It's in the bag

Homemade Simple offers excellent tips on making cool totes for friends interesting in everything from bargain shopping to beach outings. Image by massdistraction via Flickr

It was bad enough being covered up by junk mail in real life, but now it seems, my email inbox is flooded with stuff I neither want to read or need to have.

And I'm not talking about crazy spam, porn or foreign lottery winners who want to borrow my bank account. My box is full o' stuff that I signed up for---coupon alerts, e-newsletters and umpteen Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and RSS alerts.

But every now and then I'll come across something so absolutely delightful, appealing and worth sharing that I quit all my moaning and groaning.

Enter Homemade Simple, the mostly useful P&G-backed e-zine that offers helpful, if not entertaining, information on everything from household organization to effective ways of clearing the cluttered mind.

What's so cool in their latest edition? Homemade Simple writers offer cool ideas for gift bags/baskets that friends might like. My favorite source on this topic is Tawra Kellam's Dining on a Dime Cookbook, but I couldn't resist sharing this HS article on Totes to Go---ways to create a gift bag for bargain hunters. Their suggestion follows:

A Bargain Hunter’s Bag---From Homemade Simple
Some people just have a knack for finding the best deals. If that’s your friend, then we’ve got the perfect way to make her shopping even more fun and easy. This bag will help keep everything she needs for hunting down a great buy, plus it provides room for carrying her finds. When choosing a bag, look for a large durable, canvas tote with thick straps so it’s comfortable to carry. Here are some things to consider including:

• Make list-writing simple with a pen and a small notebook that she can keep in her shopping bag.
• A small accordion folder can help her keep coupons organized.
• Include a small, inexpensive calculator for adding up her savings.
• Consider tossing in a few extra foldable bags for bigger shopping trips.
• To make it extra special, include a gift card or two to your friend’s favorite stores inside a charming, inexpensive change purse.
  

Keep reading

• Your Inbox Is Full: Managing Email Overload (blogs.wsj.com)
• Too many tote bags? Here are 3 ways to recycle them (timesunion.com)
• DIY Gift Bags: Save money by reusing newspapers (queercents.com)