The editors at Consumer Reports ShopSmart are playing Santa's elves a little early this year. They shopped at more than 25 sites to come up with great gifts: MOST are under $25; and these are presents that give back!
"Our teams scoured the web to find sites that that sell unique, affordable gifts for everyone on your list," said Jody Rohlena of Consumer Reports ShopSmart.
One nonprofit site to consider is BeadForLife.org. It boasts handmade jewelry made from recycled paper. These bracelets cost $5 each. Ecoist.com sells handbags to home goods and includes a large section of items for under $30. The company plants a tree for every handbag sold.
EConsciousMarket is also filled with eco-friendly gifts and this site donates up to 10% of each purchase price to the nonprofit you choose at checkout.
Check out Giggle.com - which is selling a $10 fingerprint art set for kids.
"This site lets you round your purchase up to the nearest dollar, and the extra goes to a children's charity," according to Rohlena.
You can also delight someone's taste buds with an $18 gift set from Greyston Bakery.
"This bakery's mission is to give jobs to hard-to-employ people," Rohlena says. "In fact, their slogan is, 'We don't hire people to bake brownies. We bake brownies to hire people.' And the brownies are really delicious."
Editors also found some great gift ideas for your pets at olivegreendog.com, everything from fair-trade pet toys to collars made of recycled materials.
