How to Buy a Housewarming Gift

Celebrate a friend or relative's new digs with a thoughtful housewarming gift and help get them set up in their new house in style. Browse through How to Buy a Great Birthday Present for Under $10, and consider these ideas, too.

Instructions

1. Bring a plant for a traditional gift. Lucky bamboo symbolizes good fortune, grows in water and lasts for years.

2. Give a bottle of wine, tea bags, cappuccino mix or a bag of flavorful ready-ground coffee. Package with a pair of wineglasses, mugs or demitasse cups.

3. Feed growling stomachs with cookies, cake, pastries or a fresh fruit basket. Or bring a savory snack of cheeses and a crusty loaf of fresh bread (see How to Buy Artisan Breads).

4. Buy kitchen towels or a few hand towels and bars of soap.

5. Give a loaded picnic basket to dine on in their empty house then enjoy outdoors at a later date. A couple of folding beach or garden chairs can likewise serve many purposes.

6. Bring a new tool for the tool box: A cordless screw gun, 25-foot measuring tape, or a socket wrench set are all essential for projects around the house.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're handy with a hammer, good at hanging pictures or a great organizer, ask if you can lend a hand.