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4.1 MORE PRACTICAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS; CUT AND REDUCE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPENSES.

== A rechargeable flashlight (about $9)

Three years ago I bought my wife a rechargeable Coleman flashlight. It is small and self contained. About once a month it must be recharged. You simply plug it into a wall socket overnight with its built-in plug.

== A fun coin bank for children (about $7.50)

The "Money Machine Action Bank" by Mag-Nif sorts, stacks, and counts coins. This coin bank is a wonder to watch. When a child drops in a dime, for example, it goes through a series of Rube Goldberg levers to eventually fall in the stack just for dimes. When there are enough dimes, slide the bank open and insert the stack of coins into a paper roll. Savings banks will only accept rolled coins today for deposits.

== An inflatable mattress ($18-$40)

We use an inflatable mattress for our guests. We didn't want to buy an entire bed just for the occasional visitor. Doing this would have been expensive and required a lot of space. Instead we roll out and blow up the mattress. Guests tell us it's very comfortable.

We found a mattress works best when you put a pad or rug under it and a standard bed pad over it.

Inflatable mattresses come in all standard bedding sizes. Small and light when collapsed, you can carry one with you on trips. Some mattresses can be inflated with cold air from a hair dryer or a vacuum cleaner exhaust but others may require a foot pump or small electric pump ($8-$20). Even inflating with a foot pump only takes five to ten minutes.

Price example: queen sized bed with foot pump and two inflatable pillows = $49.99 (1999 prices)

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