GRADUATION GIFTS

Highschool graduation gift ideas for friends don't have to be expensive. Their parents might be giving them a cruise vacation, a laptop or a new car but your present should be about friendship and memories or even a plate full of graduation cupcakes that you can make and decorate yourself for the two of you to share.

Nobody expects a student to come up with a present that compares in price to what a family member is able to afford. In fact it might come across as pretentious or weird if you go the extravagant route.

Good graduation gifts from one pal to another should be creative and personalized as well as in a medium to low price range. I'm not saying that you should buy a cheap graduation gift to preserve your image. But the point is not to impress everybody by being flashy and ostentatious either.

Here are some inexpensive, creative graduation gift ideas for friends that you can put together without having to blow your student loan. Some take more artistic skill than others, but something homemade might be the most unique gift ideas of all!

(1. Buy an inexpensive photo album and fill it with pictures of the good times and memorable occasions that the two of you shared over the past three years.

(2. Do you draw or know an art student who does? Find out which picture is your friend's favorite and present her with a nicely drawn portrait of herself. The frame should cost less than ten dollars and the sentimental value; priceless!

(3. Go to one of the stores where everything costs exactly one dollar. Buy a basket there and proceed to fill it with ten or so items that your friend will need for the dorm. Don't forget to include a small frame with a picture of the two of you in it.

(4. A new wallet with a gift certificate for a meal at your favorite restaurant.

(5. A laundry basket with a roll of quarters for the laundromat, detergent, spot treatment and softener sheets.

(6. A gift certificate to a salon in the town where she will be going to college

Mom and dad know you better than anybody. So why would they need to get high school graduation gift ideas from a stranger? Well, does daddy know that his little girl sports a Brazilian bikini wax or that his fine young son has a tattoo of an angel in a most devilish location? Parents may know in their hearts that their kids keep a part of their lives secret, but choose to respect their privacy with a "don't ask- don't tell" policy.

With much of your young adult's lifestyle hidden in the background, is it even possible to know what is a great high school graduation gift. Barring expensive gifts like a new car or a trip abroad is it possible to present a son or daughter with something memorable that won't be tossed aside the minute your backs are turned?

In order to get this job done, you may have to change your mind about what constitutes a cool high school graduation gift idea. Sentimental keepsakes are fine, but you might want to add something to the mix. Here are some suggestions for a gift for high school graduation that won't get returned.

(1. A digital camera is one of my top high school graduation gift ideas because you can get a mid-range model that won't cost a mint. Give the grandparents and friends of the family a tip that extra memory cards and carrying cases would be much appreciated so that the graduate has the whole package. Plus, they can share their college experience with you through the pictures they have taken when they come home.

(2. The budget might be tight at the moment with tuition and books high on the list of necessities, but a good set of luggage is something that will be used for years. If a whole set is out of your budget range, buy one piece and send the word to the rest of the family to do the same.

(3. The prices of laptop computers have come way down and they are now college essentials taking priority over monogrammed pens and pencils.

(4. Some kids need all the help that they can get to manage their time so the investment in a waterproof watch and a really loud alarm clock would be a good way to obtain insurance that they won't be late to class.

(5. Appointment books, datebooks and wall calendars are less expensive and just as necessary which will make them excellent high school graduation gift ideas for friends and family.

College kids are absentminded and careless and they may knock the laptop off the coffee shop table and ruin their wristwatch that you gave them at the frat pool party. But at least you will have that one fleeting moment when your child opens their graduation gift and thinks that you are so cool.

I listed a few graduation gift ideas for friends that will be appreciated and made mention of appropriate gifts from parents with deeper pockets. However, we are going to take things a step further and add to our list of good graduation gifts with a short list of what NOT to give as a gift.

Don't you wish your well meaning great aunt would drop by and raise her graduation gift standards to a modern level?

(1. Live animals. A puppy, cat or even a goldfish would be at the top of really bad gifts for graduation. Of course there are exceptions, but in most cases to give a graduating senior a pet would be unfair to both parties involved. College freshman have other things on their mind than walking the dog or cleaning the litter box and fish tank.

(2. Figurines. Don't pull those knickknacks that great aunt Hattie has been giving you every Christmas and birthday for years out to re-gift. The graduate's dorm room is crowded enough with stuff that they really like. Don't foist off your unwanted gifts on them.

(3. Clothes. It's been a few years since you graduated from highschool (or college for that matter) so don't imagine that you know exactly what's stylish with teenagers this year. Don't buy clothes, hand the kid the money outright before you give them a lame sweater that they will stick in a drawer.

(4. Toys. You may have noticed that some students thought stuffed animals were an appropriate (if not that creative) way to decorate their bedrooms. If you are thinking that toys would be wonderful, graduation gifts, please think again. Those stuffed dogs and cats on the bed are probably leftovers from kindergarten. Your friend may be sentimental about them, but trust me when I tell you that graduating students would rather you buy them a hamburger than autograph animals.

(5. Houseplants. Unless your graduating friend is a botany major, skip the potted plants. They won't make it through the first semester.

If you don't want to hurt great-aunt Hattie's sensitive feelings by telling her not to knit you a sweater, feel free to send her over for a visit and we'll take care of that unpleasant job for you.