by Pam on December 15, 2009
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.
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.
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.
If you enjoy buying fresh-cut flowers, buy them at a grocery store rather than from a florist. 
You will save a lot of money and the flowers last just as long! A neat way to prolong the life of cut flowers is to add a quarter cup of soda pop to the water. The disadvantage of any fresh cut flowers is that they eventually die, even if you use the soda pop, so, what I like to do instead, is buy a small potted plant. Over time they often die, too, but they last a lot longer. So, if you are thinking of doing something sweet for your friend or loved one, consider buying them a small potted plant – the gift that keeps on giving by staying beautiful for a long time.
It may seem ironic that I am suggesting giving generously on a blog about saving money, but my husband and I have truly experienced the concept that it is better to give than to receive. When you give generously not only do you feel great about it, but you are often rewarded unexpectedly afterwards. Here are some recent examples of what we have experienced. We gave some money to some friends of ours who are struggling financially and within a few weeks my husband was informed that he got a raise! Another time we gave a friend some money and the very next week my husband was given a tip from a satisfied client for the exact same amount that we had given to our friend! Although you don’t always see your money coming back to you like that, the sense that you have done something great for someone else is rewarding in and of itself. Even though you may be going through some tough financial times right now, I still want to encourage you to give! I can guarantee you won’t regret it.
