I was thinking about Dear Abby last night when I heard Adam Sandler’s classic Chanukah song on the radio. (We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby/
Harrison fords a quarter Jewish/Not too shabby! ) And then this morning I was reading her advice column in my paper.

I wanted to give Dear Abby a shout out for some great gift advice: someone had written in about giving gifts for older family members and friends who don’t need more “stuff,” and she shared some terrific ideas that I thought the frugal folks here would appreciate. I’ve paraphrased some of her advice along with suggestions of my own.

• Laundry basics, such as detergent, dryer sheets, rolls of quarters to take to the laundromat, etc.
• Bathing supplies, including shampoo, conditioner, soaps and lotions that are gentle on older skin.
• Small goodies for snacks. This could include blocks of cheese, boxes of crackers, selections of teas and whatever else someone might enjoy in between meals.
• Gift cards to local businesses this person peruses regularly. For example, is there a pharmacy where she picks up her prescriptions or a dry cleaner where he gets his shirts done? Gift cards to these establishments would be much appreciated and well used. Coupons and gift certificates to local restaurants would be good, too.
• Homemade gift certificates for tasks that person might need done around the house, such as a shoveling the walk when it snows, bringing in the trash cans, changing lightbulbs, painting a room, weeding a garden, etc. Or even a hand-written “gift certificate” that you’ll treat this person to lunch once a month or something like that.
• Buying a subscription to a favorite magazine or local newspaper. While today’s generation may get most of its news online, baby boomers still favor getting updates on newsprint.
• Pictures of children and grandchildren. This is something we give each year. I know that a collection of photos can get overwhelming if a person has multiple grandchildren, especially as the years go buy and the frames start to pile up. That’s why “upgrading” this gift to a digital frame might make the most sense. You can get many years of pictures of many different relatives in a slide show on a single frame.
• Here’s advice directly from Abby: “Because not all seniors drive, bus passes and coupons for senior transportation can also give the recipient the gift of freedom.”

I hope these ideas help you if you’re shopping for someone who seems to have everything but for whom you’d like to get a little something. And if you have additional suggestions, let me know.