A gentle reminder: Father's Day is June 17. So you still have
several days to come up with a great gift for Dad. But what do dads
really want?
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1. Tablet or smart phone.
Slightly more than half of the men polled said they wanted one of
these pricey tech gadgets. New smart phones cost about $200 and
have monthly service plans that cost $100 to $200. Tablets start at
about $200 for the Kindle Fire and can go as high as $800 for an
iPad. It might seem like a lot to shell out for a gift, but smart
phones (and even tablets) can pay for themselves.
See our slide show
to find out how.
2. Home-cooked meal.
This gift is much easier on the budget than a tablet or smart
phone. And if you feel like treating Dad to a estaurant meal, you
can keep the cost of going out under control, too. Here are
four sites that can help you score restaurant
discounts
. And read my tips for
saving money when dining out with kids
.
3. Tickets to a sporting event.
Here's another potential budget buster, depending on the sport and
league Dad wants to watch. Tickets to minor-league sporting events
can be incredibly affordable, but tickets to a major-league game
can cost big bucks. Don't spend more than you have to, though.
Follow these tips
to avoid ticket service charges, which can increase your cost by up
to 50% of the ticket's face value.
4. Power tools.
Unfortunately, the best time to find deals on tools is in July (see
Best and Worst Buys of June
). But if your dad (or husband) really wants some new tools,
Lowes.com
has a list on its homepage of gifts in various price ranges -- so
you can find something that fits your budget. Or just get Dad a
gift card from his favorite home-improvement store and let him pick
out the tools he wants. You can score discounted gift cards at
sites such as
Plastic
Jungle
and
Gift Card
Granny
.
5. Guilt-free weekend with friends.
If your dad (or husband) is the adventurous type, you can find
discounted one-of-a-kind outdoor activities in major U.S. cities at
zozi.com
, adventure packages for less than $100 at
Cloud 9
Living
and deals on activities at
Groupon.com
.
Get 100 of our top money-saving tips by
downloading the new iPad app
or
purchasing the PDF version
.
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