Gift for a BF Who's Moving Out of State

What about a family membership to the local zoo or science museum or other family-friendly place where she is moving?

Hello P.,

What would you get her for her birthday or christmas? how about having a little party. cake and ice cream and a night playing boardgames?

is there anything that you think will make a part of her life "easier"? new small crockpot? all the ingredients for a favorite recipe 3-cup rice cooker? scrapbooking supplies? a nice necklace? her favorite perfume? a nice music cd?

do you know the address she's moving to?
you could make up a little booklet for her. make a list of her favorite places in town here and try to find them for her in her new town. print out a map w/ directions from her house to those locations.
get her the number to the closest pizza hut and the closest walgreens and the closest walmart and the closest target.

find out how far the library is from her soon to be home. find out the programs they have for the kids.
get the website address for their city and library.

then e-mail her the info. and she can keep the printed copy in the car.

stamps and envelopes?
Well, these are a bit off the wall ideas, then again...hopefully it will give you an idea of what to get her. Good luck and I hope you get to see your friend often.
~C.~

I love the game night w/ cake and ice cream. I think it would also be a nice touch to have a plant delivered to their new home when they are unpacking and have a pizza delivered while they are unloading. I'm sure the pizza place would provide a note for you- it would be a way to be there when you can't. Good luck, I know it's hard when friends move away.

Hi,
When my family moved to Houston years ago my two best friends bought three beautiful necklaces with our birthstone on them. (We all have the same birthday). It was such a sweet surprise to receive a beautiful necklace when I moved knowing we all could wear the same necklace even though we wouldn't be able to get together everyday anymore. We got to move back to the Dallas area about 3 years later and I still enjoy wearing my necklace!
R.

Hi P.,

I assume your friend will be driving to her new location. If your kids are friends, how about taking your kids to the dollar store to pick out fun activities for the car. Put a gift sack together for each child. That will help the car ride go smoother.

As for your gift. When moving everything has to be boxed up. Is she moving to a house? Call a local nursery and give her a flowering plant that will grow in that area. What are her hobbies? Moving is stressful. How does she like to relax? What would you want her to give you?

Hope you find the answer you are looking for.

I had a great friend who moved away a few years ago...same thing our kids were friends and we got together at least once a week for them to play. I did one of the cheesy photos on a t-shirt (you can even do this at Walmart) for the kids to remember each other by and they loved it!! Gave my friend a framed photo as well.

Check out the photo books from shutterfly.com. There are a variety of styles and prices. A photo book full of memories of each other and your kids would be a a meaningful gift and shutterfly does such a great job that the quality is outstanding. I have made many many many photo books with them.

You can personalize a gift for her - a 3x4 magnet is only 8 bucks. http://J..yoursmh.com
Let me know if I can help!

You could always get her a wonderful pair of my knitted slippers! If you don't see a color you like, just ask and I can make it for you.

www.yarncoture.etsy.com

If you can get together some photos and make a photo album of the kids playing or even get together one more time TO take pictures. Then develop them (Wal-Mart or Walgreens have 1-hour) and put them in a cute little photo book. If you get double prints, you can make one for yourself and your kids.

Another idea is a certificate worth a weekend visit at your home that expires in 12 months (so they come visit soon).

Don't look at it as losing a friend, but gaining a road trip. :o)

You're a good friend!

P. <><

A picture of you in a great frame so she can always see your smiling faces and think of you every day.

My best friend moved out of state last January. I came up w/ a Texas themed basket as a gift so she could remember the wonderful things back in Texas that she was leaving and some things to share w/ her new friends in her new state. It had some mugs, shot glasses and Texas shaped sugar cookies I made. And then I added two books on Texas for her kids in the basket that fit there age. And to top it off I found a Texas themed picture frame and put a picture of her and I in it. She loved the gift so much!

If you are familiar with James Avery they have very nice gifts in sterling silver that are reasonably priced. A nice charm, ring or necklace would be a good momento. Other things might be a 'willow tree' angel that she can put in her new home-they are priced from about 15.00 and are very sweet momentos. Usually Hallmark has a good selction. They have a friendship, hospitality and other types that may be appropriate. Also, you could give her a set of notes cards
stamps and a good pen to write to you with! sorry your friend is moving-but if you work at it you can keep in touch. I have friends I have lived apart from for over 15 years and we still keep in touch. Blessings--

My family and I moved from CA last summer and spent 4 days driving. In my experience, I didn't want any more "things" to pack and take with us...we had enough to deal with. The going away gifts from my friends that meant the most were the heartfelt cards they wrote. I still have them and read them every now and then. If you want to include a small gift in with your note, restaurant gift cards are wonderful because moving is stressful and you don't have the comforts of your home kitchen. You could also give a CD to listen to on the drive. Hope this helps. :)

Hi P.,

I have a dear friend who just moved and I collected lots of digital photos of her family and mine. Then I checked old e-mails and got ahold of some of their friends and activities and solicited more digital pictures of some of their other friends and activities...all without her knowlege.

I presented her a digital frame with all the pictures loaded on random. She loved it.

Since finances are short, perhaps you can do this, and rather than a digital frame, load them on a flash drive and she can load on her laptop or a frame of her choosing.

I'm sorry she's moving.

P.,

You could either give her a book that she can read and think of you (or scrapbook stuff if she is into that) and a coffee cup...

or

You can give her a tourist attraction book for the place she will be moving.

You could make her a photo book with pictures from fun times you have all had together. I LOVE the photobooks that you can make at Shutterfly.com. They are really professional looking easy to make and only $30! It is a bit of a time commitment but you end up with a very special keepsake.

Hi P., all of the ideas I've read have been great! I think something homemade or inexpensive is even more thoughtful than something expensive, especially if you have put thought into it.

My first idea would be to buy her a map of the new city she will live in or just a map of the new state she will be going to and inscribe something on the front of it along with a map of the place she is leaving from and the inscriptions should say something like...

" You are starting a new and wonderful journey, here's a map to keep you on the right path. Remember us on your new adventures and know we will also be lost without you. Even though we are miles apart you will always be close at heart"

Something very inexpensive, thoughtful and something she will have and keep in her glove box forever. WHEN she is lost she will look to it and think of you and your special friendship.

If that's a little to hallmark for you. Getting something significant to your relationship. You always have coffee together, or always talking on the phone doing laundry. Buy her a bag of coffee, or laundry detergent or dish liquid. A good friend of mine bought me some designer paperplates that matched the hideous wallpaper in my new house. It was hysterical and a sweet gesture. Anything that is significant to the two of you will mean more.

Best wishes to you as well in having miles between you.

One of my favorite gifts to give which is inexpensive, but a fun gift is to go to Blockbuster (be sure she has one where she is moving.) Get one of their tubs of microwave popcorn and a $10 gift card. Then go to the dollar store and fill the tub with movie candy (Mike & Ike, Junior Mints, Hot Tamales, etc.) I tape the gift card to one of the candy boxes. This is a fun gift well under $20.

Willowtree figures are nice, I think theres even an angel of friendship. You can find them at hallmark stores, cracker barrels, or online the smaller ones are like $11.HTH

Make her a very special scrapebook since your children are best friends too you must have lots of pictures. This way in the future she can remember all the very special times you've had and the kids will enjoy remembering too,
B. W

I had a good friend move out of state one time. She was a sweet person and meant alot to many of us. We went in together and bought her a charm bracelet with lots of charms. Dixie's in Arlington (on S. Cooper near Mayfield) sells about a million charms. Everything is sterling silver and very reasonable. The bracelets are about $10-20 and each charm is about $4-$7. Find a charm that would remind her of times you've spent together or buy several that would remind her of many things you've done together. She will love it! Good luck!

If you have pictures with her in them, maybe you could find one that would be good to frame. Get it enlarged at Wal-Mart or CVS. You could get a nice frame faily inexpensively at Michaels or Hobby Lobby and frame it. It would be nice for her to put up in her new home and be a daily reminder of you and your family.
Leanne

I had a good friend move out of state once and I found this great Texas flag throw (cannot recall where I got it but I'll bet you could find something online) and told her when she missed her Texas friends, she could just wrap herself up in that and feel the whole state giving her a hug. Corny....I know....but if your friend isn't a Texan or hasn't lived here long, she may not care so much for that gift!

Something personal like a photo album of the 2 families or a special frame to set in her new house with a picture of you or the kids to remind her of home.