Do you have a present drawer? Ooh I'd LOVE a present drawer...

[champagnesupernova]

I have always hankered after having a drawer of presents for emergencies. I am working towards being more organised so obviously this is a step towards this.

What I'd like is not to be going to

• someone's house for dinner/coffee
• out for drinks for someone's birthday
• a child's birthday

and have to rush out to find an appropriate gift when usually it's the same old same old.

I DO have a card box which I add to here and there whenever I see good unisex age cards or whatever.
And I bulk buy fun "all occasion" wrapping paper when I see it.

But would love some inspiration as to what would be good to fill it and good value things to keep in the house for giving away to other people.

TIA

I do have a shelf in my office which has presents on it for children - art sets, a couple of toy dogs, that sort of thing, plus a couple of Book People multipacks. DS is 4, so easier at this age.

For going over to people's houses, you could buy up boxes of chocolates or posh biscuits in the sales or on promos. If you can be trusted not to break in to your stash like me

I've tried to start one recently with bargains from the sales - purely kids pressies to begin with.
I failed miserably with the first unexpected kiddies present though, since it needed to be posted & everything I had bought & stashed was a bit too heavy, so I'm now keeping an eye out for light things - fleeces and stuff - to put in my present drawer for similar occasions

I got some lovely book box sets in the WH Smiths sale for a few quid each. Thats not my... & Julia Donaldson ones. The other thing I try to keep an eye out for is when the gift cards are reduced or vouchers for the gift cards in the newspaper - often there is £5 off iTunes gift cards for instance.

We have the 'Christmas Drawer' full of gift wrap, cards, ribbons, scissors, sellotape, gift bags etc but no actual presents in there.

Yep I've got a cupboard! I find it really handy & buy stuff when I see it in the sale or on offer from Amazon.

I have a present box and a explanding folder with cards, wrapping paper and general stationery. I tend to stock up on nice things in the sales.

The cards are divided into;
Adult birthday
Nice cards for close family (ie; paperchase not poundland)
Boys birthday
Girls birthday
Thank you's / get wells / blank cards

Yes, I have a proper present drawer - all full of poshi-ish Boots Sanctuary sets/eve lom set/masses of space nk stuff

all bought in the january sale for giving this year

There's no need for the meglet, I'm just as anal organised

Yep got one here too. It's a plastic box on top shelf in DD room's cupboard. I buy reduced boxes of lego, art and craft kits, jewelry making kits, book sets and anything i think kids around age 6/7 like (my DD is 6.5) and goes to one party a month at least. Seems mainly to be girls parties now as the boys are having smaller parties for best buddies like the girls are too but i have a few bits for boys just in case.

At the moment i have:

polly pocket sets x3 (£2 each)
barbie doll (£5)
mixed sets of jewelry/hairbands (50p each)
rainbow fairy book set (£5)
lego sets (£4 each)

I aim to spend around £5 including a card (25p-50p in Asda) but if the present looks decent and only cost £2.50 then i only give that as next present may cost £6+. i like to give a mixture of gifts and so i buy T-shirts in the sale to pad out a present too so each child gets 3 gifts or so. If i don't think a parent will mind i may pop in a packet of jelly babies or a box of malteasers to bulk up a present as they are only 70p-£1 at times.

HTH

Yes, I have one and would recommend it.

Got a few board books for little children
Nice smellies from Space NK sales
Anything we get given that we've already got 1 of (i.e. Cookery book or DVD)
Nicely made arty mugs - in case I forget a friends birthday

What I covet is a gift wrapping room.

You know, a whole room devoted to the wrapping of gifts, with plan chests for bespoke papers and lots of drawers for ribbons and pretty things and big tables to lay everything out on, into which I could waft creatively and fashion a favour box from organza and twisted satin . Tis all the rage in Hollywood I hear.

Would beat rummaging around in kitchen drawers for half decent bits of tissue paper and scrabbling around with the end of the sellotape five minutes before the party starts.

I do have a present settle which has a cupboard under the seat that no-one knows about. It's one of six secret cupboards in this house and it's stuffed with goodies.

Nice idea.. I keep a card drawer and always have plenty of wrapping paper, but recently come unstuck with new baby presents (because I didn't have enough notice )

I do have a stash of books for preschoolers though as I stock up when Amazon has them on offer or get 3 for 2's from supermarkets which is always a good standby present.

I wonder how many people know what a settle is..

I have a box in the attic

Its for kids though, no adults.

Its there incase I get caught out like the last time DS was invited to a party DD was sick so we could not get out to the shops so I just went into the attic instead

I top it up throughout the year with bargains from the sales etc.

Jareth - i always have a boy and girl set of bibs and any baby clothes sets that have been reduced size 0-3. For close friends who have babies i buy something special but for DD drama teacher for example she got a set of bibs and friends of friends etc.

I have googled it. You learn something new everyday.

whomovedmychocolate - your house sounds really exciting! Especially the present settle!

Yes I do, but I forget about it or can't find anything suitable when I look in it... They aren't all they're cracked up to be!

But loving the idea of a wrapping room - but a utility room and downstairs loo higher on the priority list... In fact you'd have to have an incredible number of rooms and be invited to an inordinate number of parties to need one. So maybe only in Hollywood in a different life then!

I have a present box (actually it's three stacking crates). There are two sorts of gift in there:

Firstly, I always buy things I've spotted for a specific person, even though their birthday/Christmas might be months away. It means, when Christmas rolls around I'm already halfway to completing the present shopping.

Secondly, I stock up on random "kiddy" presents, usually in the sales or if I spot something which is good value. I have 3 dcs with large circles of friends, and 17 nieces and nephews ffs! Examples are books, little necklaces, Next Sale bargains, crafty sets and the odd re-gifted item.

The danger is sometimes you buy something that you can't actually think who to give it to, and it moulders in the bottom of the box for a couple of years. I have a couple of things that are now too young for anyone I know.

But I love my pressie box, and it certainly takes the stress out of most birthday occasions.

As for wrapping paper and cards...don't even go there. I was a Phoenix Trader for years and am still working through my stocks!

I do for the kids friends, DDs (11 & 14) are always asking for presents for their friends birthdays. DD expected 13 presents for friends for Xmas... I bought some (cheap) and she got the rest. So we have a box where i collect bargains. i ask them for ideas and stock up if I see anything that would suit teenagers and is on sale. Pound shop is great too.

Mine are in the airing cupboard

It is the ONLY spare space

I have a present wrapping bureau devoted to the storage of cards, wrapping paper, ribbon and presents

Embarrasingly I keep a list of all the presents on a spreadsheet

I have a cupboard with some bits and bobs for friends - candles, jewellery etc. Also anything the children were given that they already owned or that was too old/young for them. I also tend to buy the same gifts in bulk for birthdays - this year all 4 year olds get a half price game I picked up in the ELC sale. I bought 10, the assistant thought I was mad.

Such good idea! I may well allocate a corner of pantry for this.

I do try to buy up bits in sales, especially Accessorize for women, early learning for kids, and then gift cards for men - Amazon & Itunes. Bit useless buying for men!