Get some helpful tips to help you deal with unwanted Christmas presents that you don’t want to just waste.
As thoughtful as it is to receive a gift, the gift is never guaranteed to be wanted unless it was asked for. Every year most people will have a selection of unwanted Christmas gifts that they know they won’t use, but they also don’t know what to do with. These gifts can end up gathering dust over time, sometimes not even leaving the gift bag, simply cluttering up the home or local self storage unit and never being of any use to anyone.
The good news is, there are things you can do with unwanted Christmas presents. The key is to take action quickly so that you don’t end up with a local self storage unit or home full of clutter. Instead, try the following to give your unwanted Christmas presents a good home:
1. Donate To A Charity Shop
Christmas presents are the perfect gift for donating to a charity shop because they are in perfect condition and are items people would like to buy. Do be careful if there are any clearly defined aspects of the gifts and you know your loved one frequents the local charity shops – it won’t go down well if they see their gift to you in the charity shop straight after Christmas.
2. Give Them Away Online
There are sites now which you can use to list any item for free and other people can message you and ask to collect the item. It works more efficiently than some of the marketplaces because it is specifically designed for people to offer and collect free items.
3. Regift
Regifting items is really helpful as it saves you some money, and the person who sent you the item doesn’t know anything about it so they are still happy that they gave you a great gift. The only thing you must do if you choose to regift, is label the gifts with the person who gave the item to you. This will make sure that you don’t accidentally give the gift back to them, or back to someone who knows them. Seeing their gift regifted could well hurt their feelings so is best avoided.
4. Give Them To Neighbours
Some gifts are perfect to gift to neighbours who may well appreciate the item. It’s nice to be nice to your neighbours, and if you get a bottle of wine you don’t drink, or a box of dairy chocolates and you’re vegan, take them next door and cheer your neighbour up.
5. Do A Gift Swap
In a circle of friends or family that is not where the gift came from, you could do an unwanted gift swap. It’s a handy way to move on unwanted gifts to someone who actually wants them, and to gain something free that you want in return.
6. Return It
If you get a gift receipt you can return the item for something that you want. Often, people give gift receipts with a present so that you can do that and get something you really want. Do check the amount of time that you have to return the item, though, as there is usually a date you have to return before otherwise the gift receipt is void.
7. Sell Them Online
You can sell anything online, and if the item is valuable to some degree you can get a handy bit of cash in return for selling it on. Do be careful where you sell the item just in case the person who gave it to you sees the listing. Perhaps sell it from an anonymous account, or have no features in the background that show it is your home. It helps avoid any hurt and awkwardness if the person who gave the gift sees the listing.
8. Do A Car Boot
Why not do a good clearout of your house and local or London self storage unit so you can do a car boot. Car boots are great after Christmas as everyone is doing the same thing and selling off their unwanted Christmas gifts and other clutter. You could make a few quid and grab yourself a bargain at the same time!
9. Donate It As A Raffle Item
Lots of charities need items for raffle items so they can make money for their cause. If you have good quality items like unopened boxes of chocolates, wine, soft toys or art, a local charity could use it to raise money with a raffle. You could even add your unwanted presents with donated items and organise your own raffle for your favourite charity – what better way to start the year than with the gift of giving?
10. Repurpose
You can repurpose almost any gift if you want to. Wines, chocolates and other food items could be added to a hamper that you regift on at a later date. You could make art out of certain items, use methods like tie dye to change fabric, use fabric to upholster something like a stool – the opportunities are endless. If you can’t repurpose certain items yourself, you could even donate them to a local makers shop or scheme that can do it for you, or use it to then reutilise as part of their campaign.
11. Give To A Specific Cause
Toiletries like makeup, skin care, creams and sanitary items are really important donation items for charities like those helping women experiencing domestic violence. Furniture and bedding can help schemes that help people get their life back together after being homeless or going through something traumatic. Coats and thick clothing is perfect for a homeless charity donation. Why not donate to a cause where you know your items are of a specific need to people going through something terrible – it might be your unwanted gift but they definitely do want those items.
12. Give It Back
This is not always appropriate and should not be done when the gift is given. However, there can be some scenarios where a quiet word in private is useful. For example; you have been given wine and you no longer drink. You could gently say thank you so much for the wine, but I don’t drink and I don’t want this to go to waste. The same goes for being given a non-vegan gift when you’re vegan. Gently say thank you so much for this gift, but we don’t eat X and I don’t want it to go to waste. This is important because it ensures they give you a gift you can use in future. It is a little bit risky, but when done the right way can be done so that nobody feels hurt and the gift doesn’t end up wasted.
With the tips above you can ensure no gift gets wasted, for a clutter-free New Year. Need some space to store unwanted gifts whilst you figure out what to do with them? Utilise local self storage which can be as small as a gym locker and as big as a football field. It’s also handy for seasonal items that take up precious space at home.