Father's Day Finds in Every Price Range

June 13, 2007 — -- It's the time of the year to celebrate dear old Dad, and there are plenty of ways to do it. From homemade cards and gift baskets to a day off from his weekend chores or a brand new grill, there's something out there your dad or husband will love, no matter what your budget.

No Shopping Necessary

A homemade card designed by the whole family is even better when it includes coupons that relieve Dad of his weekly chores. Create "gift certificates" that he can redeem from family members to wash his car, make his favorite dinner, mow the lawn, weed the garden or shine his shoes.

These no-cost gifts let Dad relax doing something he enjoys while the rest of the family works together to give him a day off. Just make sure everyone follows through on their promises! And he'll likely appreciate not having to face an inflated credit card bill later.

Spend A Little, Give a Lot

Unless he really needs one, skip the traditional necktie or shirt and chose a gift that reflects his hobbies and interests instead -- and that doesn't mean having to splurge on a a high-ticket item. For example, you may not be able to afford a $500 grill for a barbecue fanatic, but you can buy accessories, cookbooks or gadgets for a nominal price that he'd appreciate. Can't swing new golf clubs or a fancy fishing rod? Consider a less expensive gift that is related to a favorite interest of his.

Discounted magazine subscriptions are $5 and up. Find magazines on his favorite hobby, sport or interest at bestdealmagazines.com or other discounted magazine Web sites.

Pick up sporting event tickets to a local college team or minor league team game.

Give a gift basket filled with his favorite food gifts or personal care items like shaving products (use coupons and deals at national drugstore chains, see weekly circulars).

Make a photo album of family pictures or buy a picture frame to feature favorite pictures. Find inexpensive frames and photo albums at the dollar store, discount store, or use the 40 percent off coupon from the Sunday newspaper for a national craft store.

The Big Splurge

If you can afford to buy a more expensive item you know dad really wants, be sure to do your homework by making online price comparisons using sites like shoplocal.com or shopzilla.com.

Remember that the base price does not always tell the whole story. Be sure to factor in sales tax and/or shipping costs. Once you find the lowest-priced retailer, enter the item name into a search engine to find an online coupon code if available. Also check Sunday newspaper coupon circulars and the Entertainment coupon book for savings you can redeem in brick and mortar stores.

Look for online coupon codes in a search engine or shop through Upromise.com or Ebates.com to get cash back with your purchase. Shop discounted outlet sites like Overstock.com or SmartBargains.com for last year's electronics and look for online coupons for those sites to save even more.

Find bargains at Amazon.com by searching their Top Sellers in various categories, and make sure to read the item description thoroughly to find special promotional codes or rebates.

For example, my husband would like a new grill for Father's Day. Since I support anything that might inspire him make dinner more often, I am willing to splurge on this Father's Day gift. He told me the name of the grill and the model number, and I began by comparing prices on Shoplocal.com. The base price of the grill ranged from $299 to $359. However, shipping rates varied from free shipping all the way up to $169. The $299 price at Target.com became $485 once shipping and tax was added to the order.

I found the least-expensive options were to order the grill from Amazon.com for $299.99 with the lowest shipping charge of $25 and no sales tax. If I used a special coupon code provided on the grill's Amazon listing, I would also get a free year's subscription to a popular decorating magazine. My total cost from Amazon, delivered to my home: $324.99.

If I bought the grill for $299 from Ace Hardware's Web site, I could save the $55 shipping fee if I chose to have it shipped to my local Ace Hardware store to pick it up. I would pay about $17 in sales tax, for a total cost of $317 to pick up at the store.

In my case, I'm willing to spend the extra $7 with Amazon.com to save the time and effort of making the pick up at the hardware store, plus, I'll get the free magazine. Regardless of what you spend, the key to a happy Father's Day is showing Dad that his fan club appreciates him, which you can do at any price.

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABCNews.com. You can find more of her savings tips in her book "The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" and on her Web site at www.couponmom.com.