Almost everyone has done it. And the frugal among us want to know how to do it better. Do what? Re-Gift of course!
The trouble is, if you don’t think it through your gift may cause hard feelings. It might even start a feud. So follow these tips to do it right. This is because the original giver will feel unappreciated and your recipient undervalued if either find out.
➢ Open the gift you want to pass along even if you know what it is. Do this to make sure there is no note or inscription from the giver to you.
➢ Keep your eye out for things that you are given that are good quality but inappropriate for you. Many of these items would be great for someone else you know. For example, if you never cook, and someone gives you an immersion blender, think of someone on your gift list who LOVES to cook. This could be a perfect match.
➢ Gifts of food or drink are perfect for re-gifting. Just make sure the item is to the liking of the final recipient. Don’t give peanut brittle to someone with a peanut allergy for example.
➢ Rewrap nicely just as you would for a gift you bought.
➢ Make sure it is not something that the original giver will ask about or expect to see you wearing or using. If the original giver is someone close you should not risk it.
➢ Match the gift you want to pass along with the person you will be giving it to. Just as you would if you were going out buying a gift at a mall. Don’t give a style you know that person would never wear, or give a meat cookbook to a vegetarian. You get the idea. I know a woman who identified a re-gifted scarf from her sister-in –law because it was a clunky wool scarf, and she only wears silk. She did not feel loved at that moment.
➢ Give the gift to someone in a different circle in your life than the person who gave it to you. If the original giver is a business friend, re-gift to someone in your book club. These two people almost certainly will never cross paths, and that is how you want it.
Follow these tips and feel free to pass along gifts you know you would never use. It is frugal, it is good for the environment, and if you do it right it will bring just as much joy as a gift you bought.
If you have a regifting story share it in the comments.
When I was a kid, we had a dresser in the basement that was filled with items to regift. This was my mother’s doing and it seemed perfectly natural to me. By the time I was a teenager, I thought it was brilliant. Very practical.