Great Holiday Gifts, 2019 Edition

For the past two years I’ve posted holiday gift ideas and the response has been very positive.

It seems we all have those hard-to-buy-for people and a few extra suggestions are always welcome.

So I once again went into my Amazon order history and picked out some ideas based on what I liked (based on orders the past year).

I also threw in some oldies but goodies that I have loved over the years.

And I’ve arranged them by category just to help.

Let’s get to it! Here goes:

Books

I think you all know I’m a big reader/listener. Here are some books I read this year and you might want to check out…

• Of course there is my list of the only five personal finance books anyone needs to read, so if you haven’t read those, start here.
• From my review you know that I liked Rich Dad Poor Dad. I found this book to be full of good money wisdom and a worthwhile read. I wish I had studied it more at a younger age — I may have retired even sooner if I had.
• In working on an upcoming book-related post, I read The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. I generally like and recommend it, though there are a couple numbers I don’t agree with.
• The Old Money Book: How To Live Better While Spending Less: Secrets of America’s Upper Class is an entertaining read. It has a new spin on money (new in that you don’t read much of these sorts of tips) and I enjoyed it. I shared more thoughts on the book in Living Like Old Money.
• Work Less, Live More: The Way to Semi-Retirement is an old book and hard to find. But I did get a copy and liked it, even though it was somewhat dated. That said, semi-retirement is a great option for those who aren’t fully FI and want to test out a retired lifestyle in bits and pieces. For more on this book see my posts Early Semi-Retirement: An Alternative to Full Retirement and Early Semi-Retirement: Work Options and Fun Activities.
• One book I was very pleased with (and which surprised me) this year was How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life. It’s a great book on careers and contrarian thinking. For more on this see my posts on Money Lessons from Failure.
• I ordered two copies of The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life this year. I got a copy for a friend at church which he promptly lost. So I ordered him another copy. 🙂

Entertainment

You have to enjoy yourself in early retirement, right? Here are a few products that have helped me enjoy some of my free time…

• I don’t own the SouvNear 7″ Magnetic Chess Set with Folding Board – Portable Chess Game Handmade in Fine Wood with Storage for Chessmen but I have a board like it. Chess is the game I played most this past year, though most of my games were on my phone and against the computer.
• My video game playing hours have dropped dramatically the last year because of 1) pickleball (which sucked up 15-20 hours per week in the summer) and 2) a lack of great releases (at least the type of games I like to play). I did play Marvel’s Spider-Man – PlayStation 4 a couple times more. It’s an AWESOME game — I loved it! In fact, I’ll probably play it again in 2020. 😉
• I also need to replay Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – PlayStation 4 Standard Edition (newest) and Assassin’s Creed Origins – PlayStation 4 Standard Edition (previous). I loved these games too. I am starting to replay old games as they are more fun IMO than many new offerings. Plus it makes them a better value. 😉
• I did get Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) this year for Father’s day and have liked it, though pickleball kicked in and I didn’t get very far. I’m sure as the winter advances I’ll get to finish it.

Travel

I hate traveling itself (especially planes), but love to be places. These are the products that make the trip a bit easier to handle…

• The Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Sac Set – 3pc Set is my go-to organizer for most of my computer accessories I travel with.
• The Pro Packing Cubes – 6 Piece Lightweight Travel Cube Set – Organizers and Compression Pouches System for Carry-on Luggage, Suitcase and Backpacking Accessories (Sky Blue) is go-to set for organizing my clothes. I can get so much more stuff in my suitcase by using them (and by rolling my clothes).
• The Osprey Packs Skarab 32 Hydration Pack, Carbon Grey, Medium/Large is currently my go-to pack for a travel personal item, though it’s not 100% what I want (I am still in search of the perfect backpack). I also use this pack as my main pickleball backpack (I walk to the park where we play). I love Osprey and this mid-size sort of pack as it’s a balance between storing enough stuff but not being too big.

Workout

Just a few tried and true accessories that help with my workouts…

• There’s a debate in pickleball circles about the best ball to use. The Dura Fast 40 Pickleball is harder/faster/lighter and used in most tournaments, but breaks easily. The Onix Pure 2 Outdoor Pickleball is heavier/softer/slower and preferred by most, but it’s not used in tournaments so many don’t play with it. Anyone out there with an opinion? 😉
• I currently use the ONIX Graphite Z5 Pickleball Paddle as my main paddle. It’s light and has lots of “pop” and I’ll be using it for the foreseeable future.
• On our last trip to Grand Cayman we found a tube of Thinksport Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+, used it, and fell in love. It’s a good blend of effectiveness and yet goes on clear (after a bit of rubbing). As someone who’s had skin cancer and plays pickleball outside a lot, I use this almost every day.
• So far the Nike Grey Heather Dri-FIT Legend Long Sleeve Top is my favorite pickleball shirt. It’s lightweight, wicking, and doesn’t cost a fortune. I have several of these in a variety of colors. I also got some black ones to work out in.
• If you’re interested in trying pickleball, the Amazin’ Aces Pickleball Paddle Set is a great place to start. We ordered one when we first tried pickleball and then ordered a second set so friends could play with us. My wife still uses one of the paddles as her main one.
• I use the Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate Monitor with Armband, Black every time I work out to monitor my heart rate. I’m a numbers junkie like that. 😉
• The Speedo Large Teamster Backpack, 35-Liter is my go-to workout backpack. It holds a ton and stands upright with an opening on the top, perfect for the vertical lockers at my gym.

Miscellaneous

A hodge podge of great items…

• We got a BLACK+DECKER LCC222 20V MAX Lithium String Trimmer/Edger, Sweeper Plus, 10″, Black at the recommendation of my neighbor whose yard looks like a golf course. My son loves tools, so getting this has made it easier to get him to do the mowing and associated yard work. Ha!
• The Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill has been a lifesaver for me — making it so easy to grind my coffee fresh. I do it in large batches, then put it in the refrigerator to soak for a day or two. Then i strain it and heat it up when I want a cup.
• Vermont’s Original Bag Balm 8 Ounce Skin Moisturizer is the best thing I’ve found for dry skin, especially for dry feet. And in Colorado, you always have dry feet especially if you are active and take two showers a day often like I do.
• I got two YETI Rambler 20 oz Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Tumblers from a friend and LOVE them! They are almost too good at keeping things hot/cold. They were perfect this summer when I put ice in them to drink while playing pickleball, but burned my mouth a couple times when I used them for hot coffee (they kept the coffee steaming for a looooooong time).
• The Fiskars 3 Claw Garden Weeder was put into use several times this year until we re-rocked our back yard. If you have lots of weeds to get rid of, this tool is awesome!
• I’m still grilling a lot on my Traeger and thus using the Grillstone Grill Cleaning Refill, 3 Pack. It’s the best thing I’ve found yet to clean my grill.

That’s my suggested list for this year. See anything you like?