The Lowdown on: Last Minute Post Free Gifts

Have you forgotten to get someone a gift or have left it far too late? We give you the full lowdown on last minute gifts that mean no waiting for parcels to arrive.

The best last minute subscription gifts

Buying last minute gifts is definitely not an alien concept. We all aim to be really organised but the best laid plans...you know, it just doesn't always work out the way you expect it to?

There you are in October with every best intention and then it gets to a week before Christmas and you have still not done it all. Or you thought you had done it all, then remembered that you are seeing cousin Phil on Christmas day and he always gets you a gift.

Gifts that do not need posting

We hate to make a bold claim that we can't follow through on, so here is a little disclaimer. If your Aunt lives in Milwaukee the no, Auntie Shirley will not be getting anything in time for Christmas. But all is not lost - you could search local website near them and see if it is possible to get similar subscriptions in the country where they live. You can the send them an email to say what they will be getting. So it's not perfect, but a small work around.

The no postage issue is a big one this year. The services of our beloved Royal Mail cannot be replied upon and as usual courier services are overloaded. We have had a few fairly quick and successful deliveries recently, but you might just not fancy the risk.

Are these all really no postage gifts? Well, you could buy any of these and present your giftee with a card or letter saying what they will receive over a course of x many months. Or (And this is our favourite option) you gift them a small sample of what their subscription might be. So for a cheese subscription, you pop to your local store. Buy a block of cheese and wrap it with a note to give them details about the bigger present you have bought.

Some subscription services may offer you the first shipment soon - but unlikely any guarantees before Christmas so it might be nice for them to receive something in the first week of January when it's all damp and gloomy and there's nothing to look forward to.

We have tried to break the ideas down into interest areas so have a scroll and hopefully something here will get you out of a tight fix!

For the flower lover

How to present these gifts?

You could give a bouquet of flowers from a supermarket or local convenience store. A small arrangement in a basket or pot might be easier to keep and has the added bonus of often being wrapped already!

You could give the gift in a flower card, or even just with a single stem or evergreen foliage tied with a little ribbon. Ff you have any winter blooms in your garden (somoene you know might) could be great to add too.

• Bloom and Wild - flowers delivered to their door starting from £20

• Arena Flowers - prices start from around £24 and you can tailor the subscription

This RHS Gardening through the year book would be the perfect add-on if they are into gardening:

For the caffeine lover

How to present these gifts?

In the drink of choice! You could just buy some of the coffee or tea, or throw a mug in to make it a little more special! We have added a link to a couple of mugs we think would be good below.

• The Coffee Factory - customise a special coffee delivery package from £8.95 per delivery

• Bird and Blend Tea - perfect for those who just love a brew. YOu could always throw a packet of biscuits into the item to open for Christmas day.

Here are some mug ideas that potentially could still arrive in time for Christmas although if you daren't risk it, try a local shop for a takeaway mug or standard mug!

Personalised Coffee Mug

Personalised Tea Mug

For hobbies and interests

How to present these gifts?

Magazines can be bought in most supermarkets, WH Smith or other newsagents. If you are struggling to find a copy of the particular subscription then maybe you could think outside the box. Find an old copy of the magazine (if they've had them before) and write or stick letters inside the pages to spell out the gift. Or you could find a prop or item that relates to the hobby, so for knitting a ball of wool or for golf, a golf ball.

Remember, Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be used on the Hearst subscriptons (doesn;'t include offers).

• Magazine subscriptions from Magazine.co.uk - includes a wide range of titles such as classic cars, National Geogrpahic Traveller, Puzzler and Vogue. Prizes vary but they have a lot of offers including 12 issues of Vogue for £29 or 26 issues of OK magazine for £35.

• Hearst Magazine Subscriptions - from just £9.99 and even better - can be done through Tesco clubcard so you could use your vouchers and not spend a penny!

For the book worm

How to present these gifts?

In a book - where else? Pop down to your nearest charity shop and get some amusing title that will completely stump them or horrify them when they open it!

• Rare birds book club - this subscription showcases the newly-published works of fiction by female authors

• Happily Ever After - this is £15 er month and is a book and pamper items, a hot drink, beauty product and chocolate

• Tea Time Bookshop - this offers deliveries from £13.99 per month, including a hot drink and biscuits with each book delivery!

For those with a sweet tooth

How to present these gifts?

Quite a simple one, using sweets or chocolate. If you like to see a really confused look on their face then you could go with something a little more tenuous like a bag of sugar.

• Hotel Chocolat - Delicious chocolate sent every single month - yes please! From just £13.50 a month for their hot chocolate package.

• Sweetzy - the clue is in the name, sweets! They have vegan options too. These start at just £5.99 per month.

For those who would love to be on Bake Off

How to present these gifts?

In a cake would be fairly amusing - especially if the paper with their subscription information on was inside the cake (would be very impressive)! You could quite easily use a loaf of bread or some implement like a wooden spoon or whisk as your 'prop'. You can get pretty creative here!

• Honeywell Bakes - a wide variety of baking subscriptions from bread to cakes to kids. These start at around £10 per month if you go for a full year

• Mon Dessert - from just £10 per kit you can send a new and challenging bake to them every month for as many months as you can afford.

• Baked In - mon thly kits for baking from £7.50 a month - also includes some great offerings for children as well as adults.

For those who shave

How to present these gifts?

Quite simply in a box with a razor or bar of soap. You could get creative with cards and beard images - draw your own or take a look round the card shop you might find something suitable.

• Fuss Free Shaving - designed for ladies shaving legs - you can tailor your package and select subscribe and save at around £10.95 every couple of months this is a reasonably budget option.

• The personal barber - This is for the more serious man beard shaver (and will cost a fair bit at 6 months for £99.80) .

For those who like beauty products

How to present these gifts?

A sponge, loofah or eye mask could be a good one to display your intentions with these subscriptions!

• Lookfantastic - One of the most popular beauty boxes, with 12 months starting at £13 per month or a slightly smaller plan for £15.75 per month

• Beauty Pie - From £59, although this is for a membership rather than products themselves

• Glossybox - with 3 months at under £40 this is a great value option

• Cohorted - for the beauty pro looking for high end launch and luxury products

• Latest in beauty - this box is under £20 a month this brings 6 products with every box so is great value for money

• Reposed - at just

For those who love a tipple

How to present these gifts?

A glass suited to their drink of choice could be a great way to present this gift. You could always go a little more abstract and select the mixer to go with their favourite spirit or a tasting notes book.

• Beerwulf - for the beer/cider and lager drinkers who love mainstream brands

• Beer 52 - for the craft beer lovers out there

• Little Rum Box - from just £10 a month you can buy upfront for 3, 6 or 12 months on their fixed term deals

• Craft Gin Club - with a minimum 4 month subscription this can be a pricier option but there's a lot of gin magic in each box