If you had asked me a couple of years ago, what I used to do for present buying I would have said, wondering around town from shop to shop waiting for inspiration to jump from the shelves and hit me in the face. Well, the thing is that if you try to find a gift this way, you’ll end up tired and empty handed. Chances are that even if the perfect gift is right in front of you, surrounded by banners and lights, you still won’t recognize it.
It took me ages to realise that there are simple steps that need to be followed in order to find the ideal gift.Being the smartass that I claim to be, let me enlighten you with my knowledge and give you some tips on finding the perfect gift for your loved ones:
- Set a budget and stick to it.
Setting a budget is important. Be honest with yourself about the amount of money you can afford to spend on a present, because it wouldn’t be fair for you if you had to spend the rest of the month with zero money just to buy someone a gift – even if this someone is a very important person to you. If you ask me, the perfect gift is never the most expensive one, but always the most thoughtful one! Having said this, I assure you that you don’t need to sell your kidney in order to make your best friend cry from delight! You just need thought, love and effort!
- Make a list of all the things the person is interested in and things that define who they are.
You have to keep in mind that it’s not about what you like, it’s about them! Get a pen and paper and write down all the things the person is interested in and things that define who they are. Your list could get a little bigger than you expected but you don’t need to buy a gift for every bullet point you wrote down! It’s the perfect way to hit on some cool ideas you wouldn’t have otherwise, and you’ll be able to combine a few of them!
- Now that you know what they like, include a little bit of yourself.
Now that you have a list with all the things they love, it’s time to make some effort. It’s important to make the gift a bit more personal and include a little bit of yourself and your creativity in your gift.
Let me give you some examples of what you could do:
- For a makeup addict and organizing freak: If you have the money, buy them a professional make up kit or a professional makeup bag with dividers! However, if your budget is low, buy them makeup bags and personalize them by printing their name, or even some quotes on them. If you have some extra money you’d like to spend, you could fill the makeup bags with cosmetics! They’d love it!!
- For a traveler and memory collector: If your budget is high you could buy them a plane ticket to a place they’ve always wanted to go to, or a go-pro camera for their trips. Otherwise, go to their social media accounts, find the best pictures they have from their trips, print them out, (preferably in Polaroid format using an online app – there are plenty and they cost just a few cents) buy them a map, some pins and pin these photos on every country they’ve been to! You could frame the map and let them hang it on their wall! How cool is that?!
- For a person who loves playing cards: Get a pack of cards and write a reason you love this person on every card. You could stick some photos on the cards to make the gift even more personal and even more thoughtful. When you finish, take the cards to a bookshop and ask them to bind them!
- For a new mum who has zero time for herself: If you have the money, just book the poor girl a massage at a spa, miles away from diapers and crying babies. Otherwise, buy a box and make a DIY survival kit for her! Buy some essential oils, bath salts and lotions and put them in small fabric bags – you could even print some quotes on the fabric bags, or search for customized ones on Amazon. Finally, make your gift box perfect by adding two wine glasses and a wine that you could drink together!
- Write a card.
Your gift is never complete without a card – let alone perfect! Even if you’re not a big fan of writing your heart out on cards, a casual, short message will make the difference. It could be a simple “I love you”, but it will still do the job!
Finding the perfect gift might sound as an extremely difficult task but I hope that I helped you learn a thing or two about what makes a great gift.
All you need to have in mind is that effort is key!
xoxo,
Andrea
