More on the art of regifting

Greetings:

I couldn't resist talking a tad more about regifting. There are things one should know when you venture to regift.

No doubt we have all received gifts that when we said “you really shouldn’t have” we really meant it. Not all gifts are going to be perfect, things we like or even anything we would want to keep. The most important thing to keep in mind is it is the thought that counts and that we can always regift when needed.

There are several ways to regift. The first way is to simply donate the gift to a charity. Just because the item is not something you would like to keep, doesn’t mean that someone else would not be able to use it. There have been a gift or two that I took to the Goodwill. One year I donated a Santa wind shock that lit up, a thoughtful gift from my father. My neighbors threaten to turn us into the homeowners association if I actually hung it up. And although I knew they were joking, it wasn’t anything I would use so I donated it knowing there would be a family thrilled to receive it.

The second way to regift is to pass the gift off to someone else. I was visiting my neighbors right after the holiday and the first thing I noticed when I walked into their home was a beautiful lime green fuzzy wool scarf. I adored it the minute I laid eyes on it, and told my neighbor how beautiful I thought it was. Her reply was that she was glad I liked it because she was going to give it to me. One of her clients had given it to her and it wasn’t anything she would wear. I was thrilled and my neighbor seemed pleased to be able to pass it along.

The third way to regift is the trickiest of all. That is to rewrap the gift and give it to someone else. If you choose to do this, there are a few steps that should be taken. First, write the name of the person who gave you the gift on a piece of paper and tape it to the gift. That way when you go to regift you won’t give it back to the person who gave it to you. You might think that would never happen but one year for Christmas I received a lovely angel wall hanging from my aunt, the same angel I had given her the year before. It is also wise not to give the gift to anyone that that person knows. I was at a party once when the hostess was wearing a lovely necklace and one of the other guest commented that she had given a necklace just like that to one of their mutual friends. The mutual friend that had regifted quickly commented that she had loved the necklace so much she had bought several as gifts herself. I knew that wasn’t true but didn’t say a word, but I did learn from the experience.

I know many people feel obligated to keep things that other people give them. Let go of that. You don’t have to keep something just because your favorite aunt or mother-in-law gave it to you. When you do that the gift quickly turns into clutter. This week go through your home and collect up all the gifts you have been given that you don’t want to keep. These could be things you received five years ago or last week. Whatever it is, if you don’t love it, use it or need it, get rid of it. By doing this you make space in your home for things you love, and the person you regift to receives something they will love and cherish.

Interestingly enough when I did research on regifting on google I came up with thousands of hits. Pretty good for a word that Webster says isn’t really a word. And there are actually websites that promote and help people regift. In addition here are some interesting facts about regifting.

Facts About Regifting

Nearly a third of shoppers (31%) have regifted at least one or more times. On average, those who do Regift have done so three times. Women are more likely to Regift than men (60% vs. 40%).

Shoppers with higher household incomes are more likely to Regift. Nearly two in five (39%) of those with household incomes of more than $75,000 say they Regift compared to nearly one in four (23%) of those who report household incomes of $25,000 or less.

Those past the Rockies are less likely to keep what they receive: 38% of consumers in the West admit to Regifting. This compares to consumers in the South (34%), Northeast (29%) and North Central states (21%). Source: American Express

Resource: Regifting, the gift that keeps on giving. Regift Network

Here's to taking action,

Rachelle