Home / Prepping / Household Survival – 15 Lifesaving Items You Probably Already Haveis the perfect size for rinsing fresh berries, vegetables and even pasta. Print out this sweet tag on cardstock. Here's some more great collapsible items for any home. Here's some more housewarming ideas. Summer Housewarming Gift with printable tag Home Sweet Home Housewarming Gift with printable tag.It’s end of the school year time around here, and if you are like me, you find yourself trying to stretch a dollar to give a token of how deeply you appreciate how AMAZING your kids’ teachers are! I am a big fan of gift baskets. I feel like they look cute & are simple to assemble. There are two decisions to make when you are making a gift basket… Now you KNOW I love a theme, and my favorite go-to themes are spa, beach/summer, culinary, and gardening. [I’ll talk more about those later in the post.] Today, we delivered some “refreshing” gifts. And let me tell you, THESE ladies deserve a little refreshment after a school year of wide open four-year-olds!

My default color choice is pink and green. Just such a happy combo, don’t you think?? It’s great to have a color palette to help guide your selections for the gift basket.I chose candies in pink or green boxes, green hand soaps, pink lemonade packets, peppermint tea (which was in pink boxes for some reason), notepads, and some pink & green tissue paper. I hit the dollar store for some cute pink & green shopping/beach baskets (these came from Dollar Tree, but I’ve seen the same and similar baskets at other dollar stores, too). And I grabbed some bottled water. I also grabbed a couple of these cello gift basket bags. They are great to make your gift look finished and fancy… and to keep me from eating everything in them before delivery… First, line your basket with a couple of sheets of tissue paper. Tear off the label from the water and tie a ribbon around its neck. I added a little printed tag with a verse to one of the two water bottles in each basket (I changed the he to she).

She who refreshes others will herself be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25). Next fill the basket. Vacuum Cleaner LeavesMake sure to try to balance the weight as you fill (so one heavy water on each end; add tea bags, soap, and pink lemonade mix wedged in the middle; then boxes of candy & notepad along either side).Haiti Car Seat Cover Finally, “wrap” the basket in a cello bag. Second Hand Furniture For Sale Malaysia[I actually decided to do this only with the gift for the teacher who was absent today, leaving everyone else’s open so they could dig right in.] Tie it closed with a thick ribbon, and don’t forget the tag (write or print on colored cardstock)!A happy row of gift basketey joy ready to deliver! [These ended up at about $10 each.]

I love to lay out all the “fillings” in my workroom on the dining room table, and go to work! Here are some great themed filler suggestions: SPA – sea grass tote with fancy towel, bath salts, bubble bath, lotion, loofah, flavored water, candles, candy, book BEACH – bright tote with fun beach towel, sun block, magazine, notecards, candy, flip-flops, orange soda (because it’s bright) GARDENING – bright tote or ceramic/clay oversized pot with watering can, gloves, small potted plant/flower, seeds packet, flavored water/soda, watering globe, bird feeder COOKING – stainless steel oversized bowl with apron, oven mit, pot holder, napkins, stainless steel kitchen utensils, gourmet spices, wooden rolling pin AND… if the budget allows, ADD GIFT CARDS! A $5 giftcard from Starbucks or Sonic can be tucked into a [ask for a free] tall or small Starbucks or Sonic cup. Target, Walmart, and teacher supply store giftcards are also always appreciated. If it’s a group gift and the budget is bigger, a giftcard to a spa or restaurant is awesome, too!

So, what did I forget? Do you ever make gift baskets? How to you love on those spectacular teachers of yours? You might also like these posts… One of the biggest hurdles in property management is not only finding great tenants, but keeping great tenants.  Using quality tenant screening services will help you place a reliable tenant, but what are the best practices to ensure your dream tenant never wants to move out? In this blog series, Tips From Your Tenant, we’ll cover ideas about what property managers and landlords can do to keep their tenants happy and limit property vacancies.  As always, if you’ve had any great success in maintaining positive tenant relationship, let us know in the comments! This first post for Tips From Your Tenant will focus on making a lasting first impression with a Tenant Welcome Package. Think of a Tenant Welcome Package as a simple house warming gift to your tenant.  It is more than just a Welcome Kit folder, which typically contains paperwork highlighting rent payment policies, contact information, utility service providers and emergency maintenance procedures.

A Tenant Welcome Package is the “above and beyond” gesture that shows your tenant that you care about them and your property.  You will make them feel special and reinforce their decision to move into your rental. These packages can be simple or elaborate and can easily fit into any budget.  Here is a list of ideas for items to include in your Tenant Welcome Package. A personalized, handwritten note welcoming your new tenant to the property and neighborhood. A map to the closest grocery store, laundromat, and hospital. Coupons to local restaurants and retailers.  A lot of towns send out direct mail coupon packs for free.  Try contacting the provider directly to see if you can keep a stash of them to give out to new tenants.  You could also establish a relationship with your favorite restaurants to see if they will create a custom coupon just for you and your new tenants.  In my experience with the food industry, most restaurants (maybe not super expensive ones) will be on board with this idea, as they want to get new customer in the door and make them regulars.

A small bouquet of flowers, usually under $5 from a grocery store, in a dollar store vase left on the counter with your handwritten note.  What a great way to welcome new tenants and make them feel at home. Toilet paper, for that first night Cleaning Kit: a small bucket with sponges, glass cleaner, bleach, paper towels.  You can find all these items at the $1 store and don’t need to break the bank.  I love this idea  because it sets the tone for wanting to keep your rental clean. Bottle water or soda pop in the fridge Gift card to a local coffee shop Gift card to a grocery store A gift certificate to a local restaurant A bottle of wine or champagne-moving into a new place is a celebration after all! Gift card to a home improvement store or the local hardware store, they will most likely use it to make improvements to the property What has your experience with Tenant Welcome Packages been?  What other things do you do to maintain a positive, long term relationship with your tenant?