Gifts under $10

The Value of Thoughtful Giving: Gifts Under $10 Supporting Families in Difficult Times

In challenging times, families often face tough decisions about budgeting for essential needs versus participating in festive events. Birthdays, holidays, and special occasions can bring stress rather than joy when finances are tight. However, thoughtful gifts under $10 can ease the burden, allowing families to create meaningful moments without financial strain. Inexpensive yet thoughtful gifts can benefit families during difficult times, offering practical ideas and emphasizing the importance of intentional giving.

Affordability Without Sacrificing Meaning

A common misconception is that a higher price tag equates to greater value or thoughtfulness. However, small, budget-friendly gifts often carry more significance when they are carefully chosen or personalized. A handmade ornament, a heartfelt card, or a simple photo frame can convey love and care just as effectively as expensive items.

In difficult times, such gifts remind families of the joy found in connection, not consumption. They create opportunities for bonding, inspire creativity, and ensure celebrations are inclusive of all budget levels.

The Power of Personalization

Personalized gifts are among the most treasured, and they don’t have to be costly. A custom keychain with initials, a hand-painted mug, or a homemade scrapbook can leave a lasting impression. These gifts demonstrate thoughtfulness, turning a simple object into a cherished keepsake. They also reflect the time and effort invested, which can mean more than the gift’s monetary value.

Practical Gift Ideas Under $10

Affordable gifting doesn’t mean settling for less; it’s about finding meaningful ways to bring joy. Below are practical ideas for thoughtful gifts under $10:

  1. Books (Secondhand or Discounted): A good story can transport a person to another world, offering a break from everyday struggles. Children’s books, novels, or self-help guides are thoughtful choices.
  2. DIY Kits: Assemble small kits for crafting, gardening, or drawing using items from dollar stores. For example, a “build your own bracelet” kit can inspire creativity in children.
  3. Comfort Foods: Create a “hot cocoa and cookies” bundle using reusable jars filled with cocoa mix and a few cookies. It’s an affordable way to provide comfort and warmth.
  4. Puzzle or Game Sets: Compact puzzles, card games, or brain teasers offer families an engaging way to spend time together.
  5. Photo Memories: Print a meaningful photo and place it in a dollar-store frame. A picture speaks a thousand words and preserves precious memories.
  6. Handwritten Letters: Pair a heartfelt letter with a simple token like a bookmark or a handmade charm. The sentimental value is priceless.
  7. Here’s a list I made from Walmart to help you save: Walmart under $10

Encouraging Family Bonding

Simple gifts can also inspire activities that bring families together. A $10 puzzle can spark hours of collaboration, while an inexpensive cookbook can lead to family baking sessions. These moments of togetherness are invaluable, especially during difficult times when emotional support is essential.

For example, creating a “Family Game Night Kit” with a deck of cards, popcorn, and a small board game can provide ongoing entertainment while fostering connection. Such gifts go beyond their immediate use—they create lasting memories.

Teaching Children the Joy of Giving

Teaching children the value of thoughtful giving is important. Parents can involve kids in crafting handmade gifts, baking treats, or writing cards for loved ones. These activities teach children that generosity doesn’t require a big budget; it’s the thought that counts.

For instance, a child could create a colorful drawing, pair it with a handwritten note, and give it to a grandparent. This simple act can bring immense joy to both the giver and the recipient, reinforcing the idea that heartfelt gifts are the most meaningful.

Creating a Ripple Effect of Positivity

Thoughtful gifting, even on a budget, has the potential to inspire others. When one person finds joy in giving a small but meaningful gift, it encourages a chain reaction of positivity. Families going through tough times can draw strength from these small acts of kindness, knowing they are supported by their community.

For example, a family receiving a small care package from a neighbor might feel inspired to pay it forward by baking cookies for another family in need. Such acts foster a spirit of generosity, even in challenging circumstances.

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Gifting

Another benefit of inexpensive gifts is their potential to be environmentally friendly. Handmade items, upcycled products, and secondhand treasures reduce waste while offering unique, thoughtful alternatives to mass-produced goods.

A homemade soy candle in a recycled jar or a knitted scarf using leftover yarn are examples of sustainable gifts under $10. These not only support eco-conscious practices but also demonstrate creativity and care.

Making Celebrations Accessible

In times of hardship, families often feel excluded from celebrations due to financial constraints. Budget-friendly gifting ensures everyone can participate, keeping traditions alive and creating shared experiences.

For instance, an extented family implementing a $10 gift exchange rule ensures inclusivity, allowing all members to join the festivities without financial stress on their families. Similarly, workplaces that encourage low-cost Secret Santa exchanges foster a sense of community and equality among employees.

Gift Ideas for Specific Occasions

  1. Birthdays: A personalized birthday card with a small trinket like a keychain or charm bracelet.
  2. Holidays: Festive decorations or ornaments that can be reused year after year.
  3. Thank You Gifts: A small potted plant or a handmade thank-you note paired with a bar of chocolate.
  4. Teacher Appreciation: A reusable water bottle or a pack of colorful pens accompanied by a thoughtful note.
  5. Walmart list for items under $10: a list of fun gifts under $10 that I created to inspire you!

By Jennifer Geigel

Quick Cash

I always get this question on my social media posts: How can I make extra money quick without any training or special skills. There are a few ways to make money online or on your phone but not many of them are necessarily quick but most of these only require simple skills. Let’s get started.

Online surveys

Now, some people think these are scams, but in reality, many of them are not. I have tested a few different online survey sites and apps and I do enjoy Attapoll quite a bit. Attapoll is simple to use. No points system, no hoops and no pretend slot machine type rewards. It’s plain and simple. Answer these questions to receive 40 cents. This very straight forward system is what got me hooked! Anyone could understand! You also get a referral code you can share with friends. Every time someone uses your code to download the app, you get 50 cents. It adds up! Plus, you get 10% of whatever that friend makes! So if your friend does $4 of surveys every day, you’ll get 40 cents! It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it can make a difference if you have 10 or 20 referrals, making a few dollars a day passively! My referral code is pjibk if you’d like to support!

Tapestri

Not everyone is going to want to do this one…but I figure, they know where I am anyways, why not get paid for it! Tapestri is an app that litterally pays you to know your location. When you “check in” to any registered location, you get 2 cents. All you need to do is press the “check in” button and you get the 2 cents. It’s easy and convienient, especially if you are in a busy city with many businesses. You also get paid to keep the app on while you are driving. So you make money as you drive. This is a not a super lucrative app but it will make you a couple of dollars here and there! I use it when I am walking around or when I am the passenger in a car or bus. Once you get to $60, the app will deposit your money.

Affiliate marketing

Have you ever considered being an affiliate for a business or company? It’s totally legit and you can make as little or as much as you can, depending on how much time you’d like to dedicate to it. I am an affiliate for quite a few companies myself. I have been an Amazon affiliate for some time, but I only got accepted as an Amazon influencer a couple of months ago. I now have my own Amazon shop in which I can suggest items for people to purchase. The best part is that I never have to have inventory, I don’t have to worry about shipping or any of that: I simply share the links to items I love. Now, if you’re not into becoming an Amazon affiliate or influencer, may I suggest a simpler affiliate program: Benable! With Benable you’ll need an invite link to join: Here’s mine! It works just like the Amazon affiliate program except you’ll have your own website and everything! Go have a look at my Benable website to see how I set it up. You’ll see that Benable is set up as lists of things I recommend. If you click on any of the items and purchase that item (or any other item from that website), I will receive a percentage of the sales. This being said, there is no special training that is needed, it is pretty straight forward. If you share your Benable lists or your Benable websites on your social media posts, you’re more likely to bring traffic to these items and increase the probability of people using your links to purchase. Once you have $80 or more in your account, you can request a payout.

Have You Heard of Benable?

"Benable

Have you ever heard about Benable? I had never heard of anything else like it! Think of it this way: if Linktree and Pinterest had a baby and the babies gave you money every time someone shopped your links! I’m not even kidding!

Let me tell you about it. First of all, one of the benefits of Benable is that you can share a list of the things you love, just like Pinterest. All you need to do is find anything you want to share, for example some new Lego sets from the Lego store that your kid just loves! You copy and paste the links into a list. You can share that list, just like you would share a Pinterest board. But this is the fun part: if anyone clicks on one of those Lego sets, it leads them to the Lego website, and if they buy it, you get a percentage as a small commission. This is the most exciting part: Benable is affiliated with over 30,000 companies! So it’s easy to find something you love to talk about and to share on your socials.

Referral bonus

When you join Benable with a referral code, you will get a bonus 10% of commissions. So if Lego offers you a 4% commission, you will, for the first 30 days, get 14% commission instead. Here is my referral link to get you started: https://benable.com/i/FMNVV

Share your link

Once you get onto the Benable site and create your profile, you’ll want to start sharing your referral link with your friends! Once you get to 10 people who use your referral code, you’ll earn 20% bonus for the first 3 months and if you get 20 people who use your referral code, you’ll earn 30% bonus for the first 3 months.

Start sharing!

You can share anything you want on Benable, making lists for anything from your favorite books, classes you offer, websites, shopping lists…and in many cases, you can be making extra income from those shares!

Why So Many Facebook Groups?

People often ask why I have so many Facebook groups…and the answer is simple: to organize my content. That’s it, that’s all. Just like a filing cabinet will have separators, I treat Facebook like my personal newspaper with different sections: business, entertainment, gardening, cooking… and I do it all! Why not? Have a look at my groups for inspiration and please join!

Creating Multiple Streams of Income

Join this group to learn about different ways you can create multiple streams of income! This group is fun because it has the potential to make you money! Why not join and see for yourself. I share workshops, referral codes and different job opportunities when I see them. It’s a small group with lots of potential.

Canadian Deals and Gift Ideas for the Whole Family

Join this group to find the best deals and coupons for Canadians to shop online, on Amazon and elsewhere. As an Amazon affiliate I get access to coupons, deals, sales and I share them with you in this group. Whenever I see something interesting, I post it there for you to see. If you love saving money and love to shop the best deals…this group is for you!

Jennifer and Emilie’s VIP Group

Join this group if you are from Canada or the USA and love cooking and love healthy eating that is quick and easy! This is my Epicure group. Epicure is a direct sales company that works towards getting healthy food on the plates of busy families. This is where I share recipes, specials and best of all, I do a weekly draw! Go have a look!

Networking Room by Sunflowers and the Kitchen Sink

Join this group to meet other entrepreneurs! Everyone who joins is allowed to post once a day! You can promote your business, a non-profit, an event, a class you’re giving, a book you wrote…just about anything! I created this group especially for those who are part of my networking room in the Sunflowers and the Kitchen Sink club or house in Clubhouse…but really, anyone is invited! And what better way to meet new people and to promote yourself!

Low Carb and Keto Canada

Join this group if you enjoy a low carb or keto diet and you live in Canada. I share different recipes but also share links to products available to us Canadians! I’ve been on a Keto or low carb diet for over 3 years and I love the way I feel. No more cravings, no more sugar highs or lows. I feel neutral pretty much all the time and can go hours and hours without eating and it doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve lost almost 60 pounds. Some people might think this isn’t much for 3 years. But the point is, I was never on a “diet”. I eat as much as I want. I just make sure everything I eat is low carb. So it’s been really easy!

Adding Creativity to your Child’s Life, One Class at a Time

Join this group if you have a child between the age of 3 and 18 and you want to find fun ways to add art and creativity to their lives. Tracy and I talk about our classes on a platform called Outschool (online classes) and I also share amazing art projects or deals I find on Amazon. Lots of inspiring posts and fun classes. We even have draws once in a while! Your child could win stickers, PDF’s to print or even a discounted or free class! Come have a look!

Random Acts of Kindness

Join this group if you want to share some of the random acts of kindness you’ve encountered. Either you have done something nice for someone or someone has done something kind for you! Come and share and read all of the inspiring stories that will add so much positive energy to your life. This is a great group for anyone just trying to make a difference!

Amazon Apparel Canada

Join this group if you would like to find out about the great deals and the best sellers on Amazon.ca regarding clothing for the whole family! I love to find things that are practical for my husband and son and that my daughter would wear! She is a fussy clothing shopper and I understand when people say they are searching for comfort! I also find plus size clothing because we all know that can be a bit of a challenge too!

Predis.ai Post Creator

The first time I used Predis.ai I was so curious about what it could do. I tested it and made a video, 5 slides to use as a slide show or social media post and a one image post. I was impressed by how easy it was!

The tool’s user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing me to quickly create posts without any technical knowledge or coding experience.

The process of creating a post on Predis.ai is straightforward. I simply select the type of post I want to create, such as a text post, image post, or video post. Then, I add the content and visuals to the post and customize the settings, such as the post’s publishing time and target audience.

What I appreciate most about Predis.ai is its pre-built templates and designs that help me create visually appealing and engaging posts in minutes. The tool also provides recommendations and insights to optimize the post’s performance, which saves me time and effort in analyzing data manually.

In conclusion, Predis.ai’s easy-to-use interface and customizable features make it an ideal tool for creating social media posts, even for those with little to no technical expertise.

Join today and give it a try!

Here is my project that basically took me a total of 2 minutes to do.

Get Money Back as You Shop!

Are you getting Cash Back at Rakuten.ca?

Rakuten is an online retail company that offers a wide range of services and benefits to its customers. Here are some of the benefits of using Rakuten:

  1. Cashback: Rakuten offers cashback on purchases made through its platform, which means that customers can earn money back on their purchases.
  2. Discounts and Coupons: Rakuten provides customers with access to exclusive discounts and coupons, which can help them save money on their purchases.
  3. Variety of Products: Rakuten offers a wide variety of products, including electronics, clothing, beauty products, and more, making it a one-stop-shop for all your shopping needs.
  4. Free Shipping: Rakuten offers free shipping on many of its products, which can help customers save money on shipping costs.
  5. Rakuten Super Points: Rakuten Super Points are rewards that customers can earn by shopping on Rakuten. These points can be redeemed for discounts on future purchases.
  6. Convenient Payment Options: Rakuten offers a range of payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and Alipay, making it easy for customers to make purchases.
  7. Customer Support: Rakuten provides customer support in multiple languages, making it easy for customers to get help when they need it.

Overall, Rakuten offers a range of benefits to its customers, including cashback, discounts, a variety of products, free shipping, rewards points, convenient payment options, and customer support.

It’s an awesome site that gives you Cash Back when you shop online. With over 750 stores, including The Bay, Sport Chek, Canadian Tire, Old Navy, and Sephora, you get paid to shop for things you’re already buying.

Plus, get a $30 Cash Bonus when you join today!

https://www.rakuten.ca/referrer?referrerid=x2pY319i1U4%3D

Happy shopping!

Rakuten Canada

Math Books for Kids

Doing this together

My husband and I have been working on this project for over two months. It has been a fun experience to find the images, do the layouts, invent the math problems and figure out the theme of the book. We decided on 40 pages so that the child could do one or two pages a day and be done in about a month, making it long enough for it to be helpful for parents, homeschooling or even classroom teachers without it being overwhelming for kids. We also wanted this to be a coloring book to encourage students to complete the math before coloring the pages. The other thing we decided on was single sided pages. As we set up the book for Amazon KDP, we left one blank page after each printed page in order to accommodate children who wanted to use markers or ink pens. You see, as parents, we’ve seen the struggle of little kids coloring and the reverse page being unusable because of the ink bleed. How frustrating!

The other thing we decided to do was to create a lefty version of the book! Yes, you heard right! These books are actually printed on the left side instead of the right side, making it easy for little ones to access the pages without that dreaded “hump”. Find my affiliate links to all versions here:

Regular version in English

Regular version in French

Lefty version in English

Lefty version in French

Having this digital asset in my possession, I now decided to also sell it on a different platform called Teachers Pay Teachers. Anyone can set up a store and sell activities, books, videos geared to teachers. If you would like to download this workbook and print it for your personal or classroom use, please use this link to access my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

I encourage everyone to start creating digital assets. It’s the way to go to stop exchanging your time for money. What I mean by this, is that once the time is spent to create this asset, you can sell it years later and you can even sell it while you sleep! There is no physical product to deal with, no inventory to carry and store. I truly believe it’s the key to creating multiple streams of reoccurring income!

Our Epic Journey

Epicure has been a great addition to our household for the last 10 years! I fell in love with this company because it offered gluten free options for my daughter who had been on the gluten free diet and I was struggling to find food that was tasty but also healthy! At a time when gluten free wasn’t as common as it is today, the only gluten free treats I could find were full of sugar, salt, artificial flavors and artificial color! I then discovered Epicure and was thrilled to find out that ALL of their products are gluten free, nut free and free of artificial colors and flavors! Only the BEST ingredients for my family! Plus, what they offered was amazing: an opportunity to make an extra income for my daughter’s autism therapy that was causing us financial strain. Have a look at the website for yourself!

Not only did I discover the benefits of Epicure’s healthy food choices and income opportunity, I also discovered that cooking as a family increased my children’s food repertoire! Epicure made it so easy for them to participate in cooking our family’s meals that they started eating a variety of vegetables and international flavors. My autistic daughter that only ate things that were white started eating a bigger variety of foods too! My daughter also started to want to cook on her own! At around 10 years old, she started taking out the meal solution packs and dessert packs and initiating meal prep! By 12 years old, she was doing it all by herself. She would arrive from school before I got home from work, and often, I was welcomed by Epicure muffins, cupcakes or even a butter chicken dish!

Learn more about Epicure

The link above brings you to a video explaining Epicure’s mission! I love that it is available in both Canada and USA. Emilie has now started helping me with my cooking classes in which I help busy people find meal solutions to keep their meals healthy and fast! All of the meals are made to be done in 20 minutes or less! We do online cooking classes, in person cooking classes and zoom classes! These are a fun way for our hostess to earn free and half price products.

Subscription for monthly meals!

Epicure also offers a monthly subscription plan! This is an awesome option to add more variety in our monthly meal plans! We get to try things that we wouldn’t necessarily buy. It often surprises us to enjoy something unexpected. It also helps us meal plan to have the packs ready to go! As an Epicure consultant, these monthly subscriptions create monthly passive income. It’s a great way to help people add variety in their lives while making automatic income every month.

Join the team!

Growing my team has been a new passion of mine! Helping others reach their goals is so satisfying and hosting team meetings has helped me get more on track as well. What a fun bunch of people supporting each other! Please join my team and let’s grow our business together! Become a Good Food ambassador!

If you have any questions or would like to get a free sample in the mail, please fill out this form!

Best Income Producing Sites and Classes

Having your own small business is a puzzle…especially when you are trying to find inexpensive yet effective applications that will help your business without emptying your pockets! Here are 4 websites I think you should check out for your small business needs.

Payhip

Payhip is the most amazing site to sell online! First of all, it’s free! You can set up a blog, an online store, sell a course, sell digital products and more! I love the way you can set it up so that when customers pay for your digital item, it is available right away to them. There is no need to manually send them your PDF or video! You can set it up automatically. The catch you ask? Payhip keeps 5% of all of your sales. So if you sell a PDF for $10, Payhip will keep 50 cents. To me, that is a very inexpensive amount to pay for such a great platform! Also makes it risk free, in case you don’t sell a thing! Join today!!! Risk free!

Affiliate marketing as extra income

I took this class with Alessandro and it blew me away! Literally my mind was blown! The information that he provides is worth much more than the $100 for the five day bootcamp. I learned how to create my own Bootcamp and use a funnel system to make many clients! After following his advice, I had 11 people register to my Bootcamp and many of them paid for an up-sell product and three of them paid for a private consultation. This has opened up many new opportunities to make extra income. I actually have 15 streams of income at this moment and Alessandro was instrumental in making that happen. This is a great way to turn $100 into much much more! Join this amazing Bootcamp today!

Eduhustle

Because I am a teacher, I have found great value in Eduhustle to create multiple streams of income as an educator! Teachers have certain key talents and knowledge that can easily be used for other income producing activities. Eduhustle has a job board, digital download to educate you on earning as an independent contractor, webinars and so much more! These digital products are all reasonably priced and can help you find that extra income you’ve been looking for! Best part? 10% off if you use my referral code: JENNIFER06870.

I highly recommend it! Go check it out now!

Sunflowers and the Kitchen Sink Swag

Because you asked! I’ve helped a non profit organization set up their swag, I’ve helped a friend set up their swag and I helped my daughter set up her swag…all using their artwork and logos! I have been working on some designs of mine for the last couple of weeks, and today, I present to you…my own swag! So many of you have asked: “When will I be able to get a Sunflowers and the Kitchen Sink shirt? When will I see you with the sunflower designs? Well…the wait is over!

I created Sunflowers and the Kitchen Sink to inspire you to be your best self. You have the power to create your own happiness. Like a sunflower, stand tall, be strong, be the sun, plant seeds. These fun and thoughtful pieces are meant to inspire you. Everything from shirts to bags to ipad covers to dog bandannas…Enjoy and please share!

Order your Sunflowers and the Kitchen Sink Swag today!