How to avoid clutter-gifts at Christmas

Have you ever opened a gift on Christmas day and been immediately disappointed. "I'm never going to use this" you might have thought. You might have to make a gift face or think of one of the ten things to say about a gift you don't like.

While re-gifting or selling can be good options, another option is to receive better gifts in the first place (like the yummy treats above that my sister baked for me).

How can we do this? With So Kind.

What is So Kind?

So Kind is a gift registry with a difference. We usually think of registries as a wedding thing - so the happy couple don't get double-ups or unwanted gifts. They're such a great idea, so why not use them all the time?

What makes it different?

So Kind allows you to have a registry for any occasion - or for all occasions. Faced with the endless cycle of gift-giving events - Valentine's day, mother's day, father's day, anniversary, birthday, Christmas - it may be easier to just have an ongoing gift registry.

So Kind also is built for non-commercial gifts. Would you prefer to receive a night of babysitting so you can go out? Add it to your list. Would you prefer your sister baked you a chocolate slice rather than buy something store-bought? Add it to your list.

How does it work?

You list items. People can tick them off when they choose them (to stop someone else getting you the same thing). You can choose to be notified or not. If you like a surprise turn notifications off (and/or change the settings to anonymous.

November Challenge

Visit the So Kind registry and make yourself a list of ten things you'd like. Then when December rolls around and loved ones are wondering what to get you, show them the registry. It can still be a Christmas surprise for you - but a good surprise instead of a bad one.

Some help

The website also has a some example registries, and a list of gift ideas to get your brainstorm started.

Of course, I've also written 10 Great Gift Ideas (for the person who doesn't want stuff).

Comments

How to retire on a boat at 40

Irish Leonard explains how his family of four lives on a sailboat. No inheritance. No lottery. Just not wasting money - or his time. How does he afford it? He explains by showing the average Irish household expenses, converted into hours worked. Here's the result shown as a working week: We work a lot to pay for our cars. As he puts it: Almost 20% of our working lives is spent so that we can afford to get to our working lives. So Leonard eliminates or massively reduces most expenses. On the family boat, he sails "in a climate that requires no heating or air conditioning, doesn't own a car and generates what energy he needs using solar panels". Remove the unnecessary costs and you remove most of the need to work. He calculates that we can feed and clothe our family on 5 days work per month, or the equivalent. By contrast the average Irish couple devotes 19 hours a day to work, including commuting. Why all this focus on time? In Leonard's words "I...

You know what to do. Ignore this ad!

Yes, jewellery stores pump out the ads around valentine's day - that's no surprise. After all it's a made-up day designed to sell more stuff at higher prices. But this year they seem extra desperate to sell stuff we don't want, with the "You know what to do" campaign. I reckon the sales team are scared by the number of couples that have realised that love is not in physical merchandise but in quality time. So they've made an ad exactly about these people. The message seems to be aimed straight at guys to say "even if you and your partner agree not to waste money on jewellery, you should buy her some anyway". Apparently in a relationship it's important to ignore what your wife or partner says and do what profit-motivated corporations tell you to do. I tend to disagree. If you're interested have a look - it's interesting to see how transparent it is.

Why millionaires don't "feel" rich

We're wealthier than ever - so why don't we feel like it? Australia has gone almost three decades without recession. The stock market recently hit a record high. Our wages are record highs. Home loan rates are at record lows. We live in one of the richest countries in the world at the richest point in history. So what's wrong? Comparison Wealth is relative. So what do we compare to? Where we expect to be? "When your wages growth is only 2 or 3 per cent, you don't feel as well-off as when it's going up 10 per cent. That's that nominal distortion that people often suffer from" , says economist Shane Oliver, and that "expectations have grown a lot faster than reality." We're earning more than last year, but we want even more. So compared to our imaginary situation, we see ourselves as worse off. What we see around us? Shane Oliver again. "If you think about it - Australians today are a lot wealthier. They're living far ric...

But wait... there's less!

Search This Blog