Last month I was given a beautiful set of scented hand creams as a holiday gift. I’m allergic to perfume, so there was no way I could use it. In almost every post on this blog, I advocate letting things go when you don’t use them. In this case I still do but there’s also a way around getting rid of a nice present: regifting. I know some people don’t like the idea, but I agree with the majority of people who approve of regifting, as long as the item hasn’t been opened, used or damaged in any way.
I have a shelf set aside to store gifts I haven’t given away yet, including a few items for last-minutes host gifts or baby presents. Having a designated place to store gifts is a great way to keep them out of harm’s way, and is helpful when I need to grab a gift and don’t have time to shop right then.
With this hand cream set, since I knew one particular friend would enjoy it, I treated the item as if I actually went to the store and brought it for that person, which sounds so much better than just regifting. I unwrapped it, made sure the set didn’t have a price tag or note card attached and set it on the shelf until it was time to wrap it back up for my friend. Deciding to regift with a recipient already in mind helps make sure you don’t keep the item for too long (I’d be appalled to give an old outdated gift to anyone!), but even if you don’t, it’s best to treat the item as a new purchase. Of course, when you know who you want to give it to and when, by all means leave a name and date on a post-it to remind you the next time you go to the gift shelf area. It can’t hurt to also leave a note with the name of the person you got the gift from to serve as a reminder so it doesn’t go back to the gift-giver.
What other tricks do you have with gifts you’ve received that you don’t have a use for?