15,265 posts)Always lots of interesting stories, reports, fiction, book/movie/tv reviews plus the cartoons.
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)Shes a reader, and a political junkie and loves a good cartoon. Shes also from upstate NY. Great idea!
DeminPennswoods
(15,265 posts)I think that's for 48 issues - there's 3 or 4 weeks that are issues covering 2 weeks. My mom got me that every year for xmas.
IrishEyes
(3,275 posts)I got a 6 month subscription one year for Christmas. Every month, a pizza sized Kringle would appear in a different flavor. They were all delicious. It is one of my favorite gifts that I have received.
https://www.kringle.com/store/product/kringle-of-the-month-club
Here are the flavors
January - Cheesecake
February - Cherry
March - Chocolate Chip
April - Raspberry
May - Cinnamon
June - Strawberry Cheesecake
July - Almond
August - Berry Crumble
September - Apple Cinnamon
October - Salted Caramel
November - Cranberry
December - Pecan
MontanaMama
(23,296 posts)I'm in the process of making my Christmas lists for our employees and I do something different for each of them. I have one guy who works here who would LOVE this. Many thanks!!
IrishEyes
(3,275 posts)There are a lot more interesting flavors. I think I will buy one or two to bring to my office Christmas potluck party. They are great to share. My old roommates were sad when the subscription ended.