Last Minute Gift Ideas

Searching for last minute gift ideas particularly for long distance family members or loved ones? Sending gifts across the miles is something that usually requires a lot planning ahead to make sure that the gift arrives to them on time. And the prices of shipping items to far away places often costs more than the gift itself.

There are lots of great creative ways to send a gift to a long distance loved one that can be done on a budget and without much planning ahead.

Spa Time

I’ll tell you right now, you are more than welcome to get me a gift certificate to a spa whenever you want! That pretty much goes for any mom out there! I love Spa Week because their goal is simple: bring the spa & wellness experience to the masses by offering full service treatments, normally costing hundreds of dollars, for just $50 dollars each. Great deal for a great indulgence.
Flowers

A popular choice is to have flowers delivered to your loved one. Most florists require only a 24-hour notice and will accept a debit or credit card over the phone. Here are a few tips for this gift option:

• • Shop Around: Call local florists to get prices and check online merchants such as 1800flowers.com to look for coupon codes and discounts.
  • Where to Deliver: If you don’t know your loved one’s address or aren’t sure when they will be home you can have flowers delivered to their place of employment where it is often easier to know where they will be at a specific time.

Local Dining, Spas and Entertainment Vouchers

All you need to know is your loved one’s email address to be able to send a voucher for a local spa, restaurant or entertainment venue! Most of the daily deal sites such as Groupon’s Best Sellers have gift options to send the voucher right to the recipient’s email.

• • Save Money: These vouchers are already at incredible discounts but you can subscribe to receive deal updates from these companies and will often get coupon codes for even more savings.
  • Time Crunch: This is one of the best options for a last minute gift. The voucher will be sent nearly instantly to your loved one’s email address. Just make sure to let them know to check their email for a gift in case it is sent to spam or overlooked.

Photo Gifts

Have a parent or grandparent who lives far away and loves updated photos of their grandchildren? Order prints online at places such as Walgreens or Walmart and have them delivered to your loved one.

• Free Shipping: Many photo printing options allow you to choose free in-store pick-up on prints, enlargements and some photo gifts. You can just choose the store closest to the recipient and let them know to check the Walgreens photo counter (or your store of choice) for a gift.
• Last Minute Option: This is an incredible last minute gift offer! Most of the print options are available to pick-up in just over an hour! Just make sure you put the order under the recipient’s name so there is no confusion at the photo counter.

Local Restaurant Delivery

Have a friend or loved one who just had a baby, is sick or just having a tough day? Head to Yelp and see what restaurants are popular in their area. Call a local restaurant that offers delivery and have dinner delivered to their door! We’ve given Restaurant.com gift certificates several times. With this certificate the recipient can use it at hundreds of different restaurant. Great program for paying for a meal for a friend.

• Planning Food Delivery: With this option you will want to make sure they are home to receive the delivery and that they don’t already have dinner plans. One way to do this is to call a spouse to check on plans or just send them a text asking when they will be home and telling them to take the night off that dinner is on you!
• Paying and Options: Most of the major pizza delivery chains take a credit or debit card over the phone and many have online ordering available. If your loved one lives in a larger city you may be able to find locally owned restaurants that deliver as well.

eGift Cards

Most major retailers offer online eGift cards, that are sold through GiftCardMall.com so you can easily purchase and have it emailed to your loved one. This is another great last minute way to send a gift to brighten someone’s day.

• Free Shipping! Cards purchased through GiftCardMall.com are emailed to the recipient or to you and you can forward it.
• Last Minute! The email of their gift card usually arrives within minutes of the purchase!

For events such as Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, a birthday or other special occasion or if you know of a friend who is going through a rough time, consider these last minute gift that provide great options to send a thoughtful gift across the miles on a budget.