What one leaves behind in a cache says a lot about the cacher...Some leave handmade items such as friendship bracelets and painted rocks...but is it YOU? Well, congratulations. You've got your GPS unit and are figuring it out, you've found a few caches near home, you've visited the forums or emailed other cachers about your experience, and are now ready to start complaining about stuff you find in caches. Everybody does it eventually, usually about the twentieth cache or so. Somewhere between the near-Nirvana of those first few finds and your development into a true Geo-chronic, you're going to stop and ask, "What's with all the golf balls?"

What one leaves behind in a cache says a lot about the cacher. There has been a lot of time spent between cachers arguing about appropriate swag and so much has to do with each cacher's own personal preferences. Some cachers never trade and are proud of it. Some leave handmade items such as friendship bracelets and painted rocks. There are cachers who leave coins, Hot Wheels cars, sea shells, tumbled stones, "McToys" and, yes, golf balls. All of these leavings are appropriate, permitted and common ...but is it YOU?

I have to confess, I LOVE swag. I truly enjoy digging through an old ammo box and finding a small toy, a shiny tumbled stone, fascinating fossil, Red Sovine cassette tape, or some other gewgaw that catches my eye. I don't always take anything but rifling through some crowded Tupperware is like going through Grandma's junk drawer; you never know what you'll find.

I also enjoy leaving something behind either in trade or without a trade. I like to look back at past caches and see if folks like what I left. Unfortunately, I haven't a lot of time or money to devote to swag items, which brings us to the heart of this article: "Booty on a Budget."

INEXPENSIVE DOESN'T MEAN CHEAP - Crazy Torry's House of Swag
If you've grabbed a few caches, you've probably already made a few trips to the local discount mega store or "Everything's $1" store or your local equivalent. You've also discovered that a lot of the other cachers shop there, too. How can you find that special treat to leave behind without having your significant other remind you about house payments?

Shop the same way you cache: keep your eyes open and look for signs. "Clearance" is one of my favorites. I once picked up several bottles of insect repellent at twenty-five cents each. It was January. In April, they were quite handy. Many stores have tremendous markdowns on camping and hiking equipment during the off-season. Useless in the snow, but a real delight a few months later. Sunscreen, summer toys, camp gadgets, picnic supplies, emergency ponchos, etc. are often deeply discounted to make room for sleds and snowboots.

Look for surprises in unlikely places. My favorite is a local auction house. I've stocked up on boxes of neat goodies for a few dollars. Estate sales, yard sales, garage sales and flea markets can produce amazing surprises. Look for places with lots of mixed boxes for sale. Business auctions will occasionally have cases of leftover product, unused tools and supplies, promotional items and miscellaneous treasures. Take a few hours out of your schedule and check some out.

HANDMADE AND PROUD OF IT - Leaving your signature
What have been your best finds? Chances are pretty good that it was a personalized or handmade goody unique to an individual cacher. There are a lot of places that will make your own personalized item with a logo; search the internet or check your local phone book. It's not often an inexpensive route, but it is a way to get a unique item. But why not make one of your own? Beaded bracelets, painted rocks, decorated sea shells, chain-mail keychains, decorated precut wood forms and many other craft items have been big hits in caches. No talent? Get a kit from a craft store. Individualized items are always welcome finds.

THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX - Before Leaving It in the Box
If you're tired of finding plastic spider rings and old golf balls, then why on Earth would you want to leave similar goodies for others to find? Don't wander the clearance aisles, yard sales and auctions just looking for better buys on the same stuff you're tired of finding. Think about the kinds of things that would make the next finder's visit special. Old costume jewelry, an eight-track tape still in the wrapper, "tourist trap" souvenirs from places far from the cache, foreign coins, glass paperweights...use your imagination.

Don't be afraid of being different. If you were, you wouldn't be doing something as crazy as geocaching. And leave me something nice.