If you’re at a loss for what to get that someone for their impending celebration, we’ve got everything you need for you to know how to pick the perfect gift.
We get it, fellow Millennials. There are probably a number of people in your life and every single one of them has a birthday every year. You have a best friend who just got engaged. A co-worker who is expecting. Mother’s Day is creeping up again. It seems like every day you have to buy someone something to congratulate them for something. It’s the world we live in today and it probably isn’t going anywhere. There actually may be a bit of science on how to pick the perfect gift. Read on, dear reader, so you now longer have to worry about disappointing your loved on (or liked one) (or acquaintance that you feel obligated to buy for because you got invited to their party). But, here’s how to handle receiving a gift you don’t like, just in case you need it 😉
1. What Is Your Budget?
This is extremely important, which is why I’ve listed it as the first step. If your budget is $10, that’s a lot different a gift then searching for something that’s $250. Figure out what you can comfortably afford and what you are willing to spend on this person for this occasion. It doesn’t matter how close you are to the person or how big the occasion is, you can’t spend outside of your means. The last thing you want to do is go into debt over a gift. Then how would you afford all of the other gifts you have to buy this year?
2. Really Think About Them
The next thing you want to do when contemplating how to pick the perfect gift is to really think about who you’re buying the gift for. What kinds of things do they like? What do they do for fun? What do they need? Do they love dogs? Do they love Egyptian Pomeranians? Have they been wanting those Apple AirPods but didn’t want to spend the money on them? Do they love books? Movies? What is it that they love to do and how do they spend their time?
3. Write Down 10 Things
After thinking about the recipient of the gift, write down 10 things that they like from your brainstorm session. You could even break up the 10 things into categories such as: Likes To Do, Wants To Do, Enjoys, Needs. This gives you a lot of different options for your gift buying.
Likes To Do would be things the person likes to do away from their home. Wants To Do would be things the person has expressed interest in wanting to do. Loves would be things the person loves doing, that they’re able to do in their home. Needs would be what the person actually needs.
Your list might look something like this:
4. Get To Searching
Now that you’ve written down a list of 10 things that the person wants or needs, you can get to searching. Is there something on that list that you could make happen? Search on Groupon for an experience they’d like. They are typically deeply discounted. If they love fishing, make a little basket with some common fishing items that they could use. If the person loves reading, how about getting them a book they don’t have? If you’re unsure of what they have or don’t have, get them an Amazon or Apple iBooks gift card so they can pick what they do want. To make it more personal, dress up the gift card with a little note explaining why you gave the gift card.
“I know how much you love to read, so enjoy a book on me!”
This makes the gift personal while still giving them the option to choose what they want.
5. Get The Perfect Gift
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few items, decide which one you think is best for them and pull the trigger! This doesn’t necessarily have to be buying a gift either. In your brainstorming session, you could easily find things that you could make for them. I’m sure they’d also enjoy your company, so you could plan a whole day of inexpensive things to do that they might enjoy. The ideas are endless.
No matter what you decide, you absolutely need to make sure the package is personalized. This means if you’re giving them time, tell them with a gift certificate you print out from your computer. If you’re giving them a gift card, write a note to tell them why you thought of them for it. Make them feel special and appreciated.
When you think about how to pick the perfect gift, you must always start with the recipient. The goal is to acknowledge their celebration in your own way. At the end of the day, if you’ve put thought into it no matter what you decide, you are already giving the perfect gift: the gift of you.
Do you have any tips on how to pick the perfect gift? Tell us in the comments and you could be featured in a future article!
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