Do you love shopping? Are you part of a large family that celebrates everyone’s birthday in style every year? Between birthdays, Christmas and accomplishments warranting celebrations, gift-giving can become stressful. How much money should you spend on each gift? What does the recipient need or want? A custom Photo Keychain? Maybe a shopping coupon for Macy’s? The list goes on. There are actually Apps now that aid in keeping track of the gifts given for birthdays and holidays. This will come in handy when you can’t remember what you got your mother-in-law for her birthday last year! Follow these suggestions from the pros on gift-giving and you’ll be a master shopper and gift give in no time.
Make a list of everyone you generally give gifts to. Note what you gave them last year for Christmas and/or their birthdays. (You might also note what you received from them.) If you have a lot of birthdays that you gift gifts for falling very close together, plan in advance to spread the expenses throughout the year. Decide on a budget based on your list and stick to it. As a rule of thumb, consider giving gifts that you would enjoy receiving. And one thing that almost everyone enjoys getting as a gift is a personalized name necklace. A gift that makes the giftee feel loved and appreciated, or anything that can put a smile on their face. If it’s a big birthday, say 30th -70th, consider pooling funds with others to purchase a gift that would be more elaborate than one purchased on your own.
A tried and true gift that everyone enjoys is accessories. From fashionable scarves, to gloves, to fun jewellery, accessories can be found to fit every budget and taste. Another option is to gift experiences. Tickets to a movie, a special concert, or restaurant gift certificates can make excellent gifts for any occasion. The advantage of providing experiences is that they never go out of style, break, become dusty, are discarded, or go out of style. Memories will stay with us for a long time. With a camera on nearly every smartphone nowadays, memories can be easily captured and saved for years. This is why, if you want to give personalised gifts, you could choose one of your favorite photos and have it printed on something like a Rubic’s cube or a big canvas.
Don’t stress over gifts. Make gift giving a fun experience with proper planning and sticking to a budget. Over the years, you’ll be happy to have lists of past gifts to fall back on. Who knows, they may even trigger a creative idea for next year’s accessory gift or experience gift. Happy gift giving!