• Start Here
  • Work With Me
  • Parenting
  • Kids Activities
  • Working Moms
  • Productivity Tips
  • Number of items in cart: 0

    • Your cart is empty.
    • Total: $0.00
    • Checkout

Fab Working Mom Life

A Working Mom Blog: Let's thrive as working moms.

  • Blog
  • Motherhood
    • Breastfeeding
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Kids Activities
    • Working Mom
  • Lifestyle
    • Finances
    • Food
    • Health
    • Home Life
    • Military
    • Organize
  • Resources
    • Blogging Resources
    • Working Mom Life Resources
  • About
    • About Julie
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Subscribe
  • Work With Me
    • Advertise Here or Hire Me
    • Guest Post Here
    • Link and Image Policy
    • As Seen On
  • Freebies
    • Affirmations for Working Moms
    • Monthly Budget
    • Nanny Interview Questions Checklist
    • Start a Blog? email course
    • Printables
  • Shop
    • Budget Workbook Planner
    • 12 Month Habit Tracker Printable
    • Christmas Games and Planning Printables
    • Nanny Contract Template
    • My Zazzle Store
    • My Amazon Store
    • Printables Downloads
    • Etsy Store

Note: posts contain affiliate links, earning me a commission. By using this site, you agree to our use of browser cookies. Read our disclosure and privacy policies for more details.

The Unwanted Gift Guide – What To Do With Presents You Don’t Need

August 20, 2016 by Julie Leave a Comment

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe and join fellow working moms. Thanks for visiting!

4305714987_c324f7325b_o

guestpost

Have you noticed just how many times a year people buy you a gift? There are birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines, Christmas, and other festivities. Then you may get the odd thank you gift or celebration token. No matter how well-meaning they are, people can sometimes get it wrong. Unwanted gifts can soon pile up. But it’s not just the clutter you may be worried about. It’s how to part with something someone bought you with the best of intentions.

What to do with gifts you don’t need


Giving your unwanted gift away to someone else isn’t a bad idea. However, you may prefer to give it to someone who isn’t acquainted with the person who gave you the gift. Selling it on is another option. It means you can use the cash value to buy something for yourself that you might enjoy more. It’s unlikely this would displease the person who gave you the gift. However, if you tell them the gift isn’t right for you, most gifters would be happy to help you exchange it.

 

If you have a large collection of unwanted gifts from years gone by, it’s time to have a clearout. Some gifts you may have forgotten about. You might not even remember who gave them to you. Others may have been carefully selected for you and getting rid of them may cause upset on both sides. How you manage this tricky situation is up to you, but sensitivity and discretion are sometimes desirable.

 


There are several ways to clear your home of unwanted gifts. Some people may find a use for your unwanted items. This is particularly true for practical housewares or gadgets. You can peruse the Wanted column in your local paper. Or you might choose to post the items on an internet auction site. If you feel too guilty to exchange the gift for cash, consider a thrift or charity support store. Gifting your unwanted items can help raise funds for worthy causes.

 

New and unworn fashion can sometimes be given to friends. Often clothing that is bought as a gift isn’t the correct size, or may simply not be to our taste. Friends may enjoy wearing these items. It’s usually best to be honest about where the item came from. As you have no receipt, you can’t exchange the wrong size without asking the gifter to help. But if you really don’t like an item, someone else can be given the opportunity to love it.

Recommended Post:  15 Best Children’s Books for Christmas

 

15992350012_f0088b89bd_o

 

Many of us prefer to give gift cards to well-known stores. But even that can become a faux pas if the recipient doesn’t shop there. If you check out websites like cards2cash.com, you can find ways to pick up a cash value for store cards you can’t or won’t use. This gives you the chance to shop at your preferred store to buy something nice to celebrate your special occasion.

 

Would you refuse a gift as it’s handed to you? In some situations a polite ‘no thank you’ is a good idea. Corporate gifts, in particular, can be tricky to accept. Your company is likely to have a policy about accepting non-cash gestures from suppliers, customers, and business partners. It’s important you’re fully acquainted with this documentation. It could put your company in a difficult legal position if you accept gifts. Gifts are often sent during holiday periods or provided during entertainment events. If you are entertaining on behalf of your business, make sure you have rehearsed tactful refusals.

 

 

Refusing gifts on a personal level is also socially awkward at times. There is a concern that accepting a gift may have a deeper meaning of your intentions or relationship. If you really don’t want a gift, don’t take it. There will always be a risk of hurting someone’s feelings, but sometimes it can’t be helped. If you’ve opened or seen the gift already, why not offer a polite excuse about why you can’t take it? Honesty could be the best policy here.

 

There are some occasions when lots of gifts have been delivered at once. Wedding presents, baby shower gifts, or kids’ birthday party presents. Chances are similar gifts will be offered that you simply won’t have a use for. If you’re willing to do a little extra work, you may be able to find people who do have a use for things. It’s not considered environmentally friendly to fill up your trash can after all. Re-wrapping a gift and giving the impression you purchased it for someone may seem a step too far for some people. Instead, you could offer the item as an unneeded gift. People usually appreciate the honesty.

Recommended Post:  Halloween Pasta Monsters with Pesto

 

Beyond the usual garage sales, yard sales, and online preloved items listings, there are other ways to sell what you don’t need. What may be more of a concern is how you use the cash raised. Would you spend it on something nice for you and the kids? Would you pay outstanding bills with it? Or would you raise the cash for a charitable cause? There is nothing wrong with saying yes to any of these questions. But some people feel it could be a sensitive issue.

 

There is also an option to use an item in a different way. Fashion, for example, can be altered to better suit your tastes. Decorating, adjusting, or simply dyeing a top or sweater could radically alter the style. The same could be said for crockery or glassware. Changing its use and appearance could be an excellent way to fall in love with an unwanted gift or duplicate item.

 

Would you ever willfully destroy unwanted items? You might be tempted to break something you didn’t want so you have an excuse for it not being on display in your home! Of course, it’s not the most honest approach to a difficult unwanted gift situation. This concept often provides some light comedy in films and TV shows. But in reality, a specially chosen gift may have a lot of sentiment behind it for the person giving it to you. Would refusing it and returning it be the better option here?

 

How do you handle an unwanted gift?

 

Note: This is a contributed post that has been edited to align with the opinions and style of this blog.

 

The Unwanted Gift Guide – What To Do With Presents You Don’t Need

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Categories: Gift Guides, Guest Posts, Sponsored Tags: Christmas, Winter

the PAST
the FUTURE

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Comments are held for moderation. Links are no follow.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments are held for moderation.

About Julie

Julie of Fab Working Mom Life Welcome! My name is Julie :) I am a Texan living in Hawaii (military life). I'm a mom, a blogger, and also work full-time in environmental compliance. I write about being a working mom to help myself and other working moms in our journey to find a balance between our family, responsibilities, and hobbies. I do this because we moms need a support network to thrive both at home and at work.

Follow us

  • mail
  • instagram
  • instagram
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • bloglovin

Note: posts contain affiliate links, earning me a small commission at no additional charge to you. This site uses browser cookies to store information on your computer: some are essential to make this site work, others improve your user experience, and track behavior and user patterns (for advertising purposes). By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Read our disclosure and privacy policies for more details.

Join fellow Working Moms

Grab these Affirmations for Working Moms when you Join!

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Pin with me!


Follow my Pinterest blog board

Most Popular

full time working mom life hacks

How to streamline busy life as a working mom with these time-saving tips

When Your Hyper Child Just Doesn’t Listen, Try This

How to Stop Toddler Whining: The ULTIMATE Guide to Your Sanity

How to Stop Whining, a Guide for Moms

Featured Posts

  • Fabulous Productivity Tips for Working Moms to Run Your Schedule Like a Boss!
  • Toddler Breakfast Ideas (before daycare or preschool)
  • Tips for Battling Momnesia or How to Deal with the Mental Load of Motherhood
  • How to practice Mindfulness as a Busy Mom
  • Tips to Help your Toddler Develop Language Skills
Christmas gifts guide

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Fab Working Mom Life Hot Topics

productivity tips for working moms
5-things-you-need-to-know-to-breastfeed-baby-sliderthings-to-do-to-prepare-for-baby-for-first-time-moms-slider

Link to Fab Working Mom Life

Membership


Memberships page.

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
  • Start Here
  • Work With Me
  • Guest Post Here
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Link and Image Policy

Note: Posts contain affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase a product, I will receive a small commission for the sale at no additional cost to you. Fab Working Mom Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Protected by Copyscape
DMCA.com Protection Status
DMCA.com Protection Status

Copyright © 2022 · Fab Working Mom Life· Hello You Designs

Copyright © 2022 · Sweets Blog on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT