For the past several years, I have encouraged my family members and friends not to buy me tangible "gifts." Even the love of my life knows that I have all the "material stuff" that I want and need, and that I prefer not to add more "stuff" when holidays roll around. Instead of giving me a gift, he and I celebrate holidays in other ways. For example, we take a weekend getaway, cook dinner for each other, or send fresh flowers, which have a lifespan and can be discarded once they are wilted. Additionally, I am very careful about what I accept from generous clients who offer me things that they don't want. I definitely take advantage of this perk that comes with my job, and this is the reason why I don't really want for anything when it comes to material belongings. I took these practices on as a result of working with people to de-clutter their homes for the past 10+ years, and seeing the amount of "stuff" they've accumulated, and struggle to get rid of.
Over these years, I have gone into hundreds of homes, working with clients to de-clutter various spaces. I've lost count of how many times I've come across gifts with the wrapping paper still on them, having never been opened by the recipients. I also see the significant number of clients who have little knick knacks that were brought back to them by friends who had been on vacation, tons of little favors from weddings and other events, and gifts given by loved ones with good intentions that were opened, but yet, never used.
In this article, I want to share with you some gift ideas that would be very useful to the people you love if given to them, but that don't add anything to their physical space. Based on my experience, these suggestions have worked out very well:
1) Stock: My grandson will be three years old next month, and for Christmas and birthdays, I never add to his collection of toys. Instead, I ask his mom if he needs clothes or shoes, and if he doesn't, I buy him a share of stock. I use a company called Computershare to do this, as they have a minimum investment amount of $25, which is very doable. Through this company, you can purchase the stock of major corporations, such as McDonald's, Verizon, Walmart and Intel.
2) A gym membership: This is a great idea for someone who is serious about their health and well-being, or someone who exercises regularly. I do not recommend purchasing this for someone who is not active or who you know will probably not use it. In those cases it would be a waste of money.
3) Lottery tickets: This is a great gift idea for anyone from co-workers to family members, it's an opportunity to win money, at a nominal cost. Who wouldn't love it!
4) A day at the spa: This is actually one of my favorites, and those who know me are well aware of it! I absolutely love visits to the spa, and because I travel so much, it's a perfect gift idea since there are now companies like spafinder.com that allow you to use their gift card all over the country. You simply plug your zip code into their site to find their partners.
5) Career coaching: This is a great idea for a college graduate, or someone who you know is currently unemployed or looking to change jobs or make a major career move.
The next time you are charged with purchasing a gift for someone, consider one of these suggestions, especially if you are buying for someone who is struggling with clutter. It's a way to give and to celebrate holidays and accomplishments without adding to the personal "stuff" of those you love.
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