Health Advice for Women

Looking to save a little money on your Christmas shopping this year? Well it’s safe to say that shopping coupons are the new black! This year you can find many great deals online with coupons. We are big into organic and eco-friendly gifts, so our favorite website to find shopping coupons is www.bestorganiccoupons.com. We can each make a huge difference in the world we live in! So give gifts that are good for humans and the earth we live on. Shop online and you save gas, time and money with coupons!

For many of my friends and family, the carefree spending and impulse purchases of the last few years will not be a part of their holiday this year. Many are cutting back on the number of toys they are giving their children and on the number of gifts they give to each other. And they are looking for gifts that have a lasting impact. They are looking for gifts that have special meaning rather than just a high price tag or a fancy gadget.

My favorite gift this year that falls into this category is AeroGrow’s indoor gardening appliances. I found the AeroGarden www.aerogrow.com online this year while looking for a gift to give a friend of mine that is a long-time gardener. When the winter months come around, she always bemoans the fact that she cannot get out into her garden. With the AeroGarden, she doesn’t have to wait for spring to appear, she can garden all year-round right in her own kitchen.

AeroGrow touts its product as “The World’s First Kitchen Garden Appliance”, but I think that makes it sound like something you stick under your kitchen sink. In fact, the AeroGarden sits right on your countertop. You can fill it with herbs, flowers, vegetables or greens. There’s a grow light on the AeroGarden that turns it on and off automatically so you can place the garden anywhere you like, and it will still grow. And it only takes a few minutes to set up, so there’s no impossible set of directions to follow or four hours needed to get this gift up and running.

The best part about the AeroGarden is that it truly is the perfect gift for all the people on my list this year. Amy, who likes to cook, will absolutely love having fresh herbs right on her countertop. Doug, who we all tease about his black thumb, will appreciate how easy it is to set up and grow things. And Kate, my environmentalist friend, will appreciate the fact that this is a long-lasting gift – no waste or pollution to think of, and yields hundreds of dollars of herbs.

The only thing I do not like about this product is that I did not discover it for my grandmother. She lived in an assisted living home, and spent much of her time in her own room. Since flowers are proven to increase happiness and overall emotional wellness, this would have been the perfect gift for her. And the products are so small that they do not take up a lot of space, which is important to the elderly in these situations.

So this year, I plan to give a gift that brings year-round joy to those people on my holiday list. No fancy gadgets, no fancy boxes; just a lovely little AeroGarden that provides for flowers, herbs, vegetables or greens. It’s a gift that will make my friends and family smile everyday and think of me. What more could you ask for?

Are you looking to give great green Christmas gifts in 2008 that are good for the environment and that are well received? Christmas is a wonderful time, but it’s also a time of huge waste, so let’s do something about it in 2008. Below are a collection of ideas, please send your comments if you have others to add!!

• Try to give organic gifts when possible, they use no pesticides which is healthier for us all.
• Give gifts that cut back on gas usage in the coming year. I gave my sister free web conferencing for a year, she can do all of her meetings over the web and not waste time and gas driving to her meetings. Here’s a link to the great low cost web conferencing I found www.webpresentnow.com.
• Give toys that are made with non-toxic paints or plastics and if possible made in the USA. Support local products if possible. I great website for finding toys such as this is www.kazootoys.com.
• Give your wife a new hybrid car. I love my Toyota Prias, it gets 50 mpg or higher around town!
• The packaging and gift wrapping usually goes right into the garbage 5 seconds after opening the gift. Try packaging and wrapping your gifts with another gift. For example, if you are giving someone a glass object, wrap it in some organic towels. This keeps it from breaking and there is no waste.
• Be creative this year with gift purchases and gift wrapping. Think of gifts that can last forever (diamond rings), gifts that can be passed down from one generation to another (jewelry), or gifts that continue to give like plants or flowers, check out www.aerogrow.com.

Are you looking for that perfect gift for your woman for Christmas 2008? Well look no further.

We have polled women far and wide to compile the 2008 Christmas List for Women. Here’s your top no fail gift list.

1. Jewelry - Guys if you want to score big go for the jewelry! I love the jewelry at Just Metal Titanium and you get Free Shipping on ALL US Orders.
2. Chocolates - Go for fabulous organic chocolates from Dan’s Chocolates.

3. Gift Certificate to a Spa - Pamper your love to her favorite spa with 60% Savings in trips to the Bahamas!

4. Gift Certificate to a great restaurant - Its an event & fun. bestorganiccoupons.com

5. Trip for Two to an Exotic Getaway - Enough said.
6. Indulge her Favorite Hobby - If she loves the outdoors here’s some options for you at e-omc.com

Every year around the first of November I start dreading the onslaught of the holiday season. As American’s we are so overrun with extraneous stuff in our lives that I can never bring myself to spend the time, money and energy to impose more unnecessary stuff on the people in my life.

In years past, I have been known to skip the whole thing rather than give gifts that will be forgotten or thrown away shortly after the holidays end. Don’t get me wrong, I love giving gifts to my friends and family however, it is important to be giving things that will enhance their lives well past the day they open the package.

This is where the real dilemma comes in for me and most people trying to find the perfect gifts this time of year. We are all constrained by time, money and trying to find the right gift for a population of people that have so much to begin with! Some time saving techniques I use to make the process easier is to make a list of recipients’, pick a theme or gift category and give everyone on my list a gift related to that category.This usually works for the majority of the people on my list and makes the gift giving process easier and more in tune with my values related to the art of finding the perfect gift!

This year, my theme is the gift of fitness and fun with an emphasis on getting outdoors, being with friends, having a low impact workout and hiking a new trail! To accomplish this goal, I have chosen the sport of hiking in the mountains to challenge and inspire my loved ones this holiday season. What better way to work off the holiday dinner than to hike up Green Mountain? Everyone on my list is getting Keen Newport hiking sandals from www.shoes.com.

I’ve chosen a gift that will be enjoyed long after the holidays end, and hopefully I’ll get some new hiking buddies!