With Fathers Day's just this weekend you might be starting to worry about what gift to buy Dad this year. The good news is that you don't have to spend a fortune on cufflinks or other 'traditional' Father's Day gifts in order to show your love. Instead, how about trying out some homemade or even free gifts ideas and at the same time gain more from your efforts by going green for this years present. Sound good? Great! Let's see if we can put some of the 171 million tonnes of waste produced in Britain every year to good use - here are our top tips for going green this Father's day:
Do It Yourself gifts:
A DIY card for Father's Day is a classic way to show your appreciation for all he does for you. The recycling box is a good place to start when hunting down cardboard and paper for the card base. Grab an old magazine or newspaper for interesting pictures to cut out and use to make a collage. Add an in-joke or two and you're there!
If your Father has a sweet tooth, a batch of his favourite biscuits, some chocolate coated fudge or a Father's Day sponge cake will surely do the trick. Check out the recipe for these raw brownies from Deliciously Ella, you don't even have to turn the oven on!
Homemade preserves presented in a posh jar make a tasty treat for foodie dads. Hunt down ingredients that are in season (and usually all that bit cheaper!), clean and sterilise some old jars with lids and after an hour's work, you'll have a fine batch of pickle, chutney or jam that will taste all the better to Dad for having made it yourself. If you have any unwanted clothes, you could even look at which ones have a nice pattern and cut out a circle to dress the jam lid with an elastic band.
Is your Dad a fiend for the barbecue? It's the season for it, so why not mix up a jar of 'Dad's Special BBQ Sauce' from store cupboard ingredients and present it to him with a handy basting brush.
Sentimental Dads might get a bit teary eyed over a 'Best Dad Ever' trophy, made from old paper coffee cups. It'll make all those times he had to ferry you around when you were a child seem worthwhile!
Free gift ideas:
Organise a 'Dad date' with your siblings for some father-specific quality time. Choose something you know he'll love but is out of his ordinary routine. You could try visiting a local farmer's market, a stroll at a nearby beauty spot, a cycle ride, devising a treasure hunt for him to complete or even a trip to a vintage shop specialising in items from his youth.
Muso dads will love a carefully crafted compilation of 'new-to-him' tunes. Upload your playlist direct to whichever gadget he uses to listen to music for a completely zero waste gift. Tip: Spotify is great for browsing music, try searching for artists your dad already likes and then click 'related artists' for some potential new musicians you think he might like.
Donate your time to his projects. Perhaps your dad is the kind of chap who loves nothing more than a repair job, a fixer-upper or a grand garden scheme; perhaps he's the type to dread such things. Either way, he'll appreciate you lending a hand - and you might even learn something!
So, what will you give your Dad this year?
For more tips on going green visit - https://www.greenredeem.co.uk/