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| DollarWise | 10 luxury gifts for less
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Pamper your friends and family without ravaging your savings. Here are some special treats, creature comforts and novel pleasures that are sure to delight.
By Jennifer Mulrean
Spoiling everyone on your gift list doesn't have to mean exhausting your funds. It's all about finding great deals on luxury items, or modifying those luxuries so that they fit your budget. Think a half-hour neck-and-shoulders massage instead of a three-day excursion to a destination spa, or cashmere socks and gloves instead of a cashmere blanket.
The key to determining if something is a luxury, after all, isn't the designer price tag. Luxuries can be anything the recipient wouldn't normally buy for him or herself. Here are several ideas to help you pamper those you love.
Sweet dreams
Talk to anyone who's slept on high-thread-count sheets and you'll likely hear them say they can never go back to the regular (read: scratchy) variety. There are a couple of places you can pick these up for dream prices: Overstock.com and SmartBargains.com regularly feature deals on luxury bedding.
At Overstock, for example, I spotted a Sateen 600 thread-count solid sheet set for $69, $230 off the list price of $299, and a 1,200-thread-count sheet set for $190 -- a whopping $710 off the $900 list price. Similarly, at SmartBargains, I found another 1,200 thread-count sheet set for $200 -- or $760 less than the list price -- and plenty of sets for under $100.
Go for whites or other neutral colors and you stand a better chance of complementing the recipient's existing bedding. And remember, these sites specialize in offloading excess merchandise from other retailers, so the selection will vary.
Stress relief
You don't need to pony up for the full day or weekend at a destination spa to make someone feel pampered. Massages have gone mainstream. You can get them from chains such as Aveda, or from local spas that may even be located in your neighborhood mall. (InSpa is one such chain in the state of Washington.)
While you often can buy 60- or 90-minute versions, even a half-hour massage will do wonders for all holiday-induced back pain -- and you'll usually save about 40% off the hour-long service. An InSpa 30-minute massage costs $34, compared to $59 for the hour-long service, for example. Another option: Give your sweetie a coupon (or 10) for your own services.
Manicures and pedicures
Manicures and pedicures are less-expensive spa services, and you can get them at regular nail salons for even better prices. They're not just for women and metrosexuals. If your favorite man works in a field where his hands are important (doctors want to appear clean and neat, for example), he may go for this, too. For $20 or $30, a treatment leaves the customer feeling polished and groomed. Use the MSN Yellowpages to find salons near you.
Gourmet foods
Fancy edibles fall squarely into the luxury camp. Not only do many people balk at paying up for gourmet foods, but whipping up the homemade variety can be a huge time sink (panettone, anyone?), if you can even find the appropriate ingredients. Besides, many people put cooking on their list of stress-inducers, which would undo the benefits of gifts Nos. 2 and 3 above. Instead, order sure-to-impress items such as caviar, lobster and lox, or hit the recipient's sweet spot with gourmet chocolates and other confectionary delicacies. Start at sites such as Williams-Sonoma, iGourmet, Harry and David and Graffam Brothers Lobster Co. (I've ordered from Graffam a number of times. Result: excellent service and one very happy dad.)
Detail their car
How I used to hate it when my parents suggested this as a gift to them. And how I wish I had my own 12-year-old to suggest this to now. I have little time to take in my car for oil changes, let alone to take a Q-tip to my heating vents. Rather pay than sweat? Costs will vary by location, but figure at least $150 for a professional service.
Premium soaps and bath products
What started as a stocking stuffer for my mom has become a staple of her main gift list. It's not hard to see why. Shes unlikely to treat herself to an $8 bar of luxury soap, but the high-end soaps smell better and often last a lot longer than the common stuff. A special bar or two plus some bubble bath or shower gel will delight your loved one for a long time to come. Try blissspa.com and Sephora.com for gift suggestions organized by price range, or stop by a local bath products store.
Cashmere anything
Cashmere has come a long way from the exclusive domain of well-to-do ladies and gents. These days you're likely to find cashmere at more pedestrian stores and prices. J.Crew, a bastion of ultra-casual wear, has a section of its site dedicated to the super-soft wool, for example. Your budget isn't stretching to fit the double-ply thick-knit turtleneck sweater? Less expensive options include socks, gloves and hats. In addition to the J.Crews of the world, stop by discount site Bluefly.com for its great selection and prices. I spotted knit caps for about $30 (marked down from $60) and gloves for $27 (marked down from $50-$60). And, hey, if you want to splurge on the cashmere throw, this is the place to do it. Bluefly had a number of them for about $135, less than half their original $300 price tag.
Jewelry and watches
What are the holidays without a little bling? Unfortunately, a piece of jewelry or a nice watch can sink your whole budget in a single, if beautiful, shot. Still, you can get the sparkle at a fraction of retail costs by shopping at sites such as Ashford.com's Outlet, Blue Nile, World of Watches and Overstock and SmartBargains. Lab-grown diamonds are another option for the truly chic woman wanting the colored diamonds she sees on Hollywood's JLo and Halle Berry. Check out the Gemesis list of authorized retailers here or peruse Chatham here.
Name-brand cookware
You might have one or two of these on your gift list: They're cooks who take their culinary aspirations seriously -- and want serious tools to match. If so, you're also likely familiar with brands that pack the most cachet: KitchenAid, Le Creuset and All-Clad are just a few. You can sometimes pick these up for less by watching mainstream sites such as Amazon.com and Williams-Sonoma for special deals. Amazon had the iconic KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart mixer for $220 -- $70 off its sticker price -- and Williams-Sonoma has been known to occasionally offer All-Clad saucepans for $20. But these deals are hard to predict, so you'll also want to check out the bargain sites. On SmartBargains, I spotted one KitchenAid pan selling for $127 off its usual price (yup, it was going for a whopping $23.) On auction site eBay I found a wide selection of new kitchen wares from all the big names. Also, Cookware & More sells factory irregulars from All-Clad -- items with minor visual blemishes. (Posters on a cooking message board swear these are unnoticeable.) The site boasts that you'll save at least 33% off retail on the All-Clad pans, but I spotted several discounts that exceeded 50%. Cookware & More also sells plenty of regular merchandise from All-Clad, Wusthof and other major brands. Another option is to check your local restaurant-supply stores.
King or queen for a day
Short on cash but have plenty of time to spare? Give them one day to order you around and do all their housework for them. Set any rules you want, but chances are this will become a favorite. Before you wrinkle your nose at this one, think of all the chores on your own never-ending to-do list . . . and the relief of having someone else complete a chunk of them.
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