The holidays are approaching, and the season of gifts is upon us once again. But, if you are someone who practices simple living or has ventured into the world of minimalism, then the idea of giving and receiving gifts can seem a bit daunting. Don’t worry because here I’m going to discuss some amazing ways that’ll help you to handle gift-giving efficiently while maintaining your minimalist lifestyle. Here are some tips for gifting as a minimalist!
1. Choose experiences over material things as gifts
This is by far the best way to handle gift-giving as a minimalist. The greatest benefit of experience gifts is their longevity. Giving the gift of experience to your loved ones, means you’re actually giving long-lasting joy that is made up of shared moments and memories. Not only the memories that you create from experiences last a lifetime but often those memories become fonder over time.
Here are some ideas for EXPERIENCE GIFTING
· Book a vacation for your whole family. This doesn’t have to be an expensive one. Just make sure that you include some activities that you all can do together. Disneyland is one of our favorite places to celebrate a birthday!
· Give a gift of learning a new skill – Think about the interest of your loved ones, and gift them the courses related to the same.
· Enjoy a sporting event or go to a concert with your loved ones.
· Other things like a staycation, subscriptions, dinner dates, bedroom makeovers, etc work too.
2. Make space for new things
When you know that you can’t avoid material gifts, prepare for them beforehand. Consider decluttering your home to make space for new things. Take time and make a quick list of the things that you own before the holiday season starts. Assess this list carefully and separate out everything that you’re not using currently, and/or are not planning to do in the future as well. Now, it’s time to either sell or donate them.
3. Ask before gifting
A lot of the time we buy gifts out of emotional response and think that the receiver will just love it. But, sometimes it happens that you would give the exact same thing that they’ve already got for themselves.
I recommend asking before guessing what the person will like and check whether he/she already owns it or not. Doing so, not only makes gift-giving a lot easier but also ensures that you end up giving worthy gifts every time.
4. Request essentials
It’s a matter of fact, even if you live a minimalist lifestyle, people will still want to gift you items. It’s a good idea to keep your list ready when your loved one asks you about what you want as a gift. Don’t try to be modest by saying “whatever you want”, you’re not doing a favor here, instead, you’re making things tough for them and you increase the risk of getting something you don’t want or need. So, whenever someone asks you this question, go ahead and tell clearly what you’re currently looking for.
These tips will help you in planning gifting while pursuing a minimalist lifestyle. Have any other tips for gift-giving as a minimalist? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!
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