Meeting the parents

This holiday season will be interesting, to say the very least. While we're working around my father's cancer diagnosis, life is going on. BF will be into to celebrate Thanksgiving with my folks and I. Then the following week he'll drive back to pick me up to head on down to Ohio to stay with him for the rest of the month. During that time I'll meet his family. One weekend BF's parents will visit us at his home, then the following weekend we go to theirs to spend Christmas (my parent's will be spending two weeks in Jamaica, so you can stop looking at me sideways). I'll also be meeting his brother, sister-in-law, and how many bajillion nieces and nephews he has.

While my parents and I have stopped exchanging gifts years ago, I respect that we're the exception. BF and I agreed that I wouldn't have to get a gift for his brother, wife, and their kids. So that just leaves the parents. At first I was going to make them Jamaican rum punch. You know, from the heart, unique, and all that jazz. However it's pretty costly to make. Not only that, I can't just make a bottle for just his parents. MY parents will know and want everybody around the block to have a bottle. Also, it would kill me if I couldn't make enough to share with my close friends as well. It's something really special to me as the recipe has been handed down from my father (although both he and I will admit that I've perfected it!). Bottom line it would make a great gift. However I just don't have the cash flow to make it happen.

So enter plan b: gift cards to Red Robin. You're looking at me sideways again but hear me out! BF's dad L.O.V.E.S. this place, so it would be a hit. My only question is what's a dollar amount to give that doesn't seem cheap but not something that would throw my budget out of wack? I'm trying to decide between $25 or $50.

So anyway, there's another dilemma to be added to that budget I owe you...