Gifts: Cheap or Frugal?

I've been pondering this question for the last day or so. Where is the line between being cheap and being frugal? I asked the opossum, as it was on the front porch when I came in tonight. It only shuffled away into the bushes. No help there.

DH has a co-worker that is great. He gives DH gifts on his birthday, at Christmas, and even brought DH a present when he went to Vietnam last fall. His birthday is coming up on Monday and DH wanted to give him something tomorrow. So, I baked him a cake and bought him a Sudoku book. DH believes he would enjoy Sudoku and he has lots of free time in the evenings. But, am I just being cheap?

I would like to think that the time and effort of a homemade cake would make up for the amount of money spent and DH was pretty thoughtful on the Sudoku. But, does that count? It is a two layered chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, does that help the case? I would like to think that it does.

Gifts make me crazy anyway. I love to buy things for other people and am usually very considerate of what a person would really like. I search through conversations and try to remember something they have mentioned wanting. I love wrapping gifts and am very careful to select a pretty ribbon or bow. I like the box to be just as special as the present. It's my inner Martha Stewart, I know.

Getting gifts is another thing altogether for me. Yes, I do like them. Who doesn't like a present? But, I'm not very big on surprises. Oddly enough, this only occured to me a few years back. I mentioned it to Michael on the phone and he was like, DUH! (Hey, babe, what else haven't you told me about me?) I don't want anything I have to dust, and practical is fine, if not preferred, as long as it is something that I'll really use. It may be childish of me, but I get very sad if I get a present that I'll never use.

So, I have no real answer. However, if someone wanted to bake me a really good two layered chocolate cake and give me a new Sudoku book, I'd be pretty happy.

Homelife:
We're planning a trip to the Houston Zoo on Monday. I'm very excited as DS has been going on and on about his zoo trip last November. We'll go down with my parent's and get dropped off there while my Dad goes to see his specialist. I know we'll spend a bit of money and have two meals out, but it'll be worth it. We had no fling days in January and I've budgeted it all. I hope to have Tee's (my sister) old camera out and set up so we can have some new pics. It would be great to have a recent one to post.

At the bookstore:
If you are standing in front of the correct bookcase and are looking straight at them and can't find them, do you really need an LSAT study book?

Current reading:
Same vampire trash, and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki