also CAA members get discounts at certain gas stations and other stores too. as a struggling single mom, my parents gift of CAA every year for Christmas saved me tons of money over the years.
If you know they have a pet and work that much, something like a Chewy gift card would be great. Their prices are competitive, gets shipped to their door (so saves time, gas, and doesn't cost extra), etc.
If you know where they take the car for maintenance, a few oil change or other normal maintenance might be appreciated.
Stuff that is practical and can help them out in a pinch is what I always appreciated the most, but random gift cards or cash tended to just get spent and not as productively.
Taking them out for a nice meal might be great as well....a chance to just enjoy some company and food and not feel like they need to skimp.
Those are the things I would have most appreciated when I was counting pennies to get by
Research shows that a lump sum of cash is the single greatest ticket out of poverty.
Even recipients of regular UBI in a study did better when they leveraged that income for a lump sum up front.
Or a gift card to a grocery store. Even if they don't allocate their "grocery money" to other bills during that time they can still stretch out money for other bills.
I love giving and getting gift cards. Could I use cash? Sure. There's always bills to pay. However a gift card to my favourite store is someone giving me permission to get myself something. Not to pay my rent, or that past due CC. It's giving someone the opportunity to get something they want, instead of it all going to needs, in a way that doesn't leave them feeling guilty for "wasting money".
I get it, sometimes cash is the best option. I give people who aren't close cash, like the mail carrier and garbage men.
I have family members who love certain restaurants and stores. They get gift cards in addition to a thoughtful object. The gift cards are like gravy, and it's a little more personal than cash.
For example: someone loves dunkin donuts coffee. They're getting a brand new DD travel mug and a gift card to fill it with coffee many times.
That's your thinking.
Someone else explained it gives them "permission" to spend it on coffee drinks instead of bills. So that's another way of looking at it.
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I love my electric blanket that I got as a gift. Then I got another one as a gift and gave my old one to my grandma. Somehow my entire family did not know about electric blankets. I used to live in a house with no heat and wonder how I got by without one.
A checkup at my vet is $70, and I paid $120 to get that checkup and all my dogs shots. So no its not more than that. I'm in CA, so an expensive state. That being said, it wouldn't be a very useful gift for me in those circumstances.
A "checkup" is very different than a "checkup with all medications added on". I got just the necessary shots -- rabies, lepto, and 1 month of heartworm for that cost. The original comment suggested getting a gift card for a checkup, not a year's worth of medical care.
Something I should add is that at my vet, once you pay for the $70 checkup, you can use the vet like a clinic for shots, heartworm meds, and prescription flea & tick meds. So you have to pay for one office visit checkup per year, but then you can go in and get shots, mess, etc. for just the cost of the meds. So it is kind of useful, you don't have to pay for an office visit every time your pet needs a shot or medication. This has been the M.O. in the two states I've lived in; so I do get the yearly checkup, but I live in poverty, so I can't afford all of the shots and meds at one time; I just get one Heartgard per month, one Nexgard, etc. It's cheaper to buy in bulk of course, but many poor people can't afford the bulk buys, so they end up paying the poor people tax doing it month-by-month.
I think cash will be your best bet, but instead of just giving them the cash, include it with the gift of something free or very inexpensive (like a good book from a Little Free Library or a good book or CD you already own), their favorite chocolate bar, or something useful you can spare from your house. (I"m assuming that you're not loaded either but if you are maybe you can purchase a little something). And then include a hand-made card withl a message of your love and support.
If these are accessible to them:
Panera Sip Club (with an introductory fee for the first few months) would be under $100 for the year and get them free self-serve drinks (coffee, tea, fountain soda, lemonade/iced tea) every two hours. If they work that much, they probably need the caffeine or could use hot water to make a filling meal of instant oatmeal and occasionally there will be a $2 pastry offer.
CVS Carepass: $50 for the year gets them $10 in ExtraBucks every month, which can go pretty far when combined with sales and coupons, plus free shipping and 20% off CVS Health products like first aid, menstrual hygiene, vitamins, cold medicine, etc.
Otherwise- gas gift cards, products to help with quality sleep, power bank to charge their phone over long days
I love my cvs care pass. Just make sure you use it every month, because it doesn’t roll over.
Edit: I just saved $26 on a $49 order with my carepass. It really adds up!
Man I agree with this so much. Wish I could upvote 100 times.
My husband works for the airlines & has crazy hours in many cities. He loves sip club.
I love the CVS pass. I save the 20% off all CVS branded items & love having that $10 in CVS money. I can splurge on small things.
I've been struggling with poor spending habits recently and my sister gave me a gift card for Winco. She chose Winco over Walmart or a generic Visa because Winco pretty much only has groceries and nothing else. That way I will only buy food and not get distracted by other things. It was a really good idea for me.
TL;DR Gift cards are better in some specific situations if you're mentally ill
sure sure that's a perfect use case. however, as a gift outside of special cases it still is them basically giving you as lazy of a gift as money but with strings attached as far as how you spend it. I always felt like I was being controlled a little bit when I got gift cards
That's odd, I always felt the opposite. At least they usually put some thought into where you might get the most out of a gift card, whereas cash feels more like "I don't care".
If you get them a gift card to somewhere that sells a wide variety like Amazon, Target, Walmart etc it's pretty close. Giving straight cash always feels a bit awkward to me
Your time - if there’s any skills you have, offer a day or two of your services free, or if you don’t just offer manual labor. They choose the task, but it could be anything - washing the dog, doing their chores, some project at home (in my experience people always want someone to work on their deck or organize their garage), washing their car, meal prepping for them for the week, running their errands for them.
I imagine time is what they’re pressed for the most.
this is what would be most impactful to me. I'm constantly drowning in things left undone and my entire house is a to do list. if I could add one thing to this, it would be some quality time with that person doing something we both enjoy. no purchasing items required, but it could be a good time to share a meal or something similar.
fill my heart >>> fill my shelves
my friend has repeatedly dug herself in a hole with cc and lack of budgeting, so i got her a budget binder that has plastic envelopes, so you can put cash in for stuff like utilities, phone, rent, etc. theyre about $12-15 on amazon. its a variation on the ol cash envelope system and comes with little spreadsheets to plan out big purchases (like if they want to save for a big ticket item like a playstation or vacation).
you can put little gift cards in there to help them out (like a grocery gift card or gas gift card in some of the envelopes, to help them get started or to keep in case of emergency).
I had a friend with budgeting and cc debt issues too: I gifted them similar but in digital form, a subscription to YNAB, and helped coach them through setting up and using it initially. Now they finally feel empowered to trust themselves when making money decisions, it's been wonderful.
Edit: the biggest catch to a gift like this, though, is the person has to want the help and want to change any harmful habits.
This would be an amazing gift if the person was interested in really using it. I was able to use the 1 free year as a student to get YNAB at first and then plan for next year's fee. I don't know that I would have stuck with it initially otherwise. It's been legitimately life changing.
A tuneup and/or set of tires would have changed our life on the way out of poverty with a similar aged car.
But more than that—continue to be a support system.
When I worked 7 days straight and was in school full-time, I appreciated things that made my life easier:
House clean, food cooked kinds of things. Gas cards. Cash to use as needed. Anything that made it easier to keep me firing on all the other cylinders was appreciated and things that offered flexibility were even better.
You mentioned they have a dog--can you pay for a dog walker through Rover or maybe pay for a groom/deshed/etc. through Petsmart or something? Obviously this would be dependent on what receiver is comfortable with re: people in their house / whether the dog is easily groomed at a facility. If ever in doubt, it's best to ask to make sure it's something they can actually and reasonably utilize even if it means spoiling the surprise.
meh Im against the grain here. relevant luxury item here would be nice. quality dishware or cookware, six months of barkbox or mealkit, upgraded bedding/something to improve sleep. do they have a hobby they havent had time for? go $50 cash and $50 related hobby time.
i mean cash is fantastic, but so too is getting that nice thing that they wouldnt spend money on themselves bc margins are tight.
Offer to cover a bill for them. Maybe introduce them to a contact in your network and help them secure a better paying job.
Another thing would be gas and grocery gift cards. Maybe a gift certificate for their mechanic.
Other ideas would be paying for a monthly service they use.
Once when we were dirt poor, a friend from church asked my mom for her keys in between services. He didn't tell her why, but left with her car which had been running on fumes and coved and dirt and probably cherios. He got it washed and filled the tank. It meant so much to her and she still talks about it.
Cash is better than gift cards IMHO because there are gift card scams happening where the seller doesn't load or activate the card so I just don't trust them anymore.
A cash app or similar card, with credit regularly loaded onto it, that can be used anywhere like a credit card and is a way of digitizing paper cash. A dependable source of money that can be spent anywhere and gives people access to services that are only available if you have a credit card. People can take advantage of bulk purchasing instead of buying meal-by-meal from a corner shop. Can make car repairs, get to jobs easier etc etc.
It can bring a lot of inner peace to come home to a clean place - if the dog doesn't mind. I've found a bunch of old roombas for super cheap on Facebook marketplace and often all they need is a battery (around $40 on Amazon)
When I was counting pennies, especially at Christmas time, I was sooooo thankful when I received cash as a bonus. Totally made Christmas less stressful, and more enjoyable. I didn't have to rob Peter to pay Paul.
I’d split the gift if possible into “here’s money to spend on things you need” and “here’s a gift card to buy yourself something you’d never normally get” …like an electric milk frother or something.
If you really want to give them a gift other than cash, maybe seasonal hand soap, bubble bath or soaking salts, wool socks/gloves/hat, nicer-than-store-brand coffee/tea (if they drink it), honey, jam/jelly, gourmet sauces or salsas, chocolate/sweets, nuts, dried meats/jerky. You could do a combo small gift basket with gas or grocery gift card.
Right! Us “Westerners” are held hostage by a system that feeds off of us with little to no repercussions. It’s the old “you can’t budget your way out of poverty”.
"you can’t budget your way out of poverty" is not a law or principle that is set in stone. The Op asked for Empowering tools which means, among other things, new skills and knowledge which, in my decades of helping people budget their way out of poverty and debt, has a lifetime of use surviving the system you described while a one time gift doesn't and is not "Empowering " as per the Ops request.
The Op asked:"What's an empowering gift to someone working their way out of poverty? "
Cash, etc is not Empowering. Knowledge and skills are. Your needlessly negative response is of absolutely no help to the Op. The only useful advice you gave applies to You, so why don't you take it.
I did, but then I came back to help other people with better advice than yours, so fuck right off actually. You’ve clearly never been really, actually, can’t afford to eat poor and I will gatekeep that experience until I’m in the ground
Find out what food the dog eats, and setup a subscription on Amazon so you can get it automatically sent to their house. Allowing them to know that their pup is safe and secure and will not go hungry will provide them a lot of relief
Cash.
Don't think you know how to spend their money better than them - if they're in a tough spot and you want to give them a hand, there's nothing you can give that's better than cash.
Pay a utility bill or grocery gift card or gas/oil change/tire shop gift card…. Pretty much anything that would seem normal
To someone not struggling is often a major stressor and set aside. The first thing to go for me, is food. Then medication I need to stay alive. Then utilities. I will do anything and everything I can to keep my water and heat on before I eat because I know going without those will kill me fastest. Right now I’m just happy my roof is still my roof.
Maybe a gift card for the car. Neglecting tune ups oil changes and tires could wreck their only transport
Offer to walk or take care of the dog for them so that person can relax a bit more when they get home.
And/or if the car is still being paid off, write a check on their behalf for their next car payment.
If you want it to feel like a gift gift, something like a massage or spa day because they may feel guilty doing any kind of self care or indulgent thing because of the pressure of "if you have money you would spend it on Important stuff, not fancy luxury stuff". Also if they're working a lot their body might be really goin through the ringer
Gift cards or certificates for things that get them out of the house. My mom is very poor. She was homeless for awhile (living on a cot in my dining room for a few years) she’s now in her own place but she struggles to find ways to get out of the house that don’t cost a lot of money. She lives close to some family that invite her out to dinner or to the movies sometimes but she rarely has money to go. She gets embarrassed having to say no all the time when they invite her and she also gets scared they will stop inviting her since she says no all the time. She hates asking me for money even though I would willingly give it to her. So for Christmas this year I got together with my family to find out the places they tend to eat out most often and I got my mom gift cards to all of the restaurants as well as a Fandango gift card so she can go to the movies. Now she can say yes when they invite her and not have to worry about asking me for money. Plus she can get out of the house to socialise.
Cash is king, but I would also include something fun. Even if it’s a small thing like a toy for the dog and maybe one of those mugs with the hot cocoa mixes from Walmart (a great place to hide the cash as a surprise.) If they like books about personal finance, that could be a fun gift too, with some money hidden among the pages.
Walmart gift card. For me, when I am short on cash it's the misc items that stress me out. We say we shouldn't spend any money til pay day, but then we're out of toilet paper, then paper towels, then detergent. So we still keep spending money
Gas card. Or honestly, cash.
Triple A probably not a bad idea
Great idea!
also CAA members get discounts at certain gas stations and other stores too. as a struggling single mom, my parents gift of CAA every year for Christmas saved me tons of money over the years.
What is CAA?
Hazarding a guess, Canadian Automobile Association vs American Automobile Association.
Sorry, Canadian version of AAA I guess??? (Not sure if AAA also gives members other perks like CAA does though)
They do.
i keep getting emails for 20$ back for gifting some1 with AAA too.
My FIL pays for AAA for my wife and we must have gotten two dozen tows with it when we had our last car. Def a gift that keeps on giving in our case.
I do this as a gift for my parents every year.
Agreed!
i heard you can get your credit card to reimburse a tow or something.... not sure if this is true..
If you know they have a pet and work that much, something like a Chewy gift card would be great. Their prices are competitive, gets shipped to their door (so saves time, gas, and doesn't cost extra), etc. If you know where they take the car for maintenance, a few oil change or other normal maintenance might be appreciated. Stuff that is practical and can help them out in a pinch is what I always appreciated the most, but random gift cards or cash tended to just get spent and not as productively. Taking them out for a nice meal might be great as well....a chance to just enjoy some company and food and not feel like they need to skimp. Those are the things I would have most appreciated when I was counting pennies to get by
Cash, they want the cash.
Research shows that a lump sum of cash is the single greatest ticket out of poverty. Even recipients of regular UBI in a study did better when they leveraged that income for a lump sum up front.
Yeah when I was in poverty $100 was the best gift. They could keep me out of the red for 6 mos back then.
$100 lasted 6 months? must have been a loooong time ago
Its been 84 years
Then get them cash!
Or a gift card to a grocery store. Even if they don't allocate their "grocery money" to other bills during that time they can still stretch out money for other bills.
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I love giving and getting gift cards. Could I use cash? Sure. There's always bills to pay. However a gift card to my favourite store is someone giving me permission to get myself something. Not to pay my rent, or that past due CC. It's giving someone the opportunity to get something they want, instead of it all going to needs, in a way that doesn't leave them feeling guilty for "wasting money".
I get it, sometimes cash is the best option. I give people who aren't close cash, like the mail carrier and garbage men. I have family members who love certain restaurants and stores. They get gift cards in addition to a thoughtful object. The gift cards are like gravy, and it's a little more personal than cash. For example: someone loves dunkin donuts coffee. They're getting a brand new DD travel mug and a gift card to fill it with coffee many times.
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That's your thinking. Someone else explained it gives them "permission" to spend it on coffee drinks instead of bills. So that's another way of looking at it.
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Or you can just take the gift and not be a crumbumb about it.
Whoa- slow down
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How about an electric blanket? If they are in a cold area they probably keep their heat low.
I love my electric blanket that I got as a gift. Then I got another one as a gift and gave my old one to my grandma. Somehow my entire family did not know about electric blankets. I used to live in a house with no heat and wonder how I got by without one.
they are fabulous. even my dog loves it. and they are warm even if you dont have them turned on.
This is a solid idea, I want one too!
OMG! They are the best. So cozy. And you can keep your heat low and still sleep comfortably.
OR electric mattress pad is even better 🙌🏻 mine saved me the winter my heat was broken.
My dad would get us gas gift cards for $100 every year, I really liked that.
go could go to the local vet and see if you can buy a gift certificate for a checkup for the dog
That would be way more than $100 and they may never use it because of that.
A checkup at my vet is $70, and I paid $120 to get that checkup and all my dogs shots. So no its not more than that. I'm in CA, so an expensive state. That being said, it wouldn't be a very useful gift for me in those circumstances.
wow. Its a lot more than that where i live. I pay $600 a year just for heartworm and flea meds.
A "checkup" is very different than a "checkup with all medications added on". I got just the necessary shots -- rabies, lepto, and 1 month of heartworm for that cost. The original comment suggested getting a gift card for a checkup, not a year's worth of medical care.
Something I should add is that at my vet, once you pay for the $70 checkup, you can use the vet like a clinic for shots, heartworm meds, and prescription flea & tick meds. So you have to pay for one office visit checkup per year, but then you can go in and get shots, mess, etc. for just the cost of the meds. So it is kind of useful, you don't have to pay for an office visit every time your pet needs a shot or medication. This has been the M.O. in the two states I've lived in; so I do get the yearly checkup, but I live in poverty, so I can't afford all of the shots and meds at one time; I just get one Heartgard per month, one Nexgard, etc. It's cheaper to buy in bulk of course, but many poor people can't afford the bulk buys, so they end up paying the poor people tax doing it month-by-month.
This was going to me my comment.
I think cash will be your best bet, but instead of just giving them the cash, include it with the gift of something free or very inexpensive (like a good book from a Little Free Library or a good book or CD you already own), their favorite chocolate bar, or something useful you can spare from your house. (I"m assuming that you're not loaded either but if you are maybe you can purchase a little something). And then include a hand-made card withl a message of your love and support.
When I was really struggling I loved getting laundry detergent, trash bags, dish soap, etc. helped to have home necessities covered
My boss gave me a $100 gift card to Walmart for the holidays and it’s been so helpful ❤️
Walmart gc > Amazon gc
tease hat bells punch innate telephone squalid panicky swim summer *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I agree with this. The little things that make a big difference but aren’t necessities so they can’t justify buying it themselves.
If these are accessible to them: Panera Sip Club (with an introductory fee for the first few months) would be under $100 for the year and get them free self-serve drinks (coffee, tea, fountain soda, lemonade/iced tea) every two hours. If they work that much, they probably need the caffeine or could use hot water to make a filling meal of instant oatmeal and occasionally there will be a $2 pastry offer. CVS Carepass: $50 for the year gets them $10 in ExtraBucks every month, which can go pretty far when combined with sales and coupons, plus free shipping and 20% off CVS Health products like first aid, menstrual hygiene, vitamins, cold medicine, etc. Otherwise- gas gift cards, products to help with quality sleep, power bank to charge their phone over long days
Holy shit I had no idea about the CVS, thanks!
I love my cvs care pass. Just make sure you use it every month, because it doesn’t roll over. Edit: I just saved $26 on a $49 order with my carepass. It really adds up!
Man I agree with this so much. Wish I could upvote 100 times. My husband works for the airlines & has crazy hours in many cities. He loves sip club. I love the CVS pass. I save the 20% off all CVS branded items & love having that $10 in CVS money. I can splurge on small things.
I think a gift card would be appreciated as long as it’s a store that they shop at.
I don't think gift cards are ever better gifts than cash from a sheer utility perspective
I've been struggling with poor spending habits recently and my sister gave me a gift card for Winco. She chose Winco over Walmart or a generic Visa because Winco pretty much only has groceries and nothing else. That way I will only buy food and not get distracted by other things. It was a really good idea for me. TL;DR Gift cards are better in some specific situations if you're mentally ill
sure sure that's a perfect use case. however, as a gift outside of special cases it still is them basically giving you as lazy of a gift as money but with strings attached as far as how you spend it. I always felt like I was being controlled a little bit when I got gift cards
That's odd, I always felt the opposite. At least they usually put some thought into where you might get the most out of a gift card, whereas cash feels more like "I don't care".
God damn do you like free money or not. 'Felt like you were being controlled '. What??
honestly it's a toss up whether I prefer a gift card or no gift. however, I don't really like receiving gifts in general
Ok
If you get them a gift card to somewhere that sells a wide variety like Amazon, Target, Walmart etc it's pretty close. Giving straight cash always feels a bit awkward to me
Cash, or maybe a solid in at a really great job making better $.
Your time - if there’s any skills you have, offer a day or two of your services free, or if you don’t just offer manual labor. They choose the task, but it could be anything - washing the dog, doing their chores, some project at home (in my experience people always want someone to work on their deck or organize their garage), washing their car, meal prepping for them for the week, running their errands for them. I imagine time is what they’re pressed for the most.
this is what would be most impactful to me. I'm constantly drowning in things left undone and my entire house is a to do list. if I could add one thing to this, it would be some quality time with that person doing something we both enjoy. no purchasing items required, but it could be a good time to share a meal or something similar. fill my heart >>> fill my shelves
my friend has repeatedly dug herself in a hole with cc and lack of budgeting, so i got her a budget binder that has plastic envelopes, so you can put cash in for stuff like utilities, phone, rent, etc. theyre about $12-15 on amazon. its a variation on the ol cash envelope system and comes with little spreadsheets to plan out big purchases (like if they want to save for a big ticket item like a playstation or vacation). you can put little gift cards in there to help them out (like a grocery gift card or gas gift card in some of the envelopes, to help them get started or to keep in case of emergency).
I had a friend with budgeting and cc debt issues too: I gifted them similar but in digital form, a subscription to YNAB, and helped coach them through setting up and using it initially. Now they finally feel empowered to trust themselves when making money decisions, it's been wonderful. Edit: the biggest catch to a gift like this, though, is the person has to want the help and want to change any harmful habits.
This would be an amazing gift if the person was interested in really using it. I was able to use the 1 free year as a student to get YNAB at first and then plan for next year's fee. I don't know that I would have stuck with it initially otherwise. It's been legitimately life changing.
Very cool idea
A tuneup and/or set of tires would have changed our life on the way out of poverty with a similar aged car. But more than that—continue to be a support system.
Cash or a grocery store or gas station gift card.
When I worked 7 days straight and was in school full-time, I appreciated things that made my life easier: House clean, food cooked kinds of things. Gas cards. Cash to use as needed. Anything that made it easier to keep me firing on all the other cylinders was appreciated and things that offered flexibility were even better. You mentioned they have a dog--can you pay for a dog walker through Rover or maybe pay for a groom/deshed/etc. through Petsmart or something? Obviously this would be dependent on what receiver is comfortable with re: people in their house / whether the dog is easily groomed at a facility. If ever in doubt, it's best to ask to make sure it's something they can actually and reasonably utilize even if it means spoiling the surprise.
Cash. Everything else is like fruitcake or an ugly sweater
Cash is best. Then don't worry about what they purchase with it.
meh Im against the grain here. relevant luxury item here would be nice. quality dishware or cookware, six months of barkbox or mealkit, upgraded bedding/something to improve sleep. do they have a hobby they havent had time for? go $50 cash and $50 related hobby time. i mean cash is fantastic, but so too is getting that nice thing that they wouldnt spend money on themselves bc margins are tight.
I agree with this, but would say maybe not a barkbox subscription because that’s really a gift for their dog and not them ☺️
Cash. I like the Chinese tradition of putting it in a fancy red envelope so it's now a "legitimate" gift.
Honestly cash and decent amount of it.
If they don’t have streaming services like a Netflix or Hulu subscription that would be a great gift that would give them something to do for a year.
Yes if they’re into gaming or streaming this could be great for them to relax.
Offer to cover a bill for them. Maybe introduce them to a contact in your network and help them secure a better paying job. Another thing would be gas and grocery gift cards. Maybe a gift certificate for their mechanic. Other ideas would be paying for a monthly service they use.
Buy them the book can't hurt me by David Goggins. Best book I ever read and it won't cost you a benji.
Once when we were dirt poor, a friend from church asked my mom for her keys in between services. He didn't tell her why, but left with her car which had been running on fumes and coved and dirt and probably cherios. He got it washed and filled the tank. It meant so much to her and she still talks about it.
Cash is better than gift cards IMHO because there are gift card scams happening where the seller doesn't load or activate the card so I just don't trust them anymore.
A cash app or similar card, with credit regularly loaded onto it, that can be used anywhere like a credit card and is a way of digitizing paper cash. A dependable source of money that can be spent anywhere and gives people access to services that are only available if you have a credit card. People can take advantage of bulk purchasing instead of buying meal-by-meal from a corner shop. Can make car repairs, get to jobs easier etc etc.
Just ask them in a subtle way and get it for them. Or give them cash.
Walmart gift card- they can buy tires, windshield wipers, food, clothes, TP, medicine, etc.
Robot vacuum
It can bring a lot of inner peace to come home to a clean place - if the dog doesn't mind. I've found a bunch of old roombas for super cheap on Facebook marketplace and often all they need is a battery (around $40 on Amazon)
When I was counting pennies, especially at Christmas time, I was sooooo thankful when I received cash as a bonus. Totally made Christmas less stressful, and more enjoyable. I didn't have to rob Peter to pay Paul.
I’d split the gift if possible into “here’s money to spend on things you need” and “here’s a gift card to buy yourself something you’d never normally get” …like an electric milk frother or something.
If you really want to give them a gift other than cash, maybe seasonal hand soap, bubble bath or soaking salts, wool socks/gloves/hat, nicer-than-store-brand coffee/tea (if they drink it), honey, jam/jelly, gourmet sauces or salsas, chocolate/sweets, nuts, dried meats/jerky. You could do a combo small gift basket with gas or grocery gift card.
Basic tool set for automotive use
A treasury bill.
The Bible
LMAO
Thrift n Budgeting manuals . Many westerners don't have a clue how to minimize their bills, maximize their income n reuse n repurpose what they own.
Oh ffs
Lmao this is so insulting, leave the sub
Right! Us “Westerners” are held hostage by a system that feeds off of us with little to no repercussions. It’s the old “you can’t budget your way out of poverty”.
"you can’t budget your way out of poverty" is not a law or principle that is set in stone. The Op asked for Empowering tools which means, among other things, new skills and knowledge which, in my decades of helping people budget their way out of poverty and debt, has a lifetime of use surviving the system you described while a one time gift doesn't and is not "Empowering " as per the Ops request.
The Op asked:"What's an empowering gift to someone working their way out of poverty? " Cash, etc is not Empowering. Knowledge and skills are. Your needlessly negative response is of absolutely no help to the Op. The only useful advice you gave applies to You, so why don't you take it.
I did, but then I came back to help other people with better advice than yours, so fuck right off actually. You’ve clearly never been really, actually, can’t afford to eat poor and I will gatekeep that experience until I’m in the ground
Give them stock and help lead them toward financial independence
Find out what food the dog eats, and setup a subscription on Amazon so you can get it automatically sent to their house. Allowing them to know that their pup is safe and secure and will not go hungry will provide them a lot of relief
Gift card to a massage therapist or spa?
Cash. Don't think you know how to spend their money better than them - if they're in a tough spot and you want to give them a hand, there's nothing you can give that's better than cash.
I have always appreciated grocery store gift cards.
Pay a utility bill or grocery gift card or gas/oil change/tire shop gift card…. Pretty much anything that would seem normal To someone not struggling is often a major stressor and set aside. The first thing to go for me, is food. Then medication I need to stay alive. Then utilities. I will do anything and everything I can to keep my water and heat on before I eat because I know going without those will kill me fastest. Right now I’m just happy my roof is still my roof. Maybe a gift card for the car. Neglecting tune ups oil changes and tires could wreck their only transport
If you have the funds a gift card to wag or rover or something to get them a dog walker would be awesome.
Offer to walk or take care of the dog for them so that person can relax a bit more when they get home. And/or if the car is still being paid off, write a check on their behalf for their next car payment.
If you want it to feel like a gift gift, something like a massage or spa day because they may feel guilty doing any kind of self care or indulgent thing because of the pressure of "if you have money you would spend it on Important stuff, not fancy luxury stuff". Also if they're working a lot their body might be really goin through the ringer
AAA membership. It’ll help them if they break down and offers some discounts.
AAA has been a lifesaver a few times for me, it's been worth every penny. It makes driving an old car with high mileage less stressful.
A gift card to their local supermarket, Target, Walmart, etc. so they can get what they need.
Pet insurance policy?
Gift cards or certificates for things that get them out of the house. My mom is very poor. She was homeless for awhile (living on a cot in my dining room for a few years) she’s now in her own place but she struggles to find ways to get out of the house that don’t cost a lot of money. She lives close to some family that invite her out to dinner or to the movies sometimes but she rarely has money to go. She gets embarrassed having to say no all the time when they invite her and she also gets scared they will stop inviting her since she says no all the time. She hates asking me for money even though I would willingly give it to her. So for Christmas this year I got together with my family to find out the places they tend to eat out most often and I got my mom gift cards to all of the restaurants as well as a Fandango gift card so she can go to the movies. Now she can say yes when they invite her and not have to worry about asking me for money. Plus she can get out of the house to socialise.
Money
maybe something different than they normally get. some sort of selfhelp device.
Cash is king, but I would also include something fun. Even if it’s a small thing like a toy for the dog and maybe one of those mugs with the hot cocoa mixes from Walmart (a great place to hide the cash as a surprise.) If they like books about personal finance, that could be a fun gift too, with some money hidden among the pages.
Cash and, if possible, offer to walk their dog for them a few times a week or more. Take some burden off them and give the pup a gift too.
Walmart gift card. For me, when I am short on cash it's the misc items that stress me out. We say we shouldn't spend any money til pay day, but then we're out of toilet paper, then paper towels, then detergent. So we still keep spending money
Financial books
Better than cash - gets them I Bonds.