Whether it’s Christmas, someone’s birthday, a new baby or an engagement gift, there’s always something you can find at a local market that makes a great gift.

Here’s 7 reasons I think shopping at a local market (complete with the cute awning) is great:

1. Support your local community – you’re helping someone in your neighbourhood make a living – and they’ll spend most of that money in your area, too, benefitting everyone.

2. Good for your environment - if they’re locally made artisan goods, there’s less carbon nonsense being accumulated via petrol and packaging for shipping. If it’s close enough that you can walk there and leave the car behind, bonus points.

3. Unique – you’re likely to find products that you won’t see anywhere else – certainly not stacked to the ceiling in Toys ‘R’ Us or Target.

4. Discovery/being in the know - ever heard about those hot clothing designers who started off selling their wares at local markets? How cool would you feel knowing you were there, helping support them from the start of their stellar career?

5. Lower costs means lower prices – market stalls cost from $40 and the money they save on renting a shop means they can keep prices lower which makes it affordable for you.

6. Personal contact – in today’s pre-packaged world, it is charming and delightful to direct meet the people who (hand)make the items you’re handing cash over for.

7. Fun – the markets are a day out in themselves. There’s always something new every week and the chance to pick up something amazing that you’ll know they just love.

Why do you like shopping at local markets for gifts?

One of the most agonising questions is how much is the right amount to spend on that all important wedding gift, not to mention the shower and engagement gifts.

Well fear not, here’s a Wedding Etiquette Survival Guide that solves all of these vexing conundrums and more.

The handy, easy-to-follow table suggests appropriate amounts to spend on family members, best friends, friends, and, apparently at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder, acquaintances and colleagues. One-night-stands don’t get a look in.

The site also provides useful tips regarding other potentially difficult or delicate areas, such as the dreaded gift registry, which can often turn out to be a veritable Venus flytrap of social mores and expectations. Get in early for best pick of the gifts in your price range, the site suggests.

It’s also perfectly acceptable to “group gift” provided you spend the same amount you would have invested individually and that everyone contributes the same amount. Answers to tricky questions like these are worth their weight in kitchen appliances.

Creativity with your gifting also gets a tick. In other words, don’t be afraid to buy those kitsch flying ceramic ducks if the happy couple has a sense of humour that will appreciate it.

Bonus points if the gift is unwrapped in front of everyone else.

Bill Clinton used to be extremely powerful as the President of the United States, but not even he can overcome a poorly-chosen wedding date.

His and Hilary’s only daughter Chelsea is getting married on 31 July 2010. As soon as I saw the date my heart sank (and it must have spooked another astrologer, Jeff Warren, as well).

The date of your marriage – or starting a new job, house purchase, website launch, or incorporation of a business, for example – is the birthday of that event. Just like a person, an event has its own personality.

On 31 July, there is a tough, uncompromising Mars conjunct Saturn in Libra. Mars rules action, energy, sexual drive and anger while Saturn rules endurance, responsibility, depression, delays and maturity. A conjunction locks two planets together (like strangers in a lift.) Libra, of course, is the sign of marriage, relationships, partnerships and allies. (You can see where this is going, can’t you?)

Mars and Saturn are naturally at odds – Mars wants to floor it, while Saturn wants to slam the brakes on. This is a classic aspect for stress, blocked energies, obstacles and frustration. I’m not crazy on seeing it in a sign that rules marriage.

As well, the Moon is in Aries. The Moon is the planet of home and family, what makes you feel cosy, safe and nurtured. Aries is fiery, impatient, restless and egocentric. A marriage date with Moon in Aries can make it a battle royale of over-achievers at best, a selfish, cold and competitive arena at home at worst.

An aspect that occurs only two days prior, which still has plenty of punch - Mars in Libra opposite rebellious Uranus in Aries on 29 July - only adds to the impatience, restlessness and relationship upsets. And one that occurs three days later on 3 August, Jupiter in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn is equally indicative of pressure from authority (um, guess who?!).

To top it off, there are no water element signs in their marital chart to add some much-needed softness, emotional understanding, intuition and compassion.

Chelsea and her new husband, Marc Mezvinsky, will have to work very hard to not to fight to be top dog in this marriage.

Perhaps the US merchants have been lobbying hard, but the original deadline of 22 August 2010 for them to ensure all gift cards have five years expiry has been extended to 31 January 20111.

This new deadline takes it safely past a four-month holiday period when 90% of all gift card sales are made. 

Gift occasions on which gift cards are purchased include baby season (September/October), Halloween (31 October), engagement season (September-November), Thanksgiving (late November), wedding season (in Australia from November-December), and Christmas and New Year’s Eve (December) so merchants don’t have to destroy and replace an estimated 100 million cards which are already on the retail shelves.

Customers who buy gift cards during the six-month transition period between now and January 2011 will receive the full benefits of the new gift card rules.

This means no service fees or ATM fees can be charged until one year of inactivity (and then only one fee per month), gift cards have expiry dates of five years from the last load (aka deposit of extra funds), free replacement cards must be issued or the issuers can reimburse the cardholder, full T&Cs must be displayed and conspicuous disclosures regarding gift card use must be made prior to purchase.

Still, why would anyone wait five years? There’s inflation which will go up – but the value on your gift won’t – and the risk of the store closing, which happens.

I am quite sure the gift cards will outlast some relationships.

The Journal of Consumer Research has another interesting study regarding the psychology behind some of the decisions we make as consumers. It claims that certain brands have characteristics, or rather perceived characteristics, which make us feel better about ourselves when we use their products.

Since most of us would like to feel more glamorous, good-looking, confident and intelligent we subconsciously seek these qualities in the consumer brands we choose to associate with in our daily life. It’s this desire to cultivate positive qualities and attributes that lies behind the success and consumer popularity of some well-known brands such as Nike, Cartier and Harley-Davidson.

An engagement gift presented in a Tiffany box has a very different impact on the recipient than one from Target, in the same way that gift cards given at Christmas for clothing from Ralph Lauren will get a very different response than ones for Ripcurl.

Why? The authors of the study, Deborah Roedder and Ji Kyung Park from the University of Minnesota, describe these brands as having “personalities” with distinct traits that consumers respond to. “Using brands with appealing personalities can rub off on the way consumers see themselves, even if the brand is used for only a short time,” the authors say.

It’s this personification of brands that lies beneath their appeal, which confirms what we’ve already known all along – that is, how crucial good marketing of a brand or product can be in its success. Just as humans with appealing personalities tend to be popular, the same can apply to certain brands.

Another interesting observation that came out of the studies was that there appear to be two different types of consumers. The first type believes their personal character traits are fixed and can only be enhanced by association with certain appealing brands, while the second type believes their personality traits are mutable and can therefore be cultivated through self-improvement.

This second consumer profile is therefore less likely to be influenced by the perceived appeal of certain brands, the authors claim.

Either way, it goes some way to explaining why some people “wouldn’t be seen dead” wearing/eating/reading/using Brand X but will go to ridiculous lengths to obtain Brand Y that makes them feel a certain way. If you’re not sure of their taste, ask some questions!

Love to shop? If you and your partner become the Face of LoveStars at www.itsinthestarsonline.com, you could win a $AUD500 gift card to the retailer of your choice (or hey, 5 x $100 gift cards to 5 retailers – your call!) simply by entering the Be the Face of LoveStars photo competition.

Have a friend or family member take a high resolution (300dpi) colour shot  or two of you and your partner happily reading your hardcover LoveStars astrology report together.

If you win, you’ll receive the $AUD500 gift card. If you’re one of 5 x runners-up, you’ll win back the cost of your hardcover LoveStars report (from $89), credited to your Visa or Mastercard credit card.

LoveStars reports make ideal personalised gifts for couples for anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, engagements, Valentines Day and weddings. These 30-35 page reports help any couple – newly dating or married for ages – (re)discover the magic in their relationship.

The Be the Face of LoveStars photo competition finishes 31 August 2010.

Cash gifts for weddings have been around for a long time, especially in many African and Asian cultures but perhaps it’s the more western association of cash with business transactions, and the phrase “cold hard cash” that makes us feel squeamish.

Apart from the fact your bride and groom know exactly how much cash you’re giving them which can be kind of embarrassing (especially if it’s not much!), you don’t tend to know how they’re going to spend it. Is it going towards your “rubber chicken” (aka wedding catering bill)? Will they splurge it on cocktails by the honeymoon resort pool?

A cash gift registry is nothing new, but DepositaGift.com caters for virtually any item (or service) that the couple may desire, even parts of their home, pushing the boundaries of possibility way beyond the once-traditional appliances and manchester.

Want a new bathroom cabinet? Enter the words “bathroom cabinet”, estimate the cost, upload a thumbnail pic of a desired cabinet, and it’s on your list for everyone to see.

Almost no item is too bizarre or non-traditional. For couples who are renovating, guests can symbolically direct their cash gift towards a particular part of the house. For example, they could help you have the mailbox, window frame or wine refrigerator of your dreams.

At a stretch, DepositaGift.com could even be considered environmentally friendly – there’s no need for wrapping paper as you’ll be ordering that item direct once you have enough cash.

If you’re keen to ramp up the sensuality factor in an existing relatinship, maybe you’re dating someone newish and want to um, seal the deal, or you’ve been together for ages and it’s time to make a commitment, circle Tuesday 13 July.

That date has a very erotic aspect: Venus (love, beauty) in Virgo trine Pluto (depth, sexuality) in Capricorn. When these two planets meet, glances are exchanged, sensuality dominates and no-one wants to stay platonic anymore!

If you’ve been thinking of proposing, this is the best date in July to get engaged. It follows the New Moon in Cancer (New Moons always mean fresh starts, growth and beginnings) and Cancer rules family.

A Venusian Virgo proposal suggests you’ve thought things out romantically with a cool head - it’s not a Las Vegas quickie-style elopement you’re after – and Pluto in Capricorn points to long-term, unconditional commitment.

These two earthy signs want to build something over a long period of time; Venus wants to be adored and Pluto just wants to have sex!

If you have any interest in having children, you could be extra-fertile today…

Retailers are always keen to know what they call “consumer spending intentions”.

And if you know what these intentions are, they can give you interesting gift ideas for birthdays – but also for anniversaries, Christmas, engagement and wedding gifts – in fact, any sort of gift occasion where you’re treating someone to a product or service they might buy for themself if they had the extra money. They are in fact, a public gift wishlist.

In a new survey of 1,200 consumers by eBillme which looks at what people would spend their money on once the economy improves (read: when they have some extra money), travel won out as the top way to blow cash, with 52% voting for it. I’d be on a plane too if I had some spare room on my Visa!

So if you’ve got an important gift occasion that you’d like to surprise someone, you probably can’t go wrong with a plane ticket (has anyone actually ever received one as a present?), a gift certificate for a hotel, resort or bed-and-breakfast stay, vouchers toward a cruise, island or spa vacation, or even a gift card for the car rental for the weekend. 

Dining out is right behind at 51%. Restaurant gift certificates offer your gift recipient a lot of freedom and a wonderful memory, but most people – especially women – just want a break from cooking. Did you know you can also get gift vouchers for chefs to cook up up a storm at your home – whether for an event, or to help you stock up your freezer?

Third-most popular choice for people to spend their money is clothes and accessories (41%). You’ve probably seen what they wear often enough to give them gift cards for the right sort of retailers. During winter you probably can’t go wrong with fine leather or suede gloves, a soft lambswool sweater, or a pashmina. Summer? Clothes are harder to guess although groovy t-shirts are always fun. I’d think about giving them a huge plush beach towel, a beach bag, a weekend bag or beach umbrella. Who should you buy these for? In the This Should Be No Surprise Department: Almost twice as many women as men (52% vs 30%) want new clothes and accessories.

Just over a third (34%) want to buy electronics. I’d hate to know where to start with that one. Knowing whether they’re Mac or “i” people (iPhone, iPod, iPad) makes life easier. For example, they could be completely stoked to have their favourite image or their business logo turned into a mobile phone cover. And yes, men are twice as likely as women to want to spend their money on electronics.

In fifth place (29%) are concert and movie tickets. You can buy books of 10 vouchers for the movies or shout them a night at the Gold Class/La Premiere cinemas. Concerts provide sooooooo much room for error – do they prefer the sounds of Sinatra or Slipknot? The cost of these can run into hundreds of dollars if the show also happens to be intrastate (eg like when they play at the Hunter Valley vineyards) so if money is an issue you may have to play it safe but dull with iTunes gift cards. A quarter of men and women equally want movies and music so you can’t really go wrong here if you can’t spring for a plane ticket…

Got invited to a wedding? Check. Got the wedding gift list? Check. Or Cash. And MasterCard or Visa or American Express will do nicely too, thanks.

A new survey by UK wedding magazine Wedding found that 45% of engaged couples want cold, hard cash from their guests as wedding gifts while 26% want gift vouchers and certificates to pay towards their honeymoon.

That leaves only 29% who actually want old-fashioned gifts they can keep.

Apart from a general decline in good manners which is one reason for asking so brazenly for money, the other is 55% of the couples say they will pay for the wedding themselves, while 26% of parents are footing the bill, of which the average is GBP20,000.

Unless they have rich grandparents or mysterious Great Expectations-like benefactors, the other 19% of funds to pay for the wedding seems to be from the guests themselves…