What To Do With Unwanted Gifts
The holidays are over and by now we’ve had some time to sit with our gifts. Some we are literally sitting with, like the crocheted blanket from a family member, and others are left sitting in its original package, untouched and one step away from being stashed in the drawer where things are left to die. So, what is it that you do with unwanted gifts? Here are some alternatives:
1. You guessed it-- Sell it. There are sites that make it easy to sell (and buy), all with the convenience of your phone. Just snap a few pictures and add a post. Sites like Mercari are easy to use, but you’ll be required to ship the item(s). If you prefer to stay local and arrange a pickup, then posting on Nextdoor is super easy. What if it’s an unwanted gift card? Well, DONO has a solution for that too!
2. I find there is nothing wrong with regifting. Some may disagree, but it may just delight someone you know if you don’t have a use for it. I’ve recently received a gift from a friend that was regifted. She didn’t need it and it turns out that I did. (It was a set of knitting needles, if you were curious)
3. Just give it a try. It’s easy to quickly make a conclusion that you aren’t going to like something or find it useful and set it aside. But it really doesn’t hurt to try it out and who knows, your mind may just be blown! This past Christmas, I received a hot chocolate maker and thought, oh, another appliance to add to my overstuffed cabinets! I didn’t even know such things existed but decided to give it a try. Not only did it make the smoothest hot chocolate I ever cared to have, but it was a way to steam milk as well to add to my coffee. Another time, my husband brought home a latte from Starbucks that I didn’t have time to drink right away, so voila! I added it to the hot chocolate maker and it warmed up my latte in no time and made it even creamier.
4. Consider donating to a specific charity or organization or one that is local: Women’s shelters, Children’s Hospitals, local libraries, schools, homeless shelters… just to name a few. Instead of dumping a box of unwanted goods to the Goodwill (although there is nothing wrong with that and surely the easier option!), I like to pull out specific items to donate to local organizations that I know will be useful and helpful to them.
5. Repurpose (even the gifts you want!). I received a generous gift card to a yarn store where I was able to buy yarn to crochet a throw for a dear friend battling breast cancer. (Do you see a yarn/knitting/crochet theme here?). Another time, I filled a mug I received with some homemade spritz cookies and wrapped it in some cellophane, tied a bow and it became a somewhat regifted gift (see no. 2 above). And lastly, I used a pair of holiday socks that were gifted to me for some sock curls (yes, I went there). It’s fun to get creative with those unwanted gifts to make them useful.
If you are cringing while reading this because you’re either still distraught with the regifting idea, don’t want to be the person to have given that gift, or guilty of being the closet hoarder of unused gifts, then rest assured that in the future, all your gifting woes can be resolved with the simple gift of DONO, a digital gift card that can be used anywhere to purchase the gift of your choosing and not the one you are stuck with to repurpose, regift, donate or sell.