I would probably take a bottle of champagne and a card expressing my good wishes. Then, they don't have to find a place for some thoughtfully chosen, but perhaps unwanted gift.

BTW, there is a coastal aspect for all three parties.

Fun, yes, I completely understand your thoughts, and thank you.

Please know that I'd like all gifts to be somewhat equivalent, as these folks are very, very close to one another and I love them all. I've looked at personalized trays, cutting boards, latitude/longitude driftwood signs, coasters, yada yada yada. Just looking here for any thoughts that I may not have had.

Has anyone received a housewarming gift that was unexpectedly useful or valued?

We recently had old friends to down size, sold their long time lovely home, moved into a nice small condo. They have all and everything they need or want and if not they can afford to buy.

We thought "something" would be nice to take on our first visit. We went simple and practical. A favorite bottle of wine of theirs from one of our local wineries, two selections of cheeses, a selection of crackers and a package of after dinner mints. All things I have seen them serve us. Wrapped in a gift bag of their/her favorite colors. They seemed pleased and surprised. We hoped it said old friends we are thinking of you.

Has anyone received a housewarming gift that was unexpectedly useful or valued?

Not really. I threw out a bunch of crap last time we moved, and couldn't even remember who had given it to us. I also prefer consumables these days.

How about throws? Will you know the color schemes of their living rooms?

You could get them each one but in different colors.

If you have a local farmer's market, go there and see what interesting things others have that just might work for you. You don't know what it might be until you see it.

I'm curious....personalized with just her initials? Or how does that work?

It's tough to select something for couples/individuals who have already set up a household. Let's see:

I've given nice throws in a luscious fabric of a neutral color. No brights, plaids, animals, or scenes. Ivory, taupe, sage, light gray, and even white can go with almost any decor.

I'm very fond of entertaining and my gifts to others might reflect that. Bar ware, unusual woven coasters for glasses, a large number of white linen coasters, serving trays, tapas plates, etc.

When I left my beloved former town in S. Carolina, someone gave me a neat puzzle of that city as a going away present. It was a National Geographic product.

How about BBQ tools, mitt, and a selection of BBQ sauce and rubs? Or a cool cocktail pitcher or dispenser with acrylic glasses and accessories for the patio or deck? You can wrap any of these creatively and pretty.

Great thoughts - wonderful! I thank you all. These folks aren't downsizing; they're just getting started. But ... I do hope to find things that are special and memorable. I absolutely don't want to give them crap that they'll have to find a place for.

As far as the hoped-for personalization, for the unmarried couples I'd have both of their first names, and the same for the unmarried, so-far-non-permanently-attached one.

I'm pretty sure that none of them are champagne drinkers; not sure about other alcoholic beverages.

I certainly understand that this is a long shot, but just thought I'd see if anyone came in with a "oh ... someone gave me an "x" and it turned out to be fabulous".

When one of my married children bought a new house ( and they were kind of broke ) I made note of the heating oil company they were using and pre-paid an amount for their heat. Maybe more than you want to spend but you could get them subscription movies or TV? Lawn service? Gift card for garden plants?

I think the gift cards are quite enough, but if you want to do more, take a bottle of wine or fresh flowers. Both are always welcome.

Too often well-intentioned gift-givers offer what they themselves like, without regard to the recipient's wants or needs. Which, without hearing or asking about, can be difficult to know.

If you can't or don't want to ask, a nice bottle of wine or champagne (assuming you at least know this is something they like) should always be appropriate.

Portable picnic kits with plastic dishes/silverware/glasses and vinyl table cloth, cooler on wheels.

Collapsible outdoor chairs - the kind that slide into a bag and have a shoulder strap.

These are items we've been given and when we need them, it's wonderful to have them ready to go.

You know, I thought of something that we use all the time and that are a bit on the expensive side so would be a welcome gift...Tervis insulated glasses. They can go in the dishwasher; a lot of insulated glasses must be washed by hand. You could get plain ones or ones with names or the house address or something. I love that they don't get condensation on the outside.

A $50 gift card is nice enough. If you need to give something else, then maybe maybe tools. I had more tools than dh when I married him. I love robogrips from Sears. Those are awesome. I gave some to my boys for Easter this year so they can start building up a supply of useful items when they move out.

A fire extinguisher or a carbon monoxide alarm might be other items that would be safe to give.

When I purchased my home, what I appreciated because I needed were the gifts that helped me with the house. Your home depot gift certificate will most likely be more useful than you realize. I wanted to change all the lights, the paint colours, the faucets, needed curtain rods and curtains and the list went on. What I didn't need and or want was the chachkies, decorations,picnic stuff, wine, candles. As impersonal as it may seem gift cards are the most useful and valuable. For me anyway this was my own home and I really wanted to pick out the decor etc. Im the type that feels too guilty not to display others gifts even when I really don't like it- hence the country clock still hanging in my kitchen, a gift card for HD or such store to put towards paint would have been much more appreciated and I wouldn't feel like such a heal for not liking the actual gift. But this is just me, on the other end I have given up trying to get things for others cause they are just as picky as me in their own styles and tastes. And I hate the idea of wasting time and money on something that someone else can't remember who gave them and they just tossed it away. I would think about where your friends interests lie. So if you want to give something that is personal to each, you could do a gift card to a nursery if they like to garden, or if they have a favorite decor store, fabric store. Finding out their favorite stores, that they shop at is personalizing and is thoughtful. We have so much now, sometimes the best option is simple a letter with words of wisdom or warm wishes and memories. What ever direction you decide to go in good luck, it is really generous of you to do this for all your friends.

A decorative house number/name plaque or mailbox might be nice. Nice ones can be quite pricey. If you have the addresses you can even google the house to see what might be appropriate.

Some of my favorite housewarming gifts were a wooden tray, Christmas ornaments with some meaning, I have one that's a house with the address and date engraved on it. I still put it on our tree 30 years later!

I did a quick Google search for "unique housewarming gifts," and found many websites. An item that seems to be popular is a personalized front door mat. You could have the mat personalized with their first names, the home address, etc.

It could just be that my husband and I are both weird but bottles of wine or champagne are a nice gesture but ultimately pointless for us.

Neither of us drink wine, he likes a few craft ciders or some whiskey and I prefer cocktails. The last two times we had company for dinner, they each brought a bottle of wine. I tried to offer them some of the wine they brought and they both admitted that they don't drink wine either!

For a housewarming gift, honestly the best thing we ever got was a gift card to Lowe's or Home Depot so we could spruce up our new place the way we wanted.

I just had some glasses made for a friend at Glass With A Twist , they do custom work reasonably priced, you could do a set of water glasses with an initial, family name or art..

I not give a gift card; Instead, if I was planning on a $100 gift, I'd give a $100 dollar bill. Its much more versatile than a gift card. Except for a few instances, a gift card is good only in its issuing store. Cash is good anywhere.

The OP has already said she is planning on a HD/Lowes gift card and I agree....let the new homeowners use it for something they can use for their new homes, with the idea they will remember that they were able to do so with the giver in mind. It could be anything from a new light fixture to plants or mulch, but they won't have to use their own funds for it. And if she wants to do more that is her decision.

There are so many other things you could do within your budget. If you know them well, and know what colors they use or are planning to use, that might help. Here are a few more:

- nice tray with a table runner, napkins

- basket with new towels for the bathroom, scented candles, Poo-pourri.

- a set of lanterns for indoors or outdoors with pillar candles

- if they cook, a nice set of steak knives, or anything related to cooking they might not have

- if they live in a large metro area, passes or tickets or a local attraction or venue they would enjoy as a break from moving

Hope this helps!

Love the welcome mat idea.

Someone gave us a luxury shower head as a gift, which was a very nice out-of-the-box idea.

If it were me I would up the home improvement store gift certificate amount and as my personalized gift I would give a great, funny kitchen towel that is unique to their interests. If it doesn't match their decor then at least you all will get an inexpensive laugh. Maybe I would wrap a tool or kitchen utensil in a funny kitchen towel. Or wrap the gift certificate in it.

For the couple with kids I would look at the ikea web site and order some kind of toy storage thing or cool lights for their room or something. Or if they live near the beach maybe I would get some great kites for the family.

My oldest just moved into his first house. My most popular gifts have been bed pillows (they went from one bedroom to three) and tools. A lot of the young people I know are pretty minimalist compared to people my age and they want to pick their own decor related things.

If your friends have moved from a small space like a one bedroom apartment into a bigger house then there may be things they'd like that they don't own just because they didn't have the storage space before. If they live near the coast they may be interested in having more beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach towels, etc.

Or you could give them the gift certificate wrapped up cute when you get there and then while you're out there visiting buy something you see they need. Or buy something when you get back and ship it.

There's just not a universally popular gift that works for everybody. I, myself, would hate decor items, picnic baskets, wine, beer, candles, trays, throws, fresh flowers, etc. But I always love the fact that my friends loved me and thought about me enough to bring me a gift, preferably an inexpensive gift. A sweet, kind note or a funny note ratchets a gift into the stratosphere. It truly is the thought that counts.

Ack!!! In my response above, when I said up the gift certificate amount that was only because you indicated your budget for your additional gift is $100. I'm sure the gift certificate amount you were thinking is plenty generous already.

When our kids bought their first houses, we gave them a really good gardening book (Sunset). We also found they needed tools more advanced than the basic tool kit. And we also included a subscription to Family Handyman magazine.

In regards to throws, I personally am super PICKY about throws. They have to be a certain weight and feel for my liking. I see a lot of pretty throws that I "like" but wouldn't use. I have received a couple as gifts and they end up at Goodwill. Now me being very very practical, I would like a big pack of toilet paper and paper towels from Costco ;-)

A gift I gave to a friend and her husband when they bought their first house, first time living on their own was a kitchen trash filled with items like paper towels, dishsoap, cleaning stuff, trash bags etc. Again, that's the practical in me.

Personally, I, too, think the gift cards are enough but I understand you want to make it something more personal. How about a birdbath or bird feeder or even a flowering tree that can be planted in the yard.

I would avoid bird baths with all the mosquito problems, but a flowering shrub would be a nice gift too.