A very warm welcome to our gift blog!
We are very excited to start this little ‘convo-center’ where we’ll share lovely hints and useful tips with you all. Like anything else that’ll we do on this blog, we’ll love to keep those blogs short, simple, meaningful and impactful for you.
So let’s dive into our 3 simple questions to ask before buying a gift:
- Will They Love It?
- Will They Use It?
- Will I need to spend hours and hours researching it?
WILL THEY LOVE IT?
Only you, the giver of a gift can really tell the answer to this question.
You are the one who knows the supposed recipient. What things do they like? What are the things that you have noticed about them? What is their favourite color? What symbols do you notice when you are around them? Do you see any quotes on their walls, social media pages and on their stuff? What do they usually talk about? What are their interests? What are their hobbies? Do they like flowers? What type of flowers do they like? Do they love animals? What types of animals do they like? Do they have pets? Do they love art, nature, music, fashion, clothing, shoes, bags, accessories or just food- good food? Hot, savory or sweet? All these answers will give you tips as to what they will really like. Sometimes, just one question is enough to lead you to the hint you need.
WILL THEY USE IT?
This ties to the first question and the answers to both questions walk hand-in-hand. If they love it, chances are...they will use it! If they don’t love it on the other hand, they probably will not use it. So there goes, the answer to that one.
Apart from that though, some gifts could be pretty and catchy but they have no real use or value and eventually will have to go in the garbage pile. Parents are usually guilty of this one. We want to buy everything cute for our babies but most of them just end up as garbage in the house. We can ask this question before buying that new toy for our babies the next time. We may invest instead in things that we know will be truly useful for them.
For instance, I usually end up with piles and piles of cute socks that I get for my daughter or that was gifted to her. But in the end, when it comes to matching these colors to her already colorful clothes, we usually only really get to use the solid white, grey, navy or black ones. The solid colors do all the favors and save all the stress and time when dressing a baby up. Most of the cute socks end up in the trash. I also find that now that she’s getting older, socks don’t really do us any favors anymore either, whether they are solid colors or not. This is because she’ll pull them off faster than we put them on. Baby tights work way better now! : ) If you are a new mom, and you can relate to this, or love this tip... #thankmeforthatonelater #justjoking
WILL I SPEND HOURS & HOURS RESEARCHING IT?
As the old adage goes #timeismoney. Ask yourself: will I have to spend hours and hours, a day, a week, a month still thinking about what will be the perfect gift for the person or for the situation that I am gifting for? Or is there a place where most of that mental and physical work is already done for me? Eventually after wasting all that time, many of us run out of time and still end up purchasing pre-packaged retail gifts that may- in the situation- be like fast food vs. a home cooked meal. Most retail pre-packaged gifts are well packaged and catchy but when I look at the contents, they may not be exactly useful or practical or pass as thoughtful gifts.
Why am I getting this person this gift? Usually giving should convey love and care for a person when done right. Is my gift just another buy that goes on the pile of unwanted items heading to the thrift store or does it actually convey the message and emotion that I am trying to pass along? If your answer is yes to the previous question, then be sure the recipient will love and cherish this new gift.
After spending so much time thinking about the gift, will I then have to spend hours & hours going around to find it and then actually buy it?- Will you be racking your brain for hours or days to find the right kind of gifts that perfectly convey your thoughts & how you feel to the recipient? Are you going to fill up your gas to go in search of it in various disjointed locations in addition to the days already wasted?
Where is it easier to get everything I need ? Most times we all need that #onestopshop #answertoallmyquestions kind of place to find the things that we need. This saves us a lot not just financially. It #savestimes #cancelsstress #savesmoney #savesenergy.
The above are our 3 simple main questions to ask. But if you will love a sequel to this article, other questions we may discuss include:
If you would love the answers to these questions discussed, tell us how you love this article in the comments below. Thank you for reading this little piece.
With love from Jay of Jay’s Pretty Little Things For You.
Very thoughtful and nicely written