Lessons from buying nothing new

To be honest, that has probably been my biggest challenge this year.  My six-year-old daughter gets invited to birthday parties and I really love finding great gifts for people. But my only exceptions are safety and hygiene items (I’m not into used toothpaste or underwear). So that means friends, family—even my kid—have all received used gifts this year.
As we approach the season of gift giving to the point of the ridiculous, I thought I’d share some of the lessons I’ve learned about giving people I love used stuff.
Get over it. I used to think it was tacky to re-gift or give something from a garage sale or a second-hand store. But this year I had no choice. I had to get over my preconceived notions that gifts had to have tags, a gift receipt and original packaging.
Think “vintage” rather than “used”. For some reason, I considered a used item in an antique store more valuable than a used item at a garage sale. But where did I think that shop owner got his or her antiques? So, I scan garage sales and Value Village for gifts all the time.  I see them as cool, vintage finds rather than used junk. And my family and friends have benefitted. I can afford to give them much better gifts. During a jewellery estate sale, I bought my daughter incredibly sparkly costume pieces that she can doll herself up in. If I had found those at an antique store, I would have paid at least 10 times the price.

Plan ahead. I am constantly looking for gifts. I have found great cookbooks, children’s books, toys and pottery pieces. I usually buy them with a specific person in mind. But I might find it in July and the person’s birthday isn’t until November. So I squirrel them away in a box in my closet until the time is right. (The key is to remember that I have something for that person and not buy multiple gifts that will take years to get out of my closet!)
Be creative. I have been caught short…my daughter has a birthday party or a friend has a baby and I don’t have anything appropriate in the gift box. For babies, I’ve taken “vintage” children’s books from the 50s, torn out a beautiful illustration and put it in a frame that I found at Value Village. For kids, I’ve given them “experience” gifts, like a gift certificate to the local movie theatre. Being creative usually requires more thought (and time!), but it definitely makes gift giving more fun.