But my gift challenges were to create or purchase gifts for other people. Most people in my life are not minimalists and that’s OK. And I have a lot of lovely people in my life who want to get me a gift in exchange. I know as a minimalist I can be hard to shop for. I don’t like a lot of stuff. And I’m very particular about what “stuff” I bring into my life. Here’s some gift ideas for the minimalists you know and love.
Experiences!
Many of the minimalist I know don’t like a lot of physical stuff surrounding them, but they do like going out and doing stuff. I know a lot of people don’t like giving gift certificates because they feel impersonal, but if you put thought into the gift certificate, they can be more meaningful than a physical gift. A restaurant or coffee gift certificate for your favorite foodie, a house cleaning service for the busy mom or a brewery tour for your brother, the beer snob, will be more appreciated than a knick-knack. Groupon is a great place to look for activities and deals in your neck of the woods.
Food!
I love a useful gift and I love a Trader Joe’s gift certificate. It takes some of the burden out of buying groceries. One year when I was a poor college student, my mom wrapped and gave me boxes of cereal and soup for Christmas. It was kind of funny to unwrap boxes of Kashi and cans of Campbell’s soup, but you better believe I used every bit of that gift!
Digital gifts!
The best thing about digital stuff is that it doesn’t take up physical space in my house. Think about a Spotify subscription for a music lover or an Audible subscription for the book worm. May I also suggest my ebook? (Ha!)
An upgrade that they would never buy themselves!
Maybe you’ve noticed that your lovable minimalist has an old, worn out water bottle or none of their flatware matches. Buying a nice replacement for an item they already own can be appreciated. (This is my all-time favorite water bottle. And this flatware is so pretty.) For this gift suggestion, I would try to stick to useful things. Most minimalists have little tolerance for things without a purpose.
Make a donation in their honor!
I truly have everything I need, but many people do not. Find out their favorite organization and make a donation in their honor. Here’s some tips for charitable holiday giving.
Ask them what they want!
What a crazy, novel idea! Maybe your minimalist will surprise you. Maybe they’ll want something. Maybe they need deodorant or long underwear! Maybe they want an experience. You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
Are you struggling to practice minimalism during the holidays? It’s OK, it happens. I wrote about it here.
What are your go-to gifts for the minimalist in your life?
Talk to me in the comments!
melanie
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Apparently I’m very difficult to shop for..my husband is often clueless. With him, I prefer to spend a romantic day somewhere in a city, and choose a gift there. Whenever my family members ask, I ask for food gifts and candles. Real luxuries in my opinion are the best almonds and really nice smelling candles.
I don’t know what all the fuss is about, everybody knows I like art magazines, scrap booking, 90’tv shows, and pink himalayan salt..we’ll see! I already have a looot of tea to regift, I only drink herbal tea, no flavorings added..need to find someone who likes flavoured teas. People need to stop giving me that.
Oooo. Those all sound like great gifts! I’ll take a fancy candle and Himalayan salt too!