The $5 Challenge

The Gay Luck Club is having a X'mas party next weekend and we're having a pollyanna. The rules are simple, well, not really. Everyone has to buy a gift for $5 or less and wrap it. During the party, there's some kind of name drawing and gift stealing and some craziness. I can see how it can potentially be fun, but finding that gift prove to be harder than I thought.

It's not that you can't buy anything for $5, but for a gift that somebody would want is a bit hard. Obviously a gift card for $5 is rather impersonal. So the search started at an Architectural bookstore that carries a lot of nick-nacks. There were nothing under $5. One thing that I found interesting and look cheap enough was a keyring with a beetle attach to it. It looks pretty but it cost. $7.99.

I thought about going to the wine store and find something, the tiny bottles of liquor probably cost $5 or less, but who would want them? I couldn't find anything in Macy's that would cost $5 to save my life, or even Old Navy of all places. That's when I stumbled into a store called Five Below. Five Below is a magical place where everything they carry is $5 or under, but then again I couldn't find anything that I might want. A Santa hat with an Eagles logo on it, cheap iPod speakers and things made of styrofoams do not make good gifts. The only thing that I liked was a red shirt with a yellow drawing and text that says "Chopsticks Champion". I would have bought one, but then I don't know the size of the potential gift getter nor that if someone would find the shirt offensive.

Bath and Body Works was selling 4 tiny moisturizers for $10, and I could possibly divide it up, but who would want that? Borders have a a pack of 4 Indian rug looking coasters for $20, but who care to receive only one coaster? I went into West Elm and saw a nice small metal candle holder with their signature design, but it's a few bucks over my limit. I almost gave up and decide to pick something from home or going to get a small bottle of poppers or lube as a gag gift (I wonder how much they cost...) But stumbled into home store with a window display of a list of things that cost less than $10. There's a metal piggie bank that cost $8, an aroma rubber duckie that cost $10. After browsing for a while I saw a pear shaped candle that costs exactly $5. Perfect. It's not extremely fancy but at least it looks adorable.

I never realized how much things cost, you nearly can't buy anything good for $5 anymore. The surprising thing is that gas cost $1.29 in Jersey now. Next time I'll bring a bottle and buy me 4 gallons.