MINIMALISM AND GIFTS | Receiving and Decluttering

Рет қаралды 8,300

Күн бұрын

Minimalism and Gifts | Receiving and Decluttering. The social culture of gift giving can be a tough one to navigate as a minimalist. Because we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, and we so appreciate someone taking time and money to buy us a present. On the other hand, we also don’t want to have all kinds of items in our home, that we’re only keeping around because we got them as a present.
So, what to do with this potentially awkward situation? How do we make sure people don’t give us unwanted surprise gifts? And what do we do with those presents we still keep around, because we feel guilty getting rid of them? Let’s talk about it!!
Lots of love,
♥ Vera
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Пікірлер: 51

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

A bunch of you have mentioned asking for a donation to your favorite charity as a present. 🎁 I think that’s awesome! 🌿✌ It’s also one of the tips in my “Minimalist Holiday Gift Ideas” video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/arFloZiLnKeYn6M.html Have a lovely Saturday everyone!

@naps_ 4 жыл бұрын

My biggest dilemma is my grandma. She buys me things i don’t really like and then 5 years later asks if i still have it or use annually. i’m extremely overwhelmed with all these things and trinkets and i don’t know what to do. She WILL be offended if i try to donate or give it away and i know this because she’s done it before. I can’t handle having all this stuff anymore, i wanna junk it and run away and never look back

@Kringeladida 5 жыл бұрын

I only give gifts to my parents and my sister to their birthdays and on Christmas and it is absolutely normal to us as a family to ask each other „what would you like as a present?“. With my boyfriend I have a „no presents“ rule since the beginning of our relationship. We prefer doing things together instead of buying stuff for each other. But it’s really funny how often he got the „tip“ from others that I „might be nonetheless expecting a gift and he better buy me a big bouquet of red roses“. :D Also my friends and I don’t exchange gifts. The only exception is when we are invited to a party. Then we might bring something that is edible. :) When I see something that my boyfriend or a friend might like I just tell them about it and they can buy that stuff themself if it really is their taste. So they also see that I thought about them when I saw the item. :D All of this makes my life much easier and less cluttered. :)

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Karin! Sorry for the late reply 🙂 sometimes the notification doesn't come. Those are great tips and rules to have, I imagine they will be very effective and still fun and sociable! Have a great weekend 🌿

@okestperson6016 5 жыл бұрын

My fear is that if I try to regift it, I'll accidently give it to the person who got it for me

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

😂 Maybe donating would be a better choice then ✌🌿

@Lookatmeshine 5 жыл бұрын

Create a regifting chart. So when you receive a gift you don't want it goes in the same location as other unwanted ones. You write on a piece of paper what it is and who gave it to you and you put it with those items. That way when you regift it you know who to NOT give it to.

@okestperson6016 5 жыл бұрын

@@Lookatmeshine that's a good idea

@oliviabrandi5347 5 жыл бұрын

I love this! I am a minimalist, but I also have a wishlist of things I want but won't buy for myself. So when my birthday and Christmas come around, I have something to ask people for. I love giving gifts as well. I love seeing my family and friend's faces when they open a gift they instantly love. Since becoming a minimalist, gift-giving has been tougher because I don't want to give people clutter. But I'm working on it. Thanks for another wonderful video!

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Olivia! 😄🌿 Yes I know exactly what you mean

@k.ambriz9789 5 жыл бұрын

Great thoughts and ideas here as always. I'm already thinking about how to navigate Christmas so I don't deal with unwanted items and guilt. I was planning to communicate my minimalist journey and request consumable items or experiences as you said. I think giving massage gift certificates, movie passes, zoo or museum tickets would be wonderful

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Ooooooh massages..... 😋

@nelly11796 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! My mother is so generous and is a serial gift giver. Every time I see her, she has some new little thing that reminded her of me and she just had to get to it. But... I live in a studio apartment with my significant other and it’s getting to the point where I almost don’t want to see her to avoid another trinket. It’s time to communicate and this video made it less daunting 😊.

@SimpleHappyZen 4 жыл бұрын

You can do it! :) Just let her know you appreciate her for always thinking of you

@meenaxi7388 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Vera, nice video. Receiving gift n giving gift both are happy moments. I always enjoy.

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Yes me too!! Especially giving someone a present 😄

@caroljoywolf 3 жыл бұрын

As a minimalist, here I am looking at answers to my conundrum. My home care lady helps me out cleaning several times a week for health reasons. She brought some cool stuff she wanted to get rid of, but some of it it's really horrifying (rejects from the thrift store which I know because on one item there was a thrift price tag on it). I tried to play it off for a couple of weeks and kept telling myself, "hey, it's just stuff". Then I got sicker and it brought on stress and anxiety. I had a plastic plant hanging out of my living room wall for God's sake! Decided to just to take everything and put it in one place. When she comes on Tuesday, I guess I'll let her know I'm a minimalist...hope she understands because she comes from another country. One time she wanted to know why I put the plastic dish rack under the sink and I told her because it looks cheap and the sink looks nice without it and we can just take it out when we need it. PS: what kind of person comes in and just starts nailing stuff to someone's wall anyway? PSS: She's the best cleaner I've ever had and that's why she is still with me.

@SimpleHappyZen 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Carol, I think you might find this video helpful: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ib-AaqmU0afSY4E.html

@jillpruett4772 5 жыл бұрын

One other thing you can consider is if you are flying to someone's house for the holidays, sometimes you can just forget to pack the gifts when you leave. I had a situation where I was only using a carry on and I was given something that was liquid. It cost more in checked luggage fees than it was worth to take so it just got left behind (along with some other things I probably could have tucked into my bag). Another idea is to figure out something to do with the unwanted liquid, in this case it was maple syrup. I could have volunteered to cook up a nice pancake breakfast and encouraged everyone to feel free to use up the syrup as I couldn't take it with. Obviously my preferred liquid gift involves my bank account :).

@yaeljohnson4727 5 жыл бұрын

The questions I ask when decluttering are: why do I have this?... And... Would I miss it if I didn't have this? As a recovering caretaker, I remind myself that my feelings are more important for me to consider than other's feelings. (I've come to learn who's listening to my journey and who's just going through the motions of our "relationship". This has helped me determine which relationships are healthy or toxic for me.)

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Those are great questions to ask when decluttering. It's good that you're taking good care of yourself and your feelings 🤗🌸🌱

@MarielaMerino 5 жыл бұрын

really enjoyed this video. I always tell family I don't need any gifts but usually I end up receiving a few things. Some I hang on to and some I end up donating. Donating always makes me feel good knowing someone will get value out of it :)

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Yes that's a great feeling 🤗🌿✌

@jmsl910 4 жыл бұрын

your input on this issue is priceless. thank you for your tactful & thoughtful insights.💚

@SimpleHappyZen 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :) Did you see my reply to your question about contacting me? You can send an email to courses@simplehappyzen.com if you want to ask me something personally.

@bogdaniacob2167 5 жыл бұрын

Great subject 👍, I was just thinking about Christmas this year, because I have a lot of people in my life, and not everybody understands my new way of life (minimalist). I have 1 shelf full of gifts that I don't really want&need, and I'm not sure how I will deal with them....i just postponed the decisions about them 🙈🙊

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Hahaha I can relate Bogdan 😄 Remember, they're your possessions now! ✌

@theresew9910 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Vera thanks for the tips especially like the wish list idea 😄 will be doing one very soon ❤️

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Therese! 😊✌ Yes it's so practical and a great way for exchanging presents

@cm-ft8wd 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Vera! I have a wish list on Amazon of a couple of items that I’d like but I will ask my boyfriend & family to get those if they ask me what I want for Christmas. Great video as always keep up the good work. 🤗❤️❤️

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Clare! 😊🌿✌

@ablueslenz 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Vera, for another awesome video. The gifting thing was something I had under control well before I became a minimalist. On some level, I guess my gifting process was the seed planted for minimalism. I like to be proactive in eliminating awkward gift exchanges because my face is quite expressive when doing so, and there were a lot of grimaces in the past. 😂 I simply told people in my family and friend circle to give me books, gift cards to my favorite restaurant, or nothing: I was fine with all of those. I'm quite unconventional in how I decorate my home, how I dress (I'm rather tall), and how I don't want anything I can't use; they understood. They accepted my criteria without problems. Literary books are the easiest thing to buy for me because I teach, so people would oblige and ask me what book I don't have but want/need. This made life so much easier for them and me; they added to my pedagogy, and I didn't have to buy the book myself. As for as minimizing my books, I won't do that until I retire from teaching because I return to previously taught books every other semester, and I write copious notes in them. I won't dare get rid of them.

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Teresa! You obviously have the communication thing down 😄 Makes everything a lot easier! This way you only receive things you actually want and use. ✌🌿

@ablueslenz 5 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry the reply was so long. I just love talking about mindfulness and minimalism here with you.

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Haha please don't apologize, I always love reading your comments 😄 Hope you will like next week's video, it will be a collab about books 🤗✌

@evanneofficial 4 жыл бұрын

4:13 that joke though 😂😂 Cracks me up 😂

@SimpleHappyZen 4 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha 😄

@emilymosley3184 5 жыл бұрын

My MIL always gives me a ton of small crap and cash. I had the conversation with her about how I’m cutting down on clutter, simply etc. and that maybe we could cut down on gifting stuff we didn’t need-and she just replied-how great. And we obviously didn’t need any money either😬

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks for sharing Emily 😄 Have a wonderful day! 🌾🌼

@HelensBookHaven 5 жыл бұрын

For our first wedding anniversary me and my husband decided to give each other 'paper gifts'. He bought me a couple of books. I read them both and recently I said I was going g to give them to the charity shop, I think he was a little offended so I've kept them. But I know that I won't read them again so they are just going to sit in a box 😣

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Haha aw, that's also kind of sweet 😄 But I can imagine it can be tricky when you're trying not the hurt the other person's feelings. I heard someone else talk about this as well and she eventually did this: she suggested going through all their gifts together, so hers and his, that have accumulated over time, and this made it feel less personal for the other person and he ended up donating some of her gifts as well, and no one was feeling hurt 🌿 Maybe that can be an idea? Xo Vera

@JOGESH18 5 жыл бұрын

These is most confusing topic. ...as nobody want to hurt others feelings...I have figured out a way to it...I ask my loved once to gift me some food item that I can use in my kitchen such as spices.or some fruits or even some recipe that someone is good at...that works

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Great ideas Jogesh 😊 Thanks!! ✌🌿

@MarloTV 4 жыл бұрын

SO true! Love this! Very similar message to my channel! SUbbed! xoxo -Marlo

@Juuh3845 5 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Julia!! 😄

@soniczforever5470 3 жыл бұрын

This drives me nuts. Ive osteoporosis and the items fall out of presses onto wrists. Books are the number one cause of stress. I struggle to carry them. Im very thin at times. Clothes are another. I also hate furniture. Most weigh more and that leads to stress All three gather dust i love writing but hope to get digital tablet later as the weight of the notebooks Im 102 pounds and its almost impossible to move. Also put me off food as I feel trapped.

@Jay-ec9po 5 жыл бұрын

In some cultures it's pretty much forbidden to throw away gifts lol some superstitious stuff I guess, my family always told me to gift the present to someone else instead of throwing stuff away but it's such a pain T.T

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

Haha yes I can imagine there would be great cultural differences with regards to dealing with presents! 😄🌼

@Jay-ec9po 5 жыл бұрын

@@SimpleHappyZen I always had so much clutter as a kid haha Now I can't even imagine that, too much stuff makes me feel nervous :D

@SimpleHappyZen 5 жыл бұрын

@@Jay-ec9po me too!! 😁 I was quite messy...