Supporting charities during these tough economic times

There are numerous charities just here in Michigan that do great work and their services would be sorely missed if they suddenly disappeared due to lack of funding. Food banks, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and many others are finding a demand for their services while at the same time seeing funding and donations dwindle. MIPRO Consulting out of Milford, MI is going to donate $10,000 to the nominated charity that garners the most votes. Charities can be nominated now through March 18th and voting will run March 23rd until April 6th. They had a successful year in 2008 and want to give back to a charity here in 2009.

You can nominate your favorite charity at www.miproconsulting.com.

We recently donated one of our Michigan's Best Gift Baskets to a raffle the YES Center (Youth Enrichment Services) is holding tomorrow, March 7th, at the Lansing Country Club. The YES Center raffle and dinner is their annual fundraiser that generates the necessary funds to pay their utilities and mortgage for the year. The YES Center is a non-profit with a mission to "facilitate the development of collaborative, locally based initiatives which serve to improve the safety, health and quality of life for all Grand Ledge area youth."

Things are tight financially for a lot of people and businesses here in Michigan, but your donations to charities do not need to be monetary. They're always looking for volunteers and your time won't cost you a thing. Lets show everyone how Michigan residents and businesses can band together and not only survive, but thrive during these tough economic times.

New one stop site for those doing business in Michigan

The State of Michigan has a new site for those looking to do business in Michigan, www.Michigan.gov/Business. It combines a lot of information and forms all in one convenient location. Believe me, this is something that should have been done a long time ago. When we first launched Gift Baskets From Michigan LLC the necessary forms, information, and resources were scattered across numerous departments and webpages. Lets just say it wasn't the most user-friendly experience.

The new site features -

an array of resources and tools to help you start and operate a business in Michigan. From tips on writing a business plan to financing your business . . . and learn the state requirements for getting started, including costs and time frames.

So, if you're interested in starting a business in Michigan make sure your first stop is www.Michigan.gov/Business.

Have a look at our shipping estimates for across the country

We've updated our Gift Basket Shipping page to include the map below. It illustrates the estimated time it will take to ship your gift basket across the continental United States. Use this image to help figure out the transit time for your gift. Remember, that the heavy shipping season around Christmas definitely makes these estimates subject to change.

Have a Great Day!

Lower prices on two of our gift baskets

We have lowered our prices on two of our more popular gift baskets for under $30. These are not sale prices or temporary price cuts so you won't "miss out" if you don't place an order today. The Movie Night gift basket was $27.79 and now sells for $18.79. The gift basket has the same yummy treats it always has: Sanders chocolate covered raisins, sour cherry candies, gourmet caramel corn, and two Sanders caramel candy bars.

The Very Cherry Sampler was $29.79 and is now $26.79. You'll still get the flavor packed dried Michigan cherries, chocolate covered cherry coffee from Fireside Coffee, chocolate cherry gourmet popcorn, Michigan Cherry Preserves, and more. A lot of people ask if the Very Cherry Sampler is so named because it is filled with smaller items than the Very Cherry Gift Basket - no, it's just filled with fewer cherry products and in a different basket. The products are all regular sized.

Do you plant a vegetable garden?

In these tough economic times a growing number of people are doing just that. Those with minimal property living in towns and cities are even going so far as to tear up their grass and plant a garden in its place. Record numbers are being set by the seed companies for quantity of seeds sold as people everywhere plant gardens. Not only does having your own garden save you money at the grocery store, it also guarantees that you know everything that was (or was not) put into the soil to grow those vegetables. Myself, I like to only use compost and water to turn out fantastic veggies from our garden. Ever since I read "The World Without Us" (particularly about the study of how long non-organic fertilizers remain in the soil) I have refrained from using chemical fertilizers.

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