Are you planning an 80th birthday celebration for someone special this year? If so, you may be looking for ideas for party favors. Here are the top seven tips to help you find just the right keepsakes to commemorate this milestone.

1. Plan ahead. Give yourself time to brainstorm and browse. If you leave this to the last minute, you may have to settle for whatever you can get. To find the very best 80th birthday favors, first you'll need to figure out what you want and then set out to look for it.

2. Skip the dollar store. But don't spend a lot. Of course, you'll want something unique and personal, which you probably won't find in the bargain bin. But that doesn't mean that you'll have to invest a lot of money to impress your guests. A savvy shopper can discover inexpensive custom gems online. With a little persistence, you should be able to find amazing, personalized party favors in the $1.50 to $3.00 range.

3. Choose something useful. By the time a person reaches their 80th birthday, they will probably have accumulated a lot of dust collectors from other occasions. Don't be tempted by that impractical knick knack, no matter how appealing it is. Give your guests a keepsake; something they will actually keep. Merely decorative items will eventually end up in the back of a drawer or worse. Instead, find functional, fun favors. Some possibilities include frames, pocket magnifiers, keychains, mini spiral notebooks, mint tins, mugs, little flashlights, bookmarks and photo albums.

4. Consider the personality of the person celebrating their 80th birthday. Don't just settle for bland and generic. Instead give a memento that is customized to reveal something about the celebrant. For example, if he or she loves gardening, you might choose packets of seeds. Or If he or she is deeply religious, you could select photo bookmarks personalized with a favorite Bible verse. Or if the guest of honor is an avid golfer, you could go with party favors with a golf theme. Make a list of his or her hobbies, interests and tastes. Then try to choose favors that reflect their uniqueness.

5. Include an element of nostalgia. Add an old photo of the birthday man or woman and it automatically transforms your party favors into keepsakes. One possibility for a giveaway that stirs memories would be a custom mixed CD. It could be filled with the guest of honor's favorite songs from each decade of life. Another option is to select personalized year you were born bookmarks, magnets, notebooks or mint tins. These deliver a blast from the past by featuring prices, songs, top events and entertainment and sport news from that year, and can spark conversations about the good old days.

6. Look into something edible for a real crowd pleaser. This is always a safe choice and will appeal to your guests of all ages. You could go with custom wrapped chocolate bars. You can order them online or make them yourself. They're a little time consuming to make, but relatively easy to put together.

Another idea is to order unfilled personalized candy or mint tins, and then fill them yourself with the guest of honor's favorite treat. You can even put milk chocolate in the kid's candy tins, give the adults the dark variety and use the sugar free kind for those with special diets.

7. Make it personalized. The best 80th birthday party favors will be one of a kind because they're customized. Whatever item you choose, it should include the guest of honor's name and birthdate, and possibly a longer message and even a photo.

The 80th birthday favors that you select are more than just a memento. They are also little gifts that say "thank you" to your guests for sharing the celebration. Send them home with something practical, fun and personalized that reflects the celebrant's personality. With a just a little effort, you can find keepsakes as unique as the guest of honor.