Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Holidays

A few of you have emailed me looking for last-minute gift ideas. Here’s my cheat sheet:

• If you can squeeze in an errand, skim Atlanta on the Cheap’s list of Holiday Gift Card Bonuses available at dozens of restaurants. You’ll find a mix of gift card offers for any taste & budget–some include a promotional card valid in the first couple of months of 2013; others increase the gift card’s total value.
• As always, Amazon.com is offering quite a few deals for the holidays, making it easy to save if you have a general idea of what you want. Per Amazon.com’s Holiday Ordering Cutoffs guide, 3:00 p.m. ET today, December 19, 2012, is the last day to order with Free Super Saver Shipping on most orders of $25+ (I use this quite a bit) as well as the last day to opt for Standard Shipping & receive the gift in time for Christmas. Thursday, December 20, is the last full day to order with two-day shipping (free with Amazon Prime). Friday, December 21, is the last full day to order with One-Day Shipping (as low as $3.99 with Amazon Prime; your deadline to place your One-Day Shipping order is 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 22, 2012. Bonus: Select items are available with free one-day shipping.
• If you don’t know what you want, you can opt for an Amazon.com gift card–for a limited time, select denominations will include a free gift box and free one-day shipping. And as always, you can print or email Amazon.com gift cards on the same day. Reminder: Many grocery stores have gift card displays, giving you a chance to buy gift cards for everything from restaurants to movie tickets when you’re out picking up ingredients for the holiday meal.
• Want to get me a gift? Tell your friends about Atlanta on the Cheap. They can subscribe to email updates, follow @atlcheap on Twitter, like Atlanta on the Cheap on Facebook, or follow us on Google+–I’m not picky; all I want for Christmas is for you to spread the word about the site.

–Jennifer Maciejewski