Even the best of us get caught in a "last-minute gift" trap. Color me guilty. I try to get ahead of it but it doesn't always work. My strategy this year is to shop while I run my errands - gift shopping at the grocery store.

Try taking a stroll down the grocery aisles of your favorite supermarket or even at the corner grocer. It just may yield a budget-friendly gift and all the last-minute wrappings too. Keep your eyes - and your mind - open for something a little different at your regular, neighborhood grocery store.

Check out what I found at Meijer. A Faberware vinaigrette decanter with Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar salad dressing. The trick to this one is that the label say "does not require refrigeration" so I can keep it on my counter.

My thrift shopping yielded some gift ideas too. Paired with items from grocery stores - and this bowl is a sweet treat with a great container to keep. I found a perfect pyrex bowl at the The Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop for $1.50. I filled it with chocolates from Kroger.

Hiller's Market is one of my favorite places to grocery shop over the holidays. They carry wonderful imported British items - a favorite of mine are the sugar mice (molded mice made of sugar on sticks - pink and white). I've bought some Harry Potter-inspired treacle tarts there too. It's always fun to check out their international food aisle especially for holiday gift ideas. They have an extensive imported tea selection along with coffee syrups, fancy chutneys, Cadbury chocolate items, French jams and sauces, and more.

Trader Joe's always has great new items that make wonderful hostess gifts - sauces, marmalades, maple syrup. And tasty inexpensive wines too.

Looking specifically for international appeal might take you directly to Cost Plus World Market, across from Briarwood Mall. I recently took a group of my daughter's friends there to explore - and I do mean explore - the international food items for their connoisseur parents and friends. Great treats and gorgeous gift packages too.

I have two regular international grocery markets where I find unique wonderful items for gifting. The first is Bombay Grocers, 3022 Packard Road where I buy great Indian snack and spice items like giant bags of cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamon seeds. The home-made chai spices all come in the large bulk bags from this small, aromatic store. You can even box up an Indian dinner for someone and tie it with a bow!

The other is Hua Xing Asia Market on Washtenaw in Ypsilanti. They carry lovely imported soaps (jasmine, rose, and green tea) for less than $1 each. The Asian tea cups, pots and sets are a great love of mine too. I purchased all my little tea cups from them. I use some for battery-operated flameless tea lights which I keep on the window sill. It's a gift idea you can round out with a purchase of the "candles" from Target. A recent gift find there were the beautiful sake vessels for between $3 and $4. That, wrapped with a small bottle of sake (from Cost Plus Market), would make an elegant gift for a host/hostess or colleague.

Packaged in an attractive, special way - you can also find pretty ribbon rolls at the grocery store - and your small grocery-store-found gift can pack a big punch. While you're there, look for inexpensive gift bags - even lunch sacks work with nice ribbon, tissue paper, tinsel, decorated wire, or fabric ribbons - all to wrap your gift-groceries in. The wrapping and the giving make simple items special.

Save yourself the extra trip - check out gifts at the grocery store.