It’s baa-aack…
The Ultimate Clutter-Free Gift Guide is here for another year. And while I can hardly believe it’s that time already, it’s undeniable that the holiday season is nearly upon us.
This is the third time I’ve created the Ultimate Clutter-Free Gift Guide, and the reason for doing so is simply to give you options. A gift doesn’t need to be a physical thing, and it certainly doesn’t need to be a novelty talking fish. Hopefully the ideas below will inspire you to give gifts that are both clutter-free and meaningful (without breaking the budget!)
A Note on Gifts for Young Kids
Most of the following gift suggestions are made with older kids, teenagers and adults in mind.
Gift-buying for younger kids is more problematic, I won’t lie. While we can help our kids to manage their expectations, it is still so joyful to see them tearing wrapping from a present, squealing with joy as they spy that much-wanted gift.
That’s why my husband and I will always buy Christmas presents for our kids. We don’t go overboard and we do try to stick to the idea of:
Something they want,
Something they need,
Something to wear,
Something to read.
Some Tips Before Writing Your Shopping List
1. Home-made gifts
Giving gifts you have made yourself is lovely – it’s affordable, sustainable and from the heart. But considering aesthetic tastes vary so widely, even within families, it is best to make your gifts of the consumable variety, rather than the “I macramed this toilet seat cover for you and it took hours, I hope you keep it forever,” variety.
2. Think beyond things
Make your Christmas shopping mantra: “Experiences over things.” Experiences over things. Experiences over things. Repeat it. Write it on your shopping list. Adopt it whole-heartedly. Experiences over things.
3. Ask
If you want to buy a physical gift for someone, make sure you get it right by asking them. Granted, it isn’t always appropriate to ask the recipient, but try to ascertain specifically what it is they need or want, so they are not gifted with something they don’t want or won’t use.
4. No novelties, please
Steer clear of novelty gifts at all costs! Not only are these a waste of money (almost all of them will be thrown away or given to the charity shop come January) but also a waste of resources. When you find yourself thinking about a novelty gift, shift your ideas to consumables or experiences instead. And whatever you do, don’t buy anything that talks, dances, farts or mimics.
The Ultimate Clutter-Free Gift Guide
Giving a clutter-free gift to a loved one means:
you don’t add to the clutter in their home
you can broaden their minds as well as their horizons
you can help less fortunate people
you can encourage a healthier lifestyle
So peruse the options below and feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. I’m always excited to see how others make a simple Christmas work for them.
Charitable Giving
Charity Gift Cards
Starting at $5, you can give the gift of a better life to children and families in developing countries. School pencils, immunisation, fast-growing seed packs, a goat, chickens, ducks or a sewing machine. Each of these gifts brings so much to the recipient and their community, and when given to someone you love for Christmas, you’re spreading the joy far and wide.
World Vision Gift Cards: https://gifts.worldvision.com.au/#!/home
Save the Children: http://gift.savethechildren.org
Plan International: http://plan-international.org/what-you-can-do/plan-shops
Kiva Micro Loan Gift Cards: http://www.kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards
Sponsorship or Donation in the Recipient’s Name
UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International and World Vision are all reputable international aid providers that allow you to sponsor a child or donate to a specific cause. You can make a one-off donation in your loved one’s name or you can pay an annual amount for full sponsorship. While there is no physical gift to give your loved one, you are giving them the opportunity to improve a life – and that is invaluable.
UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/
Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org
Charity Water: https://donate.charitywater.org/donate
Medecins Sans Frontieres: http://www.msf.org/
World Vision International Site: http://www.wvi.org/
Experience Gifts
Restaurant Voucher
This is one of my favourite clutter-free gift options – buy someone a voucher for a special-occasion restaurant and give the gift of a delicious meal. Each year my parents give Sparky and I a voucher to our favourite local restaurant. Baby-sitting services are an added bonus so we go for our wedding anniversary. It is such a thoughtful gift, completely clutter-free and a real luxury.
Weekend Away
This is a perfect gift for parents or grandparents. You can give them the gift of relaxation, away from the pressures and responsibilities of home. You may want to include your baby-sitting services for added joy!
Movie Vouchers
Who doesn’t love going to the movies? It’s becoming an increasingly expensive outing, so vouchers to the cinema are a perfect gift to give. Great for teenagers, teachers and work colleagues.
Travel Vouchers
One of the greatest gifts in life is to broaden someone’s horizons and help them explore the world. Give this gift to someone you love by buying vouchers from a travel agent or online booking agency. Combine your gift amount with others to give a more significant gift.
Theatre Tickets
Another luxury many of us would love, but rarely buy for ourselves. Tickets to a show at the local theatre company, or a production at one of the major theatres will be gratefully accepted. If they’re not so into theatre, you could buy ballet, circus or opera tickets instead.
Sporting Tickets
What do you buy the sports lover? Perhaps a season pass to their favourite sporting team’s home ground or tickets to a big match later in the year. If the tickets aren’t on sale yet, make a voucher yourself and buy them when they do go on sale.
Concert Tickets
These are another gift many of us won’t buy for ourselves. If you hear of a favourite band or comedian coming to town, grab two tickets and surprise your loved one. Similarly, if the tickets aren’t yet available, make up a voucher and be sure to snap them up as soon as they go on sale.
Tickets to a Local Attraction
A family ticket to the zoo, aquarium or water park is perfect for the people who don’t need or want stuff. It’s often an outing that gets put off due to cost or the time it takes to organise it, so buying a family pass creates a reason to go.
Massage – The Gift of Relaxation
The gift of relaxation is never going to be misplaced. A voucher for the local beautician or day spa is something women (and lots of men) will always be excited about.
Facials or Other Pampering
Similarly, a voucher for a facial or other pampering is always appreciated. Rarely do we feel that we can spend the money on pampering ourselves, but receiving it as a gift is the perfect solution. Clutter-free and guilt-free pleasure!
Cooking Lessons
Check online for local cooking schools offering one-off or short-term classes. You can give a voucher and let your loved one decide, or you can book them in for a specific course. From beginners to keen amateur chefs, there will be something for everyone.
Music Lessons
A term of guitar lessons or singing lessons is a thoughtful gift for the music lover or the teenager looking for a new hobby. Local music schools would offer vouchers, or you could pay for private tuition with a music student. It’s such a great way to encourage a new skill and get creative.
Learn a New Language
Enrol your loved one in a short course to learn a new language. This is something grandparents may be interested in, as well as those who plan on travelling in the near future. Check online or look up your local community college for course details.
Dance Classes
Has your nephew always wanted to learn hip-hop? Your sister interested in ballet? Sign them up for a beginner’s dance class. Often that encouragement is all someone will need to dive head first into a new passion. And if they’re a little hesitant – why not go along with them? You may just love it.
Yoga Classes
Everyone needs a little Zen in their lives. Perhaps you could buy a pass to an introductory yoga program for your loved one? It’s going to be beneficial for their health and well-being and it’s a clutter-free gift.
Consumable Gifts
Wine, Beer or Spirits
The ultimate consumable gift. Take the time to find out what varieties your loved ones prefer and gift them with a delicious and consumable gift. (We usually get half a dozen bottles for Christmas which are, ahem, rapidly appreciated.)
Homemade Edibles
Shortbread, biscuits, jams, chutneys, sauces, pickles, olives and infused oils. You can make all of these yourself with a little time and effort. Providing the foods are something the recipient actually eats, then they are the ultimate clutter-free gift. To up your green points, use recycled glass jars with sweet handmade labels. Ideal for teachers, great-grandparents and work colleagues.
Gift Cards
Etsy Gift Card
Ideal for the handmade-lover in your life. Instead of taking a guess on which handmade items they really want, you can now buy gift cards for the world’s largest handmade retailer – Etsy. And while it is not strictly clutter-free, given they will buy something with the gift card, it is likely to be a gift the recipient will love because they can choose for themselves. Particularly great for teenage girls!
iTunes Voucher
While not very original, an iTunes voucher is a winner for good reason. Via the iTunes store, the recipient can buy apps, games, movies, music or TV shows – and it’s clutter-free. Teenage boys will love it!
Google Play Voucher
Similarly, for those who aren’t on the Apple train, a Google Play voucher offers the opportunity to spend money on music, games, TV and movies, all of the gift recipient’s choosing.
A Discount Pass to Local Attraction
Many local attractions (think ski hills, indoor skate park, museums) have discount passes available to purchase. These passes may give one or two days free entry, as well as significant discounts on entry fees, food, beverages or merchandise. Look into the local attractions in your loved one’s area and see what they offer.
Give Yourself
Homemade Vouchers for your Time
Your time is valuable so why not package it up for your loved one? Consider giving a homemade voucher for your services. Perhaps 6 sessions of baby-sitting, or 3 weekends of gardening help. Time is something so many of us are permanently short of – why not give the gift of extra hours?
The Gift of Your Skills
What skills do you possess that the receiver may need? Are you a hairdresser? Dog groomer? Painter? Crafter? Gardener? Sewing expert? Cooking whiz? Why not make up a voucher for your skills? You can give a free haircut, or help bake a birthday cake. Think about the person you are gifting your skills to – what would they need help with and how can you make things easier for them? Remember – a gift doesn’t have to cost much to be incredibly valuable.
Hobby Gifts
These technically are still things, but when the receiver is a keen artist, snowboarder or yoga enthusiast, a gift of needed supplies or equipment could be a good option. Just ensure you know exactly what they need before buying.
Some ideas:
Hard to find or vintage fabric for the keen quilter
A new set of brushes or paint for the artist
New gloves for the skier or snowboarder
Good quality garden tools for the enthusiastic gardener
The Gift of Green
While not strictly clutter-free, plants are a beautiful and practical gift. They clean the air inside the home and bring life and vibrancy to the outside. When deciding what to buy, make sure they are hardy or suitable to the climate of your loved one. Dwarf citrus trees and olive trees can be grown in pots, and a long, low planter box can be planted with herbs for an instant kitchen garden.
Other Types of Clutter-Free Gifts
A Kindle/Nook/Digital Reader
Not strictly a clutter-free gift, but for the avid reader it will save a lot of space on books. Particularly if combined with a voucher for Amazon/Google/iBookstore/Barnes & Noble.
Ebooks or Vouchers
The ultimate clutter-free gift. A gift card from Amazon or similar will give your most avid reader many hours of pleasure.
Digital Magazine Subscriptions
Rather than a traditionally printed magazine subscription, why not buy a digital subscription instead? They are often less expensive than print magazines and, providing the recipient has a tablet or an iPad, they come without any additional clutter.
Spotify Subscription
A monthly or annual subscription to streaming music service, Spotify, is ideal for the music lover.
Photobook Voucher
Services like Blurb or Shutterfly allow you to create beautiful photobooks using online tools, then have the book printed, bound and shipped to your home address. Why not buy your loved one a voucher for one of these services and allow them to create their own photobook? While not strictly clutter-free, I love the idea of giving this to someone who has had a new baby or taken a great holiday over the past 12 months. It allows them to create a beautiful way of remembering.
Recipe Book from Family and Friends
This is an affordable and thoughful gift: take the best recipes from your collection and collect similar favourites from your family or friends. Collate them and have them printed into a lovely book. Everyone has one never-fail recipe so ask them to share it and pass them on to a new generation. Perfect for newlyweds or young adults who are leaving home.
Practical Gifts
People roll their eyes at the idea of giving practical gifts, as if they are less worthy or interesting. But the reality is, sometimes all we need is something practical. And the money you would spend on an impractical gift – while appreciated – will be spent again when you have to buy the item you needed in the first place. Sure, it’s not that exciting to buy a new home phone, a cordless drill or a worm farm, but when it’s something wanted or needed you should remember who the gift is actually for. So ask around and see if there’s anything your loved one needs, or, if appropriate, why not ask them?
Are you planning or hoping for a clutter-free Christmas this year?
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