Last-Minute Holiday Gift Ideas

Even though I've seen countless holiday shopping deals cross my desk in the past few months, as in past years, I'm down to my one- to two-week shopping window again. If you're like me, don't panic. There are still some easy ways to save money and get practical, useful gifts for your loved ones in a reasonable amount of time. And Jan. 1, you can resolve to get started earlier next year.

Gift cards and gift certificates are popular items, with about 54 percent of people reporting that they like receiving gift cards, according to the National Retail Federation. However, this group also reported that roughly 20 to 25 percent of gift cards given last year still haven't been redeemed, which amounts to about $8 billion unused.

That is a shocking figure, but I'm not sure that it's a reason to stop giving gift cards. How many gift items have you received in the past that you haven't used? I still have the tags on a few clothing items I've received as gifts. And I have plenty of boring books, massagers, candles and kitchen gadgets taking up space and gathering dust in my cabinets. Perhaps we just have to do a better job giving people gift cards for items they really want.

One key is to get gift cards or gift certificates that are easy to redeem. If they can be redeemed online, and you know the recipient is an Internet shopper, online gift cards may be ideal. Some of my favorite gift card ideas include:

Discounted restaurant gift certificates sold online at Restaurant.com. More than 8,000 restaurants participate in the program. So your gift recipients can redeem their certificates at a restaurant they like in their area. You'll pay $10 for a $25 certificate, or about $5 to $6 per certificate using online coupon codes available at sites like www.couponmom.com.

Discounted magazine subscription gift certificates. You can buy discounted magazine subscriptions to many popular magazines at sites like www.bestdealsmagazines.com.

You will pay as little as $3.99 for an annual magazine subscription, and you can find coupon codes on coupon sites for further discounts (such as 15 percent off). If you do not know the type of magazine your recipients would like, you can buy a gift certificate with a face value of $10 or so to allow them to select a couple of magazines to get all year. Because there are no shipping costs or tax, and they are easily ordered online; you can be sure these certificates will be redeemed.