Haffy6......In my last cache I left a new packaged CITO shirt that I had picked up for the last event cleanup cache that I participated in Brewer with a bunch of other cacher friends. That was given out as a FTF prize.
I was FTF on that and didn't take the prize. Being FTF was prize enough and the cache location was awesome. The FTF prize was a size too small and I hope whoever got it will wear it and display Geocaching colors and ethos proudly.

Firefighterjake......personally for me I enjoy giving away stuff . . . after all you can't take "it" with you and so I think I'll still attempt one or two caches to start with stocked with good stuff . . . and see how it goes. Not a themed cache, but one where people know right from the get-go that if they go looking they should either be prepared to write "TNLN" or make a good trade.
I'm not being critical and I understand your point about quality of cache items and I think its a shame that many people don't trade evenly. I think the MacDonald toys are annoying, basically because I don't play with `em. My daughter, who is 4 likes the rocks and shotgun shells found in the bottom of the cache, go figure. (She also much rather play with the box that the $150.00 battery operated car came in than the car itself. ) My point is and many people here may feel the same, if you put $50 of stuff in a cache and hide it at the rear of a WalMart parking lot, it's not as good a cache that has a well thought out hide or location at a very scenic location with nothing but a few $1 swags. I've been told my philosophy isn't true down south as numbers are more important than quality caches and a GPS isn't really needed down south, all you have to do is pick up a base of a light pole at Walmart. LOL...I got to go and see that and boost my numbers. lol

You mention you like to do nice things. Surfice it to say that you did your part and put out a nice cache and not become dissappointed when in a few months your cache is full of rocks and old shotgun shells. Retention of cachers and recruitment should be our goal. Don't let the trade items keep you from otherwise a great sport and opportunity to see and walk through some great places here in Maine or elsewhere for that matter. (TN has how many lightpoles?)