Last fall, I wrote about my adventures making client gift baskets for Ben’s firm in Cherne Life Skills. This year, I agreed to reprise my role as the resident gift basket maker, and I quickly found myself elbow deep in wired ribbon and cellophane bags. There were moments where I questioned my sanity, as the corners of the laundry room filled up with stacks of wicker baskets and boxes of gummi pumpkins piled up around our dining room table, but thankfully, it went surprisingly well. This was, in large part, because of the lessons I learned last year, and having more uninterrupted sleep probably helped my decision-making skills. For example, last year, I toured every Target in town…multiple times…to track down enough truffles to fill the candy jars, but this year I was much more efficient.
So, if you ever need to make and deliver 35 gift baskets, here are a few tips…
- The website www.candyfavorites.com has the best deals on large amounts of candy, plus they have free shipping over $70. I used them to buy 15 pounds of gummi pumpkins…seriously good gummis.
- I never realized how good the deals would be at the end of a season. I found fall-themed baskets at Michael’s and Jo-Ann Fabrics for 60% off, which saved me a ton of money. At one point, I went to buy four baskets, and when the cashier told me the total was $12.49, I didn’t believe it until I saw the receipt. Plus, all the ribbon was 60% off as well.
- An eleven pound box of brown kraft paper shred will amazingly NOT fill up 35 baskets, even if it looks like it will fill up your entire home when you open the box and it starts spilling out all over the place. I found mine at www.papermart.com for $16.50…great deal!
- If you have to make 25 deliveries in one day, mapquest has an awesome multiple stop feature so you can map out the entire route. It does not, however, tell you if a road is completely shut down for construction without any detour signs. That was fun times…
- Shipping multiple packages? I was thoroughly impressed with Postal Annex. The worker helped me bring in my packages, found me the best shipping prices, and I didn’t even have to wait in line. Plus, when I tweeted about my positive experience, they sent me a $5 coupon.
