As any avid blog reader knows, there's no shortage on the holiday-gift-guide front. So, for mine, I tried to do something a little different. First, all of the items have something good (read: responsible) about them. They're either manufactured in the U.S., made from environmentally friendly materials, or produced according to fair-trade guidelines. Beyond that, all of the products have some sort of utility. When I put the list together, it was important to me that I include only goods that the recipient could actually get a lot of use out of—nothing disposable. And lastly, every item is under $40. The full list of 40 is over at my blog Well Spent, and below are 10 of my favorites. Hopefully they'll help you to cross a few people off your shopping list.
Artex Knitting Mills Knit Caps
- Various materials, including wool and acrylic
- Made in the USA
- Best Price: $7 and up at Amazon
Prospector Co. Tester Vials Kit
- No "chemical additives, colorings, and unnatural preservatives"
- Samples include: K.C. Atwood Aftershave Splash, Peary & Henson Aftershave Splash, Burroughs Beard Oil, and Miss Annie Jones Shaving Oil
- Crafted in small batches in the USA
- Best Price: $16 at Prospector Co.
Organic Bamboo Grow Pots
- Certified organic herbs and soil
- Handmade bamboo pot
- Lacquered lid/saucer
- Made in the USA
- Best Price: $17 at Bluestone Garden
Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedias
- Publisher's description: "The photographs, drawings and texts published in this book are part of a collection of more than 3,000 tattoos accumulated over a lifetime by prison attendant Danzig Baldaev. Tattoos were his gateway into a secret world in which he acted as ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society. The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and sometimes just strange, reflecting as they do the lives and traditions of Russian convicts."
- Best Price: $21 and up at The Book Depository
Skinny Ties Cotton Knit Ties
- Recycled cotton/acrylic blend
- 2.5-inch width
- Made in the USA
- Best Price: $20 at Skinny Ties
New York Hat Co. Camp Caps
- Various materials, including wool, nylon, and denim
- Made in the USA
- Best Price: $21 and up at New York Hat Co.
Tagsmith Flat Wallet
- Full-grain, domestically sourced, vegetable-tanned leather
- Handcrafted in California
- Best Price: $30 at Tagsmith
PocketToolX PIRANHA Pocket Tool
- Heat-treated, 420 stainless steel
- Made in the USA
- Best Price: $31.50 at PocketToolX
Merkur Long Handle Double Safety Razor
- Chrome finish
- Made in Germany
- Includes 10 blades
- Best Price: $39 at Amazon
O'Connell's Surcingle Belts
- Non-stretch wool surcingle fabric
- Polished-brass buckle
- 1.25-inch width
- Made in the USA
- Best Price: $40 at O'Connell's
To see the other 30 items, check out the 2011 Good Giving Gift Guide on Well Spent.
Also on Details.com:
Brad Bennett of Well Spent Shares His Favorite Chicago Shops
Brad Bennett of Well Spent Makes a Case for Plain-Toe Boots (and Shares His 6 Top Pairs)
What Well Spent's Brad Bennett Would Rather Open His Wallet for Instead of Rent
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