Did you get a gift that just wasn’t you?

I don’t want to seem ungrateful.

It’s just that sometimes it’s a fact of life that you will receive a gift (Christmas is notorious for this) that is just SO not you. When this happens, it usually is a case of the giver not really putting much thought into what they’re giving you.

Or your kids end up with a gift (or three!) the same as what they already own or a toy so similar, it will just be something else to clutter their room.

(On that kids’ gift issue, we made a conscious decision to buy less this year. They also receive gifts from relatives so by the end of the festive season, it adds up to a whole lot of “stuff”.  Stuff that we don’t have room for and stuff that they don’t need.)

So, what to do?

… with those gifts you don’t want, can’t use, don’t have space for?

1. Re-gift. Many people I know (myself included) have a present cupboard. Now, my present cupboard isn’t just filled with gifts I’m re-gifting. It includes things I’ve bought throughout the year that I like to have on hand for all sorts of occasions (birthdays, thank-yous etc). And if there is a great deal on a kids’ toy aimed at a boy about my youngest son’s age, I’ll buy six of those for the present cupboard. We can go weeks with a party on every weekend so it saves time and money having a stash ready at home.

2. Sell on eBay. This works particularly well with those “extra” kids toys your kids might receive and already own. Or they just have too much. You’ll get more for your sale if it’s still in its original packaging.

3. Donate to someone in need. Red Cross Stores are in urgent need of clothing and home wares to re-sell in their stores and to answer this dilemma, they are launching a six-week campaign called “Don’t ditch it, re-gift it to Red Cross Stores”.

The topic of re-gifting featured on our Facebook wall a couple of days ago. Here are just some of the comments:

What do you think? Is it ok to re-gift? Have you ever received a gift that you’d given out in the first place? Do you have a present cupboard?