If you are a procrastinator and think about gifts a few hours before the holiday, this post on quick and cheap gift ideas should be very useful for you.

I have to admit – I am one of these nerds, who thinks of gifts 6 months before the actual holiday and prepares them for at least 3 months prior. My husband is the complete opposite. He usually plans to go to the store the day before the holiday (if he doesn’t forget about it that is) and due to the “irony of fate” something will always happen on his shopping day, so he will end up not going at all. He feels bad about it, because he knows that gift giving is a very important part of my culture, but he just can’t himself. He is the biggest procrastinator when it comes to holidays and presents.

Here are some quick and cheap gift ideas for everyone who can relate to my poor hubby.

Cheap gift idea #1: Magazine Subscription

Despite of the dominance of electronic media, magazine industry is still very successful. There are thousands of magazines available for literally any hobby you can think of: dancing, fishing, Christian life, marketing, hairstyling… If you know what the person you are buying a gift for is interested in, you are good to go.

You can order it online 10 minutes before the event. Just mention what your gift is when you sign the greeting card. Magazine subscriptions can be purchased for under $10 a year. Just search Google for discount magazine subscriptions and you will find tons of them.

If you are buying a subscription for your wife, get a cooking magazine subscription, which will benefit both.

Cheap gift idea #2: Bargain Books.

I realize that not everyone likes to read, but there are tons of coffee table books with plenty of beautiful pictures to look at.

If your gift is not due for another week or so, I recommend Amazon. I read and buy books a lot and Amazon deals are always unbeatable. Plus, the selection is awesome. Amazon is a great place for cheap gift ideas.

If you don’t have time to wait for stuff to arrive, go to Barnes and Noble or Borders. They usually have Bargain books section where you can find all sorts of books (children, coffee table, educational, encyclopedias, dictionaries etc) for 50-80% less than their original price.

To be continued…