This time of year people are buying gifts and if that’s you, you need to hear this message. I’ve resurrected a video that I did back in 2013 that is specifically on that topic. If you’ve seen it before you probably need reminding, and if you haven’t then I really think you should take the couple of minutes to watch/listen! I’ve re-edited it a bit so that it will go quicker and be more to the point.  Here is the blog that goes along with the video…

We want to give great gifts, ones that people will truly appreciate, but let’s face it…

If the person you’re giving a gift to is Organizationally Gifted and they don’t love what you gave them, they’ll either toss it out, re-gift it, donate it, or it’ll end up on a garage sale table. If you’re giving to an organizationally challenged person, you’re just adding more clutter to their lives. DON’T DO IT!

They won’t get rid of it, but they’ll always wish they could, and they’ll feel terrible that it’s yet another thing cluttering up their home. This year, consider giving cash, gift certificates, or an experience. Be creative! I have an example in this video of an idea for giving cash that I tried a few years ago, and it was so much fun!

I got the idea from a DVD that Pam Young sold called “Everybody Loves Money.” Here’s what I did: I took fortune cookies (one at a time) and put them in the microwave for about 10 seconds. When you take them out, they’re soft and you can open them up, remove the fortune, and replace it with another one. I have a son who tends to get angry easily. So, I thought it would be funny to tell him that I got him WISDOM for Christmas, and I asked him to open the gift I gave him with an open mind, very seriously.

I had the fortune cookies in a little Chinese food takeout box with a sticker on it that I printed out, which read: “YouDontHaveToBeAngry.Com” or something similar. I included silly advice about not getting angry in some of them as “fortunes,” and in others, I put cash. A few $20 bills, some $10s, a couple of 5s—enough to make it fun to open them up. BUT I had all the $$ cookies at the bottom of the box.

The first few he opened said, “Don’t get angry all the time, it isn’t good for you!” While I was sitting there saying, “Please Mike, listen to these words, they’ll help you, it’s because I love you that I got this gift for you.”

Of course, he was getting mad as he saw what I got him, asking me, “Mom! Are you kidding me? How much did you spend on this crap?! These people ripped you off!” It was hilarious when he started to see that money was in some of the cookies, and he realized it was all a joke…

Anyway, that’s one idea for giving cash. I’m sure you can think of other creative ways to give money.

This blog is just a reminder to think before you buy. Even the Organizationally Gifted person has too much stuff. Think before you gift 🙂

If you liked this, please share it with someone.

Much love to you!

Kathy

The Tidy Tutor