Holiday Shopping 101

Picture courtesy of deviantart.com

 

Shopping for tools was never so easy!

 

After a certain age (TBD by your discretion), writing letters to Santa turns into giving your loved ones hints and wish lists around the holiday season. Or if you are like some of us in the office, specific model numbers, pictures, and places the item can be purchased at! This is primarily to avoid the “I am at the mall exchanging all of my gifts the day after Christmas because no one listened to me” scenario.

 

One of the hardest/scariest people to shop for (hence why gift certificates might become more popular around this time), is that handyman/DIY person in your life.

 

No fear… Santa’s elves are here!

 

This can be a daunting task. But take a few of these suggestions (and maybe inventory of what they already have), and your holiday gifting this year will be nothing short of successful!

 

First, let’s talk about tools. Most handymen/DIY’ers will have some sort of tools. But take note of what they do have. And then fill in the blank with these tool ideas:

• A screwdriver set – Because you never know when different sizes could be useful
• A hammer – this is extremely basic, we know… but you never know!
• A saw – not all handymen will use a saw so be sure to think about the projects they may be looking to complete
• A measuring tape – everyone needs one of these whether you are a DIY’er or not.
• A wrench (preferably with a socket set) – you would be surprised how often you might find uses for a wrench
• A step ladder – not the ones that are a foot off the ground but one that is at least 3-4 ft. tall. This is much more useful!
 

Now if that gave you some ideas, think about also getting a tool box or tool organizer in order to make it all a bit more official. Knowing where your tools are is probably just as important as having them.

 

If your handyman is more on the "intermediate" level of DIY projects, then you may want to look into some electric tool options and some more advanced options to accommodate the level of projects!

• A drill – okay so everyone should also own a drill no matter what! Do you know how hard it is to do even some of the simplest household tasks without one?
• A sander – It’s 2012… not many people use sandpaper these days
• A level – this might seem like more of a basic tool. But we feel most people don’t utilize it until they are in the more advance stages of DIY projects.
• Protective gloves and goggles – Again, might seem basic. But these aren’t the top priority until the projects begin to increase in difficulty.

 

Regardless of the level of projects, it might be smart to always have some extra Band-Aids and hydrogen peroxide around the house. You just never know what might happen when someone has a tool in their hand!

 

And if none of these seem like a good option or you just aren’t sure, you can always get gift cards to Lowe’s or Home Depot as your “they will love this no matter what” back up plan!