Ten Gifts Under $10 for Mom and Dad

You're a kid on a mission. You have a few dollars saved up from your allowance, a paper route or from shovelling The Smith's driveway but it's not a lot and you want to get Mom or Dad something nice for their birthday. What's a kid to do? Pocket your hard-earned cash and head for the dollar store. You might be surprised by the attractive gifts you can piece together for ten dollars or less. See if one of these ideas is right for your Mom or Dad.

In The Garden - You have many options for containers to put this gift in, from plastic pots to attractively decorated galvanized metal pots. A small painted metal pail would make a great container as well. To make your gift extra special, why not choose a simple clay pot and decorate it yourself? Then add a pair of gardening gloves, a metal trowel, a pair of pruning shears and a metal garden spike. Add three packages of flower or vegetable seeds for a dollar and you have still spent only $6.00. 

Flower Power - Pick the pot(s) of your choice. You can get brightly painted clay pots at two for a dollar. Other small pots are three for a dollar. Package a bag of potting soil (2 small bags for $1.00) and three packages of flower seeds for a dollar, along with your pots, in an attractive gift bag for a total cost of $4.00.

Chef's Special - New kitchen tools might be just what the cook in your family desires. Start with a metal utensil holder and line it with a colourful tea towel. Now pick out the kitchen utensils of your choice. It's up to you how many pieces you want to include but a large spoon, spatula, spaghetti server and ladle, all in the same style of course, would be good choices to start with. Including a gift bag, this present will only set you back $6.00 and is sure to be appreciated by the resident chef. 

Dressed to Grill - Outfit the barbecuer in your family with some new equipment. Include a grill cleaning brush, a barbecue apron, a non-stick vegetable grill, a hamburger grill, a long handled spatula and a set of two skewers (all with rubber handles). Toss in a pair of plastic condiment holders and your gift will still only cost $6.00.