Gifts for Mustachians?

[amf1411]

My first time posting here.  My cousin, who shares my enthusiasm for mustachianism, is getting married relatively soon.  Obviously I need to give a gift, and I want to, because I love my cousin.  But the question is -- what kind of gift?  I thought about giving something that falls completely in line with the ways of the mustache.  My ideas:
- My old bike (about 15 years old), cleaned up and ready to go. 
- A copy of "your money or your life"
Beyond that, I'm stumped.  Any ideas?  Are there gifts that make sense and are obvious in this world of awesomeness?  I thought about a gift certificate to Nashbar, too....

[englyn]

Camping gear!
Or something like a really good cast-iron frying pan, the sort that lasts 40 years.

[WhatMomWears]

Does she have something she is interested in learning? A skill, something sustainable? How about something to get her started? For instance if she wants to learn how to (insert skill), gather the things she needs to get going.

[WhatMomWears]

or he :)

See like for me - a cheesemaking kit would have been a perfect gift. Or a needlepoint. Or gardening things. Wait those would be great gifts now, when I got married I wouldn't have known what to do with them ;)

[BPA]

I'd give a digital copy of YMOYL if that's what you decide.  Even if the couple doesn't have a kindle or similar device, they can read it on their computers.  Less clutter that way.  :)

I just offloaded my hard copy of YMOYL since I can read the digital copy on my BB Playbook.

[smalllife]

Ask them what they need?  They might already have all of the house stuff but have something they need that you wouldn't think of. 

-Offer to house/pet sit while they go on their honeymoon, if they have one.
-If they are moving in together, offer to pay for their first trip to the bulk store or a reasonably priced run through Costco.  Heck, do this even if they already are living together - it's something they need, genuinely useful, and doesn't bring anything extra into the house.
-A push lawn mower
-Something that they want but are too Mustachian to buy for themselves (personally, I'm too cheap to buy decorations.  They might have a similar situation: want something but don't want to pay for it).  This might not be in the true Mustachian vein but will surely be appreciated.

[Carolina on My Mind]

Depending on their prowess in the kitchen, how about a rice cooker and this book?

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook-Porridges/dp/1558326677

I'm planning to give that combo to a friend of mine who doesn't cook as a housewarming gift.  You cab get both the book and a rice cooker from Amazon for under 40 bucks.  It's a good cookbook -- lots of ideas for meals that can be done completely in a rice cooker. 
I got the idea from this blog:

http://frugalscholar.blogspot.com/

which is an excellent resource for lots of stuff, but especially frugal cooking.

I also think that high-quality sheets or towels are always a good gift for people who might not buy those things for themselves.

By the way, I think giving your cousin the old bike is a great idea!

[Snow White]

I'd buy a gift certificate from any one of several places: Hardware store if they are live in a fixer-upper, garden center or sporting good store, good quality restaurant for a special occasion dinner...something like that.  It should reflect their interests and show you recognize who they are and what they value. 

[amf1411]

Thanks for the great ideas!  I appreciate it a lot.  The wheels are turning.....

[tmac]

Excellent question! It's got me thinking ahead to the holidays. :)

Services would be great (dog/housesitting, lessons at something you do well, etc.), consumables, or anything from the Buy It For Life thread. Or even just cash with a nice letter to make it slightly more meaningful than your standard gift card.

I went to a baby shower a couple of weeks ago, and my gift to the soon-to-be parents-of-twins was:

* A small bottle of some fancy and locally made diaper cream,
* A prettied-up gift certificate from me for babysitting,
* A couple of fancy chocolate bars for them, and
* Some pictures our little kids had drawn of their new family.
* All simply packaged in my favorite shopping bag that folds up into a cute little strawberry.

It was totally weird and I got some looks from the other guests, but the parents were completely on board. The mom commented that she especially appreciated the bag because she understood that I was giving up something that I really liked.

[FreeBy45]

I would have loved a really high quality chef knife or paring knife. My parents got me one for Christmas last year and I never realized what I was missing. I was always too cheap to buy one for myself.

[Self-employed-swami]

What about some high-quality kitchen gear?  Circulon makes, hands down, the best baking dishes, for example.  They are pricier than most, but everything turns out browned evenly, and crispy, from cookies to shake and bake chicken, and things rarely stick.

I can't speak to their non-baking stuff though.

[galaxie]

Tools?

[mobilisinmobili]

Unless you're really cool with your cousin the book may come off a bit preachy (remember it's for your cousin's partner as well).. I second the cast iron pan or some other durable kitchen gear.

In a more vague sense - something durable (longevity) that you know they will use.

[CNM]

Depending on how much your budget is, we use the hell out of our Kitchenaid standing mixer.  We got it as a wedding gift 6 years ago and it makes all sorts of cooking much easier.  Another thing we use the hell out of are silpats, which is a non-stick baking sheet liner. 

I used to think baking was a pain in the ass.  But the mixer and the sheet liners make everything so much easier.

[maryofdoom]

Silpats are awesome, they make baking way more fun.

A good gift option is always to upgrade something that they already have and use. A nice cast-iron skillet or a good knife for people who cook, for example. I'm sure you can figure out something that your cousin already has and uses a lot and can also be upgraded.

My go-to wedding gift is a piece of embroidery, which is not super Mustachian when you consider the cost of framing, but is always appreciated. Plus I get to indulge in my hobby while I make it.

[CanuckExpat]

I've gotten into the habit of making donations in peoples names as gifts lately. Sometimes it takes quite a lot of thought and effort, as you have to think about what kind of charity the person would like supported, and often you want to find one that will mail a nice certificate or such to the person, but it is worth it in the end.

[KimAB]

Costco membership (or gift card if they are already members) so you get the points for it...  Costco is my favourite place.  Food, clothes, housewares, car stuff...  free lunch if you arrive at the right time of day...  $1.50 hot dog if you don't....