Recycled Gifts

Re-gifting – or the giving of a gift that you received to someone else – is a topic that has been discussed on talk shows.  It has been examined from the standpoint of whether or not it’s socially correct or part of good etiquette to recycle gifts that one is given.

Personally, I do not wish to rehash those same arguments about whether re-gifting is a good or bad thing.  Rather, I would like to offer a few pointers for those who propose to recycle gifts.  We all know this practice does exist and will probably continue to exist.

1) Make sure you have unwrapped and thrown away the wrapping paper or decorative bag in which you received the gift in question. 

2) Make sure you have thoroughly examined said gift for cracks or breaks or flaws.  You certainly do not want to give a gift that is broken.

3) Attach a small sticky note to the gift with the name of the person who gave the gift to you, the date, the occasion, etc.  You certainly never want to give a gift back to the person who first gave it to you!  Also make sure you remove this sticky note before wrapping and giving the gift.  You probably don’t want the gift’s recipient to know that you have recycled the gift.

4) Keep a place in your home (a closet, perhaps?) for gifts that you will recycle. 

5) When you need a gift for someone, check your special re-gifting stash to see if there is something appropriate for the person for whom you need a gift.  Do take the person’s likes and dislikes into consideration.  If your friend has allergies to strong smells, you would not want to be recycling a gift of perfume.  If your friend only reads non-fiction books, you would not want to give her a fiction romance novel.  If your family member never works with his hands, the gift of a few tools might not be the best choice.  Remember, you don’t want this gift to be recycled again and again, just because you have not done your research on what gift is best for your friend or family member.

6) Since you are saving money by not having to buy a gift, do make sure that your gift is attractively wrapped.  Spend some money on good wrapping paper and bows!

In today’s world, we all need to think of ways to save money.  The right methods of re-gifting can be one way of saving money.  Just keep in mind that being frugal is not a bad thing, but being cheap is not so attractive.  There really is a world of difference.