By Colleen Rothe

Father’s Day is just around the corner. If you’re like me, your gift anxiety is peaking right about now. It’s especially high if Dad has been hit by the New Depression – this lovely economic balancing that our global markets are doing right now.

But you can still show your appreciation for your dad with some inexpensive, sometimes partially handmade gifts, without him feeling like you’re wasting your dough.

This year my kids will be making a Mr. Fix It’s Caddy for their Dad. We picked up an old plastic desk organizer (we were trying for metal or wood, but weren’t lucky enough, but maybe you’ll score) and will decorate it with tool motifs for him to keep a good supply of sharpened pencils, his favorite No. 2 Phillips Screwdriver, a box cutter, wire cutters, and some other frequently used – and more importantly misplaced – items, that can be easily stored on his workbench in the garage. On the back of the caddy are photos of him doing fix-it things with the kids and some sentiments from the kids. Total cost? We spent $2.50 at the thrift store, some old magazines, and about 90 minutes of getting three kids to cooperate (the last being the most resource-intensive item).

Don’t forget to recognize grandfathers on June 21st as well. For my brood, one of the gifts has to be sent via mail. So the shipping cost is a factor in the gift.

We came up with a gift that would be personal, lightweight for shipping, and fit PaPa’s personality. A BBQ apron, since my Dad loves to cook, especially grilling. He’s not alone. It’s an American male pastime to play with fire while pretending to cook huge hunks of meat. But seriously, we got a BBQ apron at the local hardware store for $10, some fabric paint for $5, and the kids decorated the apron with their handprints and names. I painted “Give Papa A Hand!” across the breast. Shipping cost? About $5. But he’ll love it, for sure.

Their paternal grandfather is another easy one. He loves baseball. And has hats from every favorite team from local leagues to college teams and the Majors. He’s getting a ball cap organizer to hang on the wall near his backdoor, so he always has his favorite hats handy.

You should be getting the idea here that you need to know the father you’ll giving a gift to help minimize the impact on your pocketbook, but still show appreciation for all the times he opened up his wallet to help you.

Don’t forget, the Sunday paper’s comic strip is a great wrapping paper. If Dad doesn’t stop to read them, you should be surprised.