We just came out of the holiday time of year, where unless you are a hermit living in a cave somewhere, there is probably someone to whom you had to give a gift. Coupled with a terrible economy, it might be tough to find a very nice gift that doesn’t cost a lot, especially if you are trying to please your honey. But take it from me, after extensive personal research, I’ve concluded that the cost of a gift has absolutely nothing to do with the way the enjoyment of the recipient. In fact, I discovered something that couldn’t be more different from conventional wisdom. The best gifts were the ones with the most thought behind them, completely independent of cost. In fact, the more homemade or the more input I had in the creation of the gift, the more of an impression it made. And often, these kinds of gifts cost virtually NOTHING.

Here’s a great example: I gave two different people two different cards. One was a store bought Hallmark card, the other was a card I designed and printed out on my computer. Guess which was better received? The homemade card looked cheaper (it was printed on regular printer paper) and definitely have all of the graphics and production value of the store-bough card. However, what it didn’t have in cost, it made more than enough up with heart, affection, and personal touch. While the store-bought card was perceived as a routine, typical occurrence that didn’t require much thought, the home-made card was so out of the norm of what people expect that it’s cheap nature actually had a more endearing, positive aspect to it.

Likewise, the same kind of approach works with larger ticket items, such as jewelry. Every woman would love to get jewelry as a gift, but again, it doesn’t have to break the bank and really, a more personal touch is more appreciated anyway. For example, an item of jewelry with something personal, such as a monogrammed name or personal message is far more effective than a more expensive piece of jewelry that may have more exquisite diamonds or whatever, but doesn’t look like a lot of personal thought was put into it.A bracelet with your honey’s name or a ring with a thoughtful message on the inside is always a better gift than a more expensive item that could’ve been easily purchased by just anyone from any old catalog.

Best thing to do is think of something your lover might like and then think of a way to personalize it and make it unique. Extra points go to a self-authored message or any hand-made aspect of the gift. Sometimes something that looks cheaper actually has more value than something which costs more. Remember, it is the INTENT not the expense which wins you points with your honey on gift giving day.