If you’ve ever had trouble thinking of a gift for the people in your life, I have the perfect solution for you!
In a society where excess is so prevalent, one of the biggest gift-giving worries is knowing what to give the person who already has everything they want or already has enough.
It’s not just seasoned adults that fit into this category. While our parents might not want for anything, our children could also have plenty.
There are even lists of ideas for people who “already have everything,” full of wacky new gadgets or new items to add to ongoing collections.
But the truth is, most people don’t need more stuff.
For kids, stuff is exciting for a week or two (a month if you’re lucky), but then it starts to gather dust (on the shelf, if you’re lucky). Kids rooms and play areas become cluttered with the toys, games and clothes they are showered with.
While your house may not look like an episode of Hoarders (thankfully), you still probably have more stuff than you need.
What can you give that isn’t more “stuff”?
Give gifts of experience instead!
Gifts of experience are consumed, instead of turning into clutter, breaking, or gathering dust. The experiences and memories created from doing something can far outlast the pleasure of getting something.
They could be tried and true like a gift card to a favorite restaurant or a season pass to a local zoo the family loves.
Or they could be totally new like tickets to a cultural event or lessons to learn a new skill.
Gifts of experience can be adapted to whatever your budget is. I’ll start with some you can spend money on and then share some great ways that don’t cost a dime!
Spend money on gifts of experience instead of “stuff”
Here are some great ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
Tickets to a one-time event
Think sports events, plays, musicals, concerts, etc.
Last year, my in-laws received tickets to a symphony. That’s something that they both totally enjoy, but not something they would ever buy for themselves.
The hard part about this is that you usually have to pick a certain date for tickets when you have no idea what their schedule is. Usually you can get tickets far enough in advance that they can plan for it though.
Admission to fun places
Think zoos, museums, amusement parks, etc.
Instead of a ticket for a specific concert, you could also give a one-time admission to somewhere fun. Most fun places that are open year round allow you to buy admission tickets ahead of time that are good for anytime (or at least have a wide variety of options for redemption).
Lessons to learn something new
Have you ever thought of giving the gift of learning at Christmas? Whether it’s a one time pottery or painting class, a series of dance classes, or a year of piano lessons, the gift of learning is a gift that sticks.
You can often find deals on gifts of learning on Groupon or Living Social. My dad, an avid golfer, got my mom a series of golf lessons from a deal on Groupon. She was excited to learn and he was excited to have someone (that wasn’t him) teach her.
Last year my friend’s husband totally surprised her with a cello and lessons for Christmas so she could fulfill a lifelong dream to learn to play the cello.
Gift certificate for a restaurant
Whether it’s a restaurant in the area that is already a favorite, or something new they haven’t tried, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with food. Keep their personalities in mind. Some prefer dining in (and don’t mind covering a tip), while others would love getting takeout instead.
My parents can be tough to buy for. They surely don’t need any “stuff.” When they need something they just go and buy it. Last year we got them a gift certificate for a restaurant we thought they would enjoy.
Membership or Season passes to a fun or educational place
You can get a membership or season tickets at many zoos, aquariums, museums, science centers, and amusement parks. In fact, the price is often not much more than a one- or two-time admission. Depending on the location, the price may be individual or by family. When it’s a family pass or membership, sometimes the price is the same no matter the number of family members, making it a great gift for big families.
Unlike tickets to a specific event, a season pass can completely work around the person’s or family’s schedule. They can go as often as they want. In fact, it may really help the entertainment category of their budget to have something fun to do that’s already paid for. And the bonus is that they will think of you every time they use their passes.
Gifts of experience that don’t cost much
Giving an awesome gift of experience doesn’t have to cost much. Think back to the “coupons” or “vouchers” you made for your mom for mother’s day when you were young.
This coupon is good for one free hug.
Redeem this certificate for a free car wash.
Turn this ticket in for breakfast in bed.
Gifts of experience can be as simple and sweet as your mother’s day coupons from decades past. Think about a service that the recipient would really love and offer it to them as a gift. Think of how you can use your own talents and skills. Here are a few examples.
Massage
Homemade candlelight dinner for two
Manicure/pedicure
Car wash and detail
Guitar lessons
The list of services you could perform goes on and on. The key is that you are giving something that isn’t a physical item that takes up space. You are offering something that, while it may have a physical aspect (like pretty nails or a clean car), focuses on the experience or the process.
You could also give many of the experiences in the first list, only adapt them to be free. Here are a couple of examples:
Instead of giving a gift certificate for a restaurant, you could create a restaurant atmosphere and try your hand at some copycat recipe. Just search (on Google or Pinterest) for “copycat” plus the name of your favorite restaurant. You can also add in the dish to get even more specific results. I bet someone has done a hack on the recipe!
Instead of buying your grandchildren tickets for an event, host them for a “grandma camp” where you teach them something you’re good at (gardening, baking cookies, sewing, etc), share a yummy treat, play a favorite game and read a book. You could create “Grandma’s theater” and have a fun movie and popcorn. The best part is spending quality time with YOU!
If you have some people that you’re planning to give to this year, why not come up with a gift of experience instead of stuff? I bet it will be a hit!
I have a gift of experience up my sleeve for this Christmas, too! But I can’t tell you about it yet!
How about you?
- Have you ever given a gift of experience?
- What gifts of experience have you received?
Originally published 13 Dec 2016, but updated to be included in the Frugal Festivities series.
Next in the series:
Day 18: Fudgy Browie Mix in a Jar- A Fast and Easy Homemade Gift
One year for Christmas, instead of gifts, we took all 6 kids to my husband’s hometown (a moderately large city 2 hours from the metropolitan area where we live). We stayed with and visited with family (his brother and sister in law) and did all the touristy things the kids had wanted to do on previous trips. We went to a desert wildlife preserve, a cave I didn’t even know about, and several other fun experiences. No one talks about that as the year with no Christmas presents – it was the year we went to Tucson for Christmas! I got to spend extra time with my dear sister in law who has since died, so that makes the trip even more memorable for me.
Gifting ideas is good. Some gifts are for only experiencing pleasure or smile on face.
Experience gifts are my favorite to receive (and give). We typically request tourist activities at our next vacation. This year was a first in a long time we had a Christmas wish list full of stuff. Mostly practical items we had been putting off purchasing.
But oh my, our son on the other hand… toys have now taken over our house. It was his first Christmas and he is the only grandchild on my side of the family. To say he was spoiled, would be a understatement!
Not to mention his first birthday is next month! I have been brainstorming ideas to not add to the clutter! I think I’m going to request a family pass to the aquarium. 🙂
As a newbie parent, a (free to the giver) gift I would have loved to receive is free babysitting so my husband and I could enjoy a date night.
Love it! I think trying to crawl out of debt creates this mentality where we want to receive tangible gifts. Maybe it’s just me. In a situation where we don’t buy ourselves anything and everything we want, it is easy to ascribe value to “things,” even if it’s not something you really want or need in your life. But when I think about what I would really love this Christmas, “things” are not what come to mind. A house would be nice, and no student loans. But even if I had both of those, the biggest thing I could ask for is time with family to enjoy ourselves and make memories. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
I really like this idea. I started giving gifts of experience this year in my house as I am on a mission of living on less stuff.
This practice has certainly helped a lot and I agree with you most people have got a lot of stuff it’s no point giving them more stuff on top of the stuff they already have.
What I noticed with gifts of experience people tend to remember them for a long time and perhaps for the rest of their life than physical gifts.
Gifts of experience is certainly the way to go.
We have been receivers and givers of experience gifts. The first time we received a family pass to a local zoo, we were thrilled to find out it could be used for admission or discounts to other venues as well (other zoos, museums, nature centers). Definitely a great of value.
Such a timely post for our family! With a two year old, we are still deciding what our family traditions will be. I like the idea of experiences, and this year my husband and I decided to go to a wildlife park that’s a bit inconvenient.
I really love experience gifts from my husband because it’s easier for him to pick me a massage that I will love than jewelry 😉
This is a great list! This year our Christmas budget was next to nothing (since we are paying off $600k of debt). I’ve always believed that experiences are infinitely more valuable than things so we have been doing our best to focus on experiences (that are preferably cheap or free) this Christmas season!
Some of my very favorite gifts that i have received have been experiences (like taking a painting class with my husband- something we wouldn’t have spent money on but was new/different/fun!) 🙂
I loved your post! I actually asked my husband for tickets to an event (plus he needs to find a babysitter) this year. While getting out of debt we are living in a two bedroom Apartment (also HCOL here in Munich, Germany). I dont want more stuff. Stuff just equals work for me because I have to clean it. I hope my wish comes true.
I am trying to like this — but it doesn’t give me the good feels that watching someone’s delight in a regular gift does. Maybe because I already pay for the experiences throughout the year. I dunno’. I get that everyone has too much stuff, but I really like presents.
For my bonus granddaughter, who has two other sets of grandparents buying for her, I give consumable items — and I guess they are experiences: Clay to make items with, or paper airplanes, or such. So I’m trying..
I’m kind of with you, Ann. I couldn’t gift an experience without something to open under the tree. There’s a trend on a lot of blogs to give kids less. It’s made its way to the media too. The other week some guy was on TV saying that too many presents are overwhelming. My husband scoffed. “Because it’s such a tragedy for your children to be overwhelmed one day of the year!” Honestly I don’t care what other families do. We’re all adults and we can make our own choices. But sometimes it feels like there’s a lot of pressure to do less (witness the mother who was accused of child abuse for giving her kids each 80 presents.) There’s nothing wrong with spoiling your kids or grandkids one day a year. It’s only one day. It’s not going to ruin them. Some people, like my mother in law, show their love with presents. I would never tell her to cut back because that would hurt her feelings; for her it would be like rejecting her love. So I say, give what you want, give with a joyful heart and with love, and your kids will not be worse off just because it took them two hours to open presents on Christmas morning
A few years ago I gave my parents tickets to The Biltmore Estate. I put each one inside very cheap wine glasses to imply a relaxing adventure, then wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow. You could buy movie tickets, concert tickets, or anything really and put in in a box and wrap it. They still get something concrete to open that way.
I love this! Most of us have way too much stuff anyhow. And at least with an experience-type gift, you don’t end up having to clean/maintain/store yet another thing. Plus, with an experience you get to enjoy the memory forever, unlike things, which usually don’t last forever!
My parents usually give us money to spend for the kids’ Christmas. A couple of years ago I spent it on half a dozen experiences for the kids, and little corresponding presents under the tree – for instance, a promise to take them to the indoor play centre was represented by socks, a promise for ice cream was represented by a bag of sprinkles. The kids liked it, but it was awfully hard work!
Another idea for family that lives far away is the promise of a weekly letter. I gave this to my great-uncle shortly before he died, and leaned all sorts of fascinating stuff about his life in his replies. I still have some of those letters. He couldn’t write every week but would tell my parents how much he enjoyed hearing about my life as a newlywed in another country (one he’d visited in the war, and had fond memories of.)
We’re giving a few experience gifts this year and I’m so glad we are! It’s a great way to bond with my new inlaws and besides she’s impossible to buy for anyway 😉
I really love all of these ideas. This year we asked for experience gifts for our children. So far my kids have been gifted a cooking class at our local children’s museum and a Polar Express train ride for our entire family. We are all so excited!