Leaving gifts for redundant colleague - the OS way?

Morganarla

Hey all!

A very dear colleague of mine has been made redundant (which I wholeheartedly disagree with :mad: but that's another story..) and I want to give her something lovely for when she leaves a week on Friday.

This sweet lady makes my working day bearable even when I'm having the worst day ever (I'm a vet nurse so plenty of stress!), keeps me out of trouble when things go wrong, cuddles me when I'm crying over personal stuff, and just in short is pretty damn amazing :A

Trouble is - I am so damn poor atm it's untrue.. Most of the cash I have in my purse I need to get to and from work until payday at the end of the month, so can't splash out on a bunch of flowers or anything, but will be able to stretch to a pretty card.

What else can I get her? I have some homemade apple and onion chutney that I'm going to send over, but was thinking a cake, or other homemade goodies. Might knit something (simple!) as well.

Anyone got any cheap OS ideas for this lovely lady?

PipneyJane

Having been in your friend's shoes, anything that says "I'm sorry and I'll miss you" will be appreciated. Something that adds a "hug" is even more welcome.

How good are your knitting skills? What sort of yarn do you have in your stash? Could you whip out a simple scarf in a week? A suggestion would be an odds-n-ends scarf, where you cast on lengthwise, then knit each row in a different but colour-blending yarn, leaving the ends to tie into a fringe, possibly supplimented with more yarn (if the fringe looks sparce). You'd need to use a circular needle in order to hold all the stitches (but treat it like it's two straights). Pick a needle size that works with the thickest of the yarns. Top and tail it with the same yarn/yarns and throw in a stripe or two of that yarn in the middle, so that the pattern looks deliberate.

HTH.

oldtractor

Personally it wouldnt be anything shop bought. It would be a hand made card saying "I'm sorry and I'll miss you" as Pipney Jane has suggested ,a jar of chutney and a HM cake and or scarf or wrist warmers. I think that will be much more appreciated and show your appreciation far more than anything bought from a shop could do.

meames_2

I noticed shops have mugs with "jumpers" on them what about doing something like that? A cheap mug and a hand knitted jumper, they are very small, that could go along with a "sending you a hug in a mug" theme?

Morganarla

Some great ideas here, thanks!

I only have baby pink wool in my stash, which probably isn't going to be her thing... Pretty good at whizzing up scarfs and shawls with thick wool and chunky needles so maybe can think of something.

Liking the hug in a mug idea!

I'm going to miss her so damn much

PixieDust

will you be a little better off in January? Is she the kind of person who would enjoy an "Invitation to Elevenses" or "Invitation to High Tea"....so you and she can have a lovely chinwag in the new year at your house with home made cake and stuff? It would also prove to her that you really do wantto stay in touch and are not just giving out empty stock phrases iyswim?

carefullycautious

I would make a home made card and write a lovely letter outlining everything you have written in your thread.

I would be honoured and so dam proud that I had been instrumental in making your working life more bearable etc, and this would be a lovely keepsake to look back on.

Somebody like yourself with little money brought me a second hand book from a charity shop. She had overheard me talking about my love of books. It meant more to me than any present I had ever received and if it had cost a million pound could not have been more enjoyed.

I know it is a cliche but it really is the thought that counts

Morganarla

PixieDust wrote: »

will you be a little better off in January? Is she the kind of person who would enjoy an "Invitation to Elevenses" or "Invitation to High Tea"....so you and she can have a lovely chinwag in the new year at your house with home made cake and stuff? It would also prove to her that you really do wantto stay in touch and are not just giving out empty stock phrases iyswim?

Will I be better off in January? Probably not :rotfl::( But the invite idea is good, she know we're always skint so won't expect M&S grub or anything! I was going to extend the offer of dropping round anytime she likes, we don't live too far apart.

Keep the ideas coming! Any more thoughts on stuff I could make, either food or craft wise?

lisa26_2

Could you afford to spend about £1? If so you could make her some lovely chocolate mints. All you need is 200g of dark choc (tesco and morrisons both do a 100g value range bar for 37p that works well) and a pack of extra strong mints. Crush the mints (I do them in the food processor), add to the melted choc and mix together. you can then either spread it out thinly onto greaseproof paper of very lightly oiled cling film then break it into bitesized pieces once it has set. otherwise, what I do is draw around a 2p coin loads of times on a sheet of greaseproof paper and then garefully spoon the choc onto the circles to make lovely indidvidual mint chocs. you could then pop them in a nice box or bag with a bit of ribbon. it makes a lovely present......my relatives are all getting some for xmas.

PixieDust

makes a note of that......

Butterfly_Brain

You can get a large cup and saucer in Wilkinsons for £3 and you could fill it with HM rocky road bars or how about hot chocolate, a chocolate spoon and a candy cane.

Try the complete HM gifts thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/350923