1. Emergency Car Kit These are the kits that stay in the back or trunk of your vehicle. Most contain basic things such as: jumper cables; first-aid kit; and a flashlight. The more expensive ones also contain such items as: Flares; fuses; food and water packets; and a small set of tools. This is a sure-fire gift since most cars don't carry an adequate emergency car kit, if any at all. It's not just a gift it also shows you care about their safety.

2. Gift cards. These are gaining in popularity. They are a pretty good bet for those hard-to-shop-for people on your list. The one problem: what store to buy the cards from? Well, one thing to consider is a mall gift card. With these cards you can shop at any store in the mall. The recipient has to go to that mall to shop but they have many more choices and can buy what fancies them at the time. A couple of negatives of gift cards. As their popularity increases they are being viewed as more impersonal gifts. The recipient may feel you just didn't put much time into the gift. Another negative is that most gift cards go unused, mostly because people forget they have them, or simply lose them.

3. Coin Counters. Most of us have a problem managing our spare change. A coin counter can help solve this. There are a number of non-commercial coin counters or home coin counters around. The cheaper ones can range from $15.00 on up. They can normally sort 20 or more coins at a time. They'll separate them into different tubes based on coin size/value. The more expensive ones also handle the $1.00 coins. Most also come with the paper wrappers if you want to take the wrapped coins to the bank. Most people don't have one of these. There are even some wood-grained models for less than $100.00.

4. Books. Books on the person's favorite subject(s) is a good idea. You can "probe" them to see what titles they own and would be interested in. For Men, those "book of facts" books are a great idea. They contain short snippets of information that most people may not know. For Women, a book by their favorite author, especially the latest title they may not have bought yet. If you still can't figure out what title(s) to buy then get a gift card from a bookstore. I would suggest getting one from a chain such as Borders because that gives the person flexibility to purchase from a location that's more convenient to them.

5. A Spare Bed I know that sounds a bit on the strange side but hear me out. A number of people don't have an adequate bed or enough beds for guests. The kinds of spare beds I'm referring to are air beds or air mattresses. These are generally more comfortable than futons, sofa beds, roll-away beds, or cots. You can even buy some beds that blow up to the same size as an actual bed up to king size! These kind of beds are more comfortable and help ease lower back pain better than most "regular" beds. Also, when not in use they can be rolled up and stored away in a box and out of site taking up less space than a roll-away bed. So, instead of buying an expensive futon that makes an OK couch and a lousy bed, you can buy a decent couch and a great low-cost sleeping option: a raised air mattress. These mattresses can start from around $50.00 on up to around $300.00 or more.