I would be a hypocrite if I said I had never carried out the act of “regifting”. I think most people have done it at least once in their lifetime, even if they won’t admit to it. There is a time and a place for it, but you need to be mindful that you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Some people are really open about the fact that they “regift”. I’ve had people wrap up a novel and give it to me as a gift after they had read it. It didn’t really bother me. I just found it amusing that they actually told me about it. If they hadn’t, I would have never known.
Let’s face it. Sometimes we do receive gifts that we know we will never use. Rather than have them sit in the closet to collect dust, it only makes sense to give them away to someone who will make good use of them. That being said, I don’t recommend “regifting” anything of sentimental value. Even if you won’t use it, it’s better to hang onto it rather than risk the chance of hurting someone you love.
There are some definite advantages to “regifting”. For one, you decrease the amount of clutter in your home. Secondly, you aren’t wasting good gifts. Just because you will never use it, doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it. Thirdly, you will save both money and time by “regifting”.
The most important thing to take note of is who gave you the gift. You don’t want to end up giving it away a few years down the road to the same person who gave it to you! If you do plan to “regift”, it’s better to do it right away so you won’t run the risk of making that mistake.
“Regifting” certainly isn’t for everyone. For those who are uncomfortable with the concept, an alternative is to give away the items without wrapping them and making them seem like a gift. It all boils down to your comfort level. With the exception of pack rats, I would imagine that most people would be at least somewhat comfortable in “regifting” at least once in their life.
Pam Gifts
Here’s a thought – rather than giving your loved-ones yet another gizmo or gadget that they neither want nor need, why not consider supporting a charity in their name? Let them know how special they are to you by helping someone else out and providing them with a gift card.
This is the wording found on the gift cards I purchased this Christmas to send along with my Christmas letters. It reads: “A special thank you to a special person. As a way of saying thanks for all you do, in your honour, a dinner has been purchased and will be served to a Homeless person in our community this holiday season. Thank you for making a difference in my life.”
I know I would be touched to receive such a card. I think your family and friends would be moved as well. There are a lot of charitable organizations that offer these cards in exchange for donations. I would encourage you to seek out these opportunities. You can do two things at once: Support a charity of your choice and give a meaningful gift to those you love.
Let’s help our community this Christmas.
Pam Gifts
It’s a lot of fun preparing for the Christmas season. There’s always so much to do. Parties to attend, gifts to buy, and more. I want to share some of my favorite Christmas recipes with you. They are fairly easy to make and they don’t cost a lot of money. They are great for serving at parties and if you package up a variety of your baking, they make great gifts as well. Invite a friend over to bake with and it will make your time even more enjoyable. Sometimes it’s also fun to do a “bake swap”. Each person involved bakes something different and then you arrange a meeting and exchange your baking. That way you end up with a wide variety of goodies without making each kind yourself. Happy baking!
Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
1 ½ cups icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Mix the ingredients together and knead the dough into a ball. Cool the dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours and then roll the dough out with a rolling pin and cut the cookies into various shapes with Christmas cookie cutters. Sprinkle red and green colored sugar on top of your cookies to make them more festive. Bake at 325 F for 5-7 minutes.
Short Bread
¾ cup butter
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
Mix the ingredients together and knead the dough into a ball. Cool the dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Sprinkle the tops with colored sugar or with small pieces of maraschino cherries. Bake at 325 F for 4-6 minutes.
Fantastic Fudge
4 ½ cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
½ lb margarine
3 cups chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together the sugar and evaporated milk in a heavy pot. Boil for exactly 7 minutes. Add vanilla and then dump in the margarine and chocolate chips. Mix thoroughly and spread the fudge into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Let it cool in the fridge until it sets and then cut it into squares. Keep unused portions in the fridge.
Pam Gifts
Do you want to help others financially but you don’t have the resources to do so right now? Well, you still can, and you can do it by simply clicking on a button on a website every day when you go to check your email or read the news online.
The website is called The Hunger Site. When you go to this site, all you need to do is click on the button that says “Click Here to Give- it’s FREE!”. By doing so, the companies who advertise on the site contribute to people in need around the world.
But there’s more, in addition to helping supply food to the needy, The Hunger Site also links to the Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest, and Animal Rescue site. They each have a button you can click on and as a result their sponsors will fund those causes as well.
So, even if you don’t have any extra money to give away right now, you can still make a contribution and it’s as easy as clicking your mouse. I encourage you to check it out and to participate in these worthy causes.
Pam Gifts
I have been thinking recently about what we can do to be good stewards of our money. Of course we need to use our money to cover our basic living expenses, but what can we do with the rest of it? How can we make the most of what we have to help others and make sure that we are giving back?
I think two things are involved. First, it’s important that we manage our money responsibly. By living within our means and budgeting, we can ensure that we don’t go deep into debt.
Second, if we discipline ourselves and spend our money wisely, imagine how much good we can do in our world by contributing to organizations and causes we are passionate about! And, as a result of giving, we will feel so great, knowing that we have helped to make a difference.
It’s important to note that it’s not about the amount you give but the attitude in which you give it that really matters. Not everyone can afford to give a lot or invest a lot due to tight financial circumstances, but that doesn’t mean they can’t give anything.
Although it would be great to be rich and be able to donate millions to various charities, etc., sometimes I need to remind myself that I don’t have to be “wealthy” to make a difference. We can all be good stewards of our money and if we all focus on good stewardship, our world will be a better place for everyone. My goal for the next few weeks is to look for meaningful ways that I can give back.
Pam Gifts
Greeting cards can be a great way to cheer someone up or to acknowledge someone’s special event. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on them for them to be meaningful. I have found a lot of great cards at a local dollar store. When I compared them with the more expensive card shops I found they are just as nice and they only cost $1.00. The only down side is that some dollar stores have limited selections and seem to order the same ones year after year. So, it doesn’t hurt to check out different dollar stores once in a while to get more variety. Larger dollar stores often carry a lot more varieties including ones that look homemade and can be used for any occasion.
Especially around holidays, you can often purchase a whole box of cards rather than paying for them individually. The best time to buy them is right after the holiday has passed for the following year as you can usually get them for 50% off or possibly even more depending on how quickly stores want to get rid of their inventory. Although buying boxed cards is often cheaper, that’s not always the case, so be sure to compare prices.
If you’re creative and have some spare time, making homemade greeting cards can also be fun. Cut pictures and letters from magazines or cards you’ve received in the past to decorate your card. Stickers also work great for this.
You may think I am being a real tightwad when I am writing about trying to save money on something as small as greeting cards. But my thought is if I can buy something of the same quality for $4.00 or $1.00 I am going to go for the $1.00 item every time. Why pay 4 times as much for the same thing? It just doesn’t make any financial sense. Another option is to send free e-cards to your friends that you know use email frequently. They can be a lot of fun and they are free.
Pam Gifts
If you don’t have time to shop or you really don’t have extra money to spend on a gift, 
you can give the gift of your time instead. Spend a few minutes making a homemade gift certificate for your loved one or friend offering a special service that would be meaningful to them.
For instance, if you are giving a gift to a busy stay-at-home mom, offer to give her the afternoon off by taking care of her kids. If you are friends with an accountant, offer to make her a meal during tax season. If you are friends with a farmer, offer to help him by cutting his lawn during harvest time. Or, if you have friends who are elderly, offer to drive them around or pick up their groceries, or just offer to make them a meal and spend time with them.
There are lots of things you can do and it will likely mean more to them than if you had just gone out and bought them another knickknack. Gift giving doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be from the heart. Your time can be a priceless gift.
Pam Gifts
