All great ideas.
I also wanted to let you know about the new rules national put out. I am assuming that they are for all ADPi chapters. I know our chapter was informed of this because I talked with some people on executive board this week and they told me about it.
Anyways, it is always so hard when you take a diamond. Some people go WAY overboard in buying stuff. We had one girl a few years ago I heard about who spent like 600.00 on her diamond and that is SOOOO hard for most girls when you work to pay for things and you dont have all the money in the world to buy them things.
I had heard that nationals wants to stress the importance of diamonds and the relationship, not the gifts so their new rule is that you are not allowed to give your diamond gifts. Usually we gie our diamonds gifts every meeting or leave gift bags or gifts on the steps in the front of the house for the girls. Nationals does not want that to look like one girl gets way more than another girl so they ask you to still leave the girls notes and if you want to give them a gift give it to them away from the sorority house. Same with initiation. Usually we give them a TON of stuff that day and we are now asked to only give them one gift so that it doesnt look like one girls gets way more than the others. This promotes all girls to take diamonds when before people would shy away from that due to money issues. Now the money issue is suppose to be lessened because you are not to give gifts and stuff. Now I know people will still give diamonds stuff but not noone really sees all one girl got and what another may not get.
Im not sure if this is the case at all ADPis but I know our chapter was told of this and will be following this this fall and from now on. I actually think its a great thing. Of course you can still make them cute things and buy them things but giving it to them at a diff place makes it much easier on all girls taking diamonds.
If you chapter isnt following this, I agree on the dollar tree and dollar stores. Id go to the everythings a dollar and get cute pic frames and paint them and write ADPi on them and it was so cheap and so personalized. Id buy cute bags to put candy in and cute note pads and all sorts of things you can do. Its so much more cost effective and so much more from the heart. Id bid on ebay items over summer of cute things that were cheaper than buying them and then give those things in my gift baskets too. Id buy the baskets and ribbons and stuff at the dollar store too. The dollar trees here are HUGE now and have so much stuff. You just use your imagination and you can make such cute things. Candles, all sorts of stuff. Also Walmart is my savior. If I couldnt get stuff from dollar store, I got it from Walmart. Also go to art.com and you can find some cute prints or posters of lions or violets if you type those names into the search. Recently I found a cute violet picture for 3.99. If they are freshmen, go to the campus bookstore and get them a cute keychain or something with the schools name on it. Writing poems about friendship, sending them cute emails or notes. Get a bunch of cheap poster boards from Walmart or Dollar Store and take markers or paints and put ADPi or cute ADPi sayings or your names on them and get into their dorm room and put them on their dorm door to surprise them or if they live off campus, make them and stop over with them. Leave them a note on their car, cook them dinner one night, take them to a cheap movie, so many things to do. Start a family tradition and make something that can be passed down from diamond to diamond sister. Take tons of pictures of her and you and her with her new alphas and make a collage for her or put them all on a pillow, you can scan them and iron them onto a pillow. Find out their fave stuff like candy or something and make them a cute basket filled with that stuff. All simple, cute ideas that mean so much to them but are inexpensive. Let us know if you need anymore help hon.
