Tag Archives: experiences vs. possessions

Gifts for the Grands

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Personal, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , , , ,

It’s that time of year when many of us begin shopping for Christmas gifts for friends and family. But it’s not as simple as it used to be. Not everyone wants a physical gift anymore.

This is particularly true of some of my adult kids. I’m sure their children like opening gifts, but they don’t want more clutter in their homes. One of them suggested that I buy experiences instead of physical gifts for my grandchildren.

Of course, my mind immediately went back to when I was a child, and how much I loved finding my gifts under the Christmas tree. And it also brought back memories of how much my children enjoyed opening their many gifts each year on Christmas morning.

But my kids were at home all day and had plenty of time to play with all of their toys. Some of my grandchildren spend long days in daycare or school and afterschool care, and come home in time to have dinner and go to bed again. They have plenty of toys and no time to play with them.

The days of a child having only one or two treasured toys are long gone. Kids today have more toys than they know what to do with; sometimes they’re so busy playing games and watching movies on their parents’ phones that they don’t even think about their toys.

This is hard for me to accept but I think it’s a fact: it would be wiser for me to give them experiences instead of stuff. Their parents would prefer it, and they might actually get some enjoyment out of museum passes, zoo passes, show tickets or something similar. Their folks don’t have a money tree, so providing a gift like this for the kids is also a gift for their parents. They can enjoy a fun outing with their children without having to pay for it.

So I’ve begun to research this concept. If you have grandchildren or young nieces and nephews or all of the above, you might also want to think about doing this. Here are some examples to get you started:

Play passes

Movie passes

Museum passes (some offer the bonus benefit of getting into other museums for discounted or free admission)

Zoo and aquarium passes

Farm visits

YMCA or gym memberships

Kid-friendly restaurant gift certificates

Using a Windfall Wisely

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Personal, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , ,

What can you do with a windfall of cash that won’t fill your house back up with clutter? (Or more clutter, if you haven’t gone through all of your belongings in years.)

First off is the prudent choice: invest it, in the stock market, or in a CD (I just got one with a 3% interest rate). Someday you may need that cash and you’ll be glad you set it aside.

If you really want to have fun with the money now, however, you won’t want to put it away for a rainy day. But if you spend it on big-ticket items, you’ll just add to the clutter in your house. What to do? Why not spend it on experiences?

You can use it to travel, to go to concerts and shows, or to go on vacation. Make memories with it; take people you love with you (your treat) and make even more memories with it.

Perhaps you aren’t able to travel or go too many places right now. Why not share some of your windfall with a favorite child in your life, to pay for music lessons or summer camp? What about sending a larger-than-usual donation to your favorite charity?

If none of those ideas thrills you, and you really want a new fridge, or a new sofa, or some other “thing,” go for it. There’s nothing wrong with that. BUT, don’t keep the old one. I know it’s tempting to keep that old fridge in the garage in case you have a party and need extra fridge space for pop and beer. It’s only a little challenging to lug that old sofa down to the basement in case you need extra seating down there (and if you do, you’re never going to bring it back up—things get heavier when you lug them upstairs). But once you start keeping things you don’t really need, you’re back on the road to an overstuffed house.

Instead, give your still-usable “old” item to a local charity; Habitat for Humanity’s Re-stores are great places to donate appliances that are still useful, and some also take furniture. You can also put your item out in front of your house with a very reasonable price taped to it. Post it on Craig’s List on a day when you’re going to be home. Whatever you do with it, don’t let that “old” item stay in the house, or you will begin a bad habit: allowing clutter to re-establish itself in your home.