5 Ideas For Dealing With Unwanted Christmas Presents
January 1st, 2008 3 Comments » | POSTED BY ROB
It’s been a week since Christmas, and if you’ve ended up with a few presents that you’re not too keen on, do not need, or just plain want to get rid of, then you might be wondering what the best course of action is.
Here are some ideas for dealing with unwanted Christmas presents:
- Bin It – if it’s so bad, and you’re never going to make use of it, why let it clutter up the house? Get rid of it, and forget you ever got it. A little ungrateful, yes, but sometimes you have to be ruthless. There’s no point putting it in the back of your wardrobe only to uncover it 3 years later and then binning it.
- eBay It – one man’s rubbish can be another man’s gold, and through eBay you can connect with buyers who may actually be interested in your unwanted gifts. Obviously, it’s more lucrative and easier selling certain items, such as electronics and DVDs, rather than things like jumpers and socks, but you never know, you could just make yourself a few quid. I’ve recently sold 3 Nintendo Wii games that we got as part of the Wii package and have made over £70 – enough to pay for a new controller and a game that we actually want.
- Freecycle It – Freecycle is “a grassroots movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns”. I guess it’s a little like eBay but without the money involved. Check whether there is a Freecycle group in your area (UK).
- Donate It – another way to give your unwanted present a new lease of life is to take them to your local charity shops – they’ll probably more than happy to take them off your hands, and you can give yourself a nice warm feeling inside knowing that a good cause is benefitting. Locate your nearest charity shops.
- Exchange It – it can be awkward letting someone know that you don’t want to present they’ve bought you, but most people would rather that you get something you really want, rather than something that they think you want. If you’ve received something you don’t like or don’t need, why not ask the buyer if it could be exchanged for something else more suitable?
Do you have any more strategies for dealing with unwanted presents?
Photo by Desi.Italy.
3 Comments on “5 Ideas For Dealing With Unwanted Christmas Presents”
MoneyChangesThings, January 1st, 2008
You didn’t include an obvious – regift it.
At any rate, be careful with the Ebay option. One of my friend’s discovered her daughter-in-law was selling gifts my friend had given her on ebay. It didn’t help their relationship any!
More Thoughts On Unwanted Christmas Presents / UK Personal finance blog and money information, tips and links / Money Watch, January 2nd, 2008
[...] MoneyChangesThings pointed out on yesterday’s posts on what to do with unwanted Christmas presents, I forgot about regifting the [...]
I used to feel heartless when I got rid of stuff I didn’t want. Now I love it. I have come to hate clutter and love feng shui.
