Gifts and KonMari (FlanMari)

Marie Kondo would have to be the queen of the decluttering world. Her book The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up has sold millions of copies and her KonMari method is much talked about.

It wasn't long before comedian Kitty Flanagan came up with her own version - FlanMari.

It's satire but also makes a good point. Kitty quotes Marie Kondo, "The purpose of a gift is to be received", but then adds that once a gift has been received then its job is done. No need to bother with placing it anywhere. She immediately sets fire to it.

It's funny because it would be so mean to set fire to a gift seconds after receiving it - and right in front of the giver. But in a way what we do is worse.

We falsely pretend to like it. We stash away the gift - sometimes for years - and then it ends up as landfill. Or we re-gift it; which can be good or it can start the whole problem again for someone else.

So what can we do with it?

Perhaps the best option is to sell it. It will go to someone who wants it and the money you get is a replacement for the gift. If you'd like some help with that, grab a free copy of my ebook Less Clutter More Cash.

How we do we avoid this whole mess?

We're coming up to the biggest gift-giving part of the year - so it's a great time to get organised to avoid unwanted gifts.

It's a busy time. Your loved ones actually want to get you a gift you'll love. But often they just don't know what that is and don't have the time to work it out. Instead they buy what the TV ad tells them to get. Paid. Wrapped. Done.

It doesn't have to be this way

The So Kind registry is a great way to give loved ones an idea of what you want. List anything you'd really enjoy and won't be an item sitting in your closet for years.

Movie tickets, a big batch of cookies, baby-sitting, music credit, a voucher for a particular store you like, dinner out at your favourite restaurant. See more gift ideas or make up your own. Then let your loved ones know about the list.

If you list lots of different things you can still get a surprise when you open it. Only this time it will be a good surprise.

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