It’s Better To Give Than To Receive

Yesterday’s post talked about creating a daydream file to save items you want rather than impulsively buying them. I think it’s fairly obvious that the list you create could become a pretty handy wishlist if the occasion ever came up…So what about using it to give?

I’m probably more apt to compulsively buy something if it makes me think of someone else. “Oh, my [sister | mom | bff | boyfried | brother | dad | friend] would LOVE that!” is a phrase that commonly precedes me immediately clicking “add to cart.” But then a birthday finally comes around and now I have all this stuff to give them and maybe the inside joke that prompted it is so old by now it makes no sense anyways…well you get the picture. I had a cluttered closet with gifts that never even saw a gift bag.

Using the same concept as a daydream file, I created a digital presents file. If you use the Amazon wishlist feature, you can easily create additional lists for people you shop for often. In Evernote you can create a gift notebook and tag each gift with names of friends and family. (Make sure to set them to private!) 

This way I still get the joy of finding something that fits someone’s style oh-so-perfectly, without overburdening my closet or my credit card. When a gift opportunity comes around, I go through the file and pick out the best option. The ones that don’t make it? You can always send the person a link to the product (even if it’s just a random Tuesday) with a little note saying “this made me think of you! hope you’re having a great day!” on Facebook or email or wherever, because as you know, it’s the thought that counts.

*Photo credit: Muffet (Flickr)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Five Best Wishlist Tools [Hive Five] (lifehacker.com)
• The Evernote Community Wish List Project (evernote.com)

This tip is from Katie Van Domelen

Katie created the {un}chaotic out of a love of all things organized and tidy. She's lived at home, in the dorms, with roommates and is finally all on her own. Her posts share everything she's learned along the way.

Katie has written 33 tips.