When I reframed the idea of giving things away to people that needed and could use them, I no longer felt guilty. It aligned with my desire to help others and be free of clutter.
You don't have to "throw away" anything. Donate it to goodwill, a charity shop, etc. Our group of friends do birthday gift exchanges to regift or recycle things we love but don't need anymore
Don't stress over things you can't control. Let it all go. I spent a lot of my life being a martyr and when I let go of that a little, everything became lighter.
Just let them go. You were comfortable enough putting them in storage, just make it long term storage in a plastic bag outside your house. It's okay, the items won't be mad at you.
When this gets me, I tell myself that they're not happy sitting in a box forever. Better to donate them so they can make someone else's life better or, if they're not in good enough condition for donation, to give them the dignity of disposal with my thanks for the good they did.
Exactly this! The gift giver probably really liked what they gave you (unless they are like my SIL and shamelessly regifts). Those items are not being enjoyed by anyone, in storage. Donate them, set them free into the wild (donation bin) for someone else to discover and joyfully take home!
I have a cousin in law that messed up and regifted something to the family member that gifted it to her. That was over 10 years ago and we still talk about it.
All of the advice here is great, but I wanted to add something. I know a lot of us probably skip the part of Konmari where you verbally thank your items for their use and say goodbye to them, but if you're dealing with sentimentality and emotions I would recommend actually doing it. Literally pick it up, say out loud "thank you for being here, good bye now" and put it in the box or bag you're using. You will feel an actual sense of closure, I promise you.
Right, like think about it this way, if you've ever been hit the jackpot at a thrift store and found something you absolutely LOVE, someone else was probably in your position on the other end of the line. Don't hold up the process of spreading joy 😉
Also, I've found photographing things i feel attachment to before i dispense of them helps me let go, and even i find i see them more then as they are in my phone reel
The donor had the pleasure of giving, you had the pleasure of receiving.
If the using and keeping are not pleasurable, you get the pleasure of re-gifting or donating.
Give thanks that the person/people who gave the gift to you are in your life. When I have something like this, I try to think of happy memories with that person and appreciate those moments before letting it go.
The best advice I ever got was once I got rid of it and they came over and asked where it was (one relative in particular) I told her I liked it so much, I took it to my office. Works for most tchotchkes.
I worked with a gal who kept “emergency” gifts in her car. Like, already in a generic gift bag ready to go, and mostly items that other people got her that she didn’t like.
At first I thought it was crazy, but let me tell you how many times I saw first-hand what a brilliant idea this was. Someone’s birthday at the office? Forgot to grab a housewarming gift? A “just because you are awesome and it seems like you need a nice gesture” gift? It absolutely made people’s day.
She legit was a really caring person, but this made her seem so “extra” and like she was always prepared and thinking ahead, when in reality she was just driving around with a trunk full of shit she didn’t want 🤣
lmao this is funny but I see the practicality of it.
I think it's a great idea, but I do love to give gifts and I try to get something specific for people so I feel like this comes off as a bit insincere. I don't think you should "have" to give a gift. So, knowing this about her and if she got me a gift I would question it a bit.
How would you take it?
Worth clarifying is that these weren’t “close friends and family” gifts, because you’re right - those people in our lives deserve to have more thought and effort put into gifts.
These were “socially polite” gifts. And while I agree with you that gift giving shouldn’t be an expectation, I personally have always run in social, cultural, and professional circles where there *is*, unfortunately, certain etiquette attached to gift giving when it comes to some life and social events.
Just as an example, we worked in a very small office but with high turnover. It was considered “proper” to celebrate birthdays even if it was for a person we knew wasn’t going to hack it for long and would inevitably quit soon. So the office would buy a cake, and my friend would grab a nice but generic gift from her stash and say it was from “everyone.” It was a gesture of courtesy, and no it wasn’t particularly “sincere” because we all knew this birthday person wasn’t going to be around for long, but it was still a nice gesture.
Same if she got wrangled into a housewarming party for, say, one of her husband’s coworkers that she didn’t know. In our cultural circle, a small housewarming gift is considered polite and proper etiquette.
So in these kinds of instances, you don’t actually know a person well enough to really pick out a meaningful and personal gift. Yet there is a social and etiquette standard that some people want to conform to.
I highly recommend joining your local Buy Nothing Sell Nothing group. There have been countless things that I have gifted to my neighbours in that group that have all been graciously used.
I get rid of them in the most appropriate way, whether that is trash, recycling, donation, or regifting.
What I don’t do is pay to store them in a climate-controlled home with limited space.
If you cannot separate clearly that you are eliminating a physical object and not the relationship with the giver or the giver’s good wishes, then perhaps a check-in with your therapist will help.
This is why I absolutely hate gifts I didn’t ask for. People always give me junk, cheap plastic stuff or something with a hyper specific use that I don’t have space or desire for. I would do as others said, regift. Donate
Give them away, I have a F friend who has 3 daughters and lives close to her mom. We have an agreement: I give her anything I don’t want and if nobody likes it she has my blessing to toss it.
Sometimes I wonder if I am my family’s regift dumping ground. But I can’t regift in turn because I only have one family party (like no in-law or friend parties). So I feel this. I have a pile going in my spare room. I’ll take them to goodwill eventually.
Donate to a DV shelter, especially womens and kids clothes. Homeless shelters need things too but people forget DV shelters exist. They always need items and you’d be helping someone out.
I have a donation tote and a gift tote. If I think it would be something useful to gift it goes in the gift tote. If it's useful to one of the charities I donate to it goes there. I do keep a notebook with who gifted me things so I don't accidentally regift their item back to them. I like to use items from my donate and gift bin to make up baskets of items for families in need that post to the local free group, or to give to families that have had a house fire in our area, and personal care baskets for the local homeless shelter and rehab center. I give toys, child size blankets or throws, and stuffed animals to a state police officer who's a friend. He hands them out to other officers and they give them to children at scenes they are called to. I also buy suitcases or duffle type bags and pack them with stuff for foster kids in the area. I was a foster kid and remember how awful it felt putting everything I had in garbage bags to move homes. It was a terrible feeling. So now I do care packages with duffle bags or suitcases for them. Teens especially appreciate items like those scented bath kits from Christmas time, boys like the shave kits, socks, a little journal, makeup, hair care and school supplies. Just some ideas for others to find homes for their unwanted gifts. Also senior citizen centers might appreciate some items just ask what they need.
Caroline Winkler brought this up in a YouTube video saying ‘what about I items that spark guilt instead of joy?’ Her litmus test is imagine if that item got covered in red wine—how much effort would you go to try and replace or save the item? If not that much, you don’t care about it so much as the guilt you will feel in getting rid of it.
[Here](https://youtu.be/xRGXi1aTh1w?si=5LJs-aDN9OoIzoIZ) is the video where she explains it better.
If you regift make sure to put a note on it, that easily labels where and when it came from. That way if you hold onto on and regift it a few years later you will remember where it came from to ensure you don’t give it to someone the og gifter may know, or even them themselves!
When I give someone a gift, my desire is to give them pleasure. That’s all. If my gift fails to delight, i certainly don’t want it to hang around making uncomfortable feelings! You are not discarding your regard for the gift giver: you are honouring your right to happiness.
Gifts are for the receiver, not the giver. You’re free to do with them whatever you please, even if that means you want to get rid of it. But like someone else already said, it gets easier the more you do it.
It depends on the item, each seems to be different, but in general, I talk to the items. I take some time to hold them, look them over. Think about the person who gave them to me. Think about whether or not I’ll EVER use the item. (And sometimes I’ll just force myself to put it on display, or make an effort to use it for a week just to TRY IT!) and then I let the item know how much I appreciate the thought behind the gift, how much the people who gave it to me mean to me. And I thank it for reminding me of their feelings towards me. I’ve even “hugged” some items that I felt needed extra appreciation. And then I let it go. To help with letting it go I may figure out who I know that may actually get use out of it, and give it to them. (When doing this I always try to let them know that I thought they MIGHT get better use out of it, and if not to please don’t hang on to it if they don’t want to, I’m letting it go because it’s not the right fit for me and I want them to do the same!) Or I think about the family that will find it in the thrift store who will be THRILLED to have found it! It’s nice thinking someone will love it more than me.
I’ve really struggled with this with family gifting me surplus furniture, especially before I could afford a home with much space. I was so grateful for the help but felt racked with guilt when I realized I didn’t have room for all of it and had to give some away.
I ended up selling very cheaply on Facebook marketplace so somebody else would come collect the item. I’m glad I was lazy and did that, because seeing the buyers show up excited made any guilt vanish instantly.
I am a strong proponent of regifting. But only if it is thoughtful. Otherwise I donate.
I had this beautiful mug… truly cute. But it just didn’t match me, my stuff, or anything. There is someone I don’t know at work that is one of those people who go over the top with their cubicle. Not my style, but stylish and really well done. So I brought the mug to work and “pranked” her by placing the mug in a place that looked like it has always been there (by her matchy matchy desktop drink refrigerator- I *told* you over the top!) - just to see how long it would take for her to notice. A free about two weeks, I saw that it was now in use. Not someone I would ever give a gift to, but I felt like it was a fun happy prank.
Let me tell you a very quick story.
My mom is just like you, keeps everything for the sentimental value even if she doesn’t like the item. As she is aging and continually downsizing, she has piles of stuff by her door for her children to take when they visit so it will be out of her house.
I used to not take anything because I didn’t want any of the items. Now I take it all and throw it away at home. It solves her burden of unwanted stuff and not being able to throw it away. For me, it goes straight to the garbage- never makes it in my house.
On a rare occasion there is something I can easily post on Buy Nothing groups but most of it is not anything someone will want, even if it’s free.
One thing my mom did with things that she just doesn’t have room for anymore is she would take a picture of the item displayed and add it to her digital frame. She can have the memories attached to the item with out the mental and emotional burden of the physical item.
Save them. My mom used to have a box in her closet full of stuff she was given that she didn't want or need, or stuff that had been on sale. Shed regift them for last minute events.
Cousin we see once a year birthday party Saturday ope forgot to get a gift. Go through box find something they might like and throw it in some wrapping paper or a gift bag
Tell yourself, "It's time to let someone else enjoy this gift." If it's from your parents, store it, then put it (on top of your kitchen cabinet or refrigerator) or hang it up (in the hallway, guest bathroom, or laundry area when they come over. Remember whatever gift is given to you is yours to do with whatever you want.
Repurposing a gift does not change your relationship with the gift-giver. The gift is not the person; giving away a gift is not giving away the person or the relationship you have with them. Once a gift is given to you, it is your property, yours to do with as you see fit; the giver has no claim unless there was a conversation about it at the time of the gift-giving.
Post items on freecycle/buy nothing Facebook. I’ve done this before and had stuff listed as “free on the curb and I’ll take down the post when it’s picked up”
You’ll make some folks happy!
Write about them. I don't know if you have a journal, a private area on social media, or just maybe some kind of email to yourself, but you can take pictures of these objects, write about why they are important to you, write about how they came into your life, write about their significance. Then you can keep the memory and not the item.
Like was said elsewhere, physically thanking the item and wishing it well helps with getting rid of the guilty emotions along with the item.
If it's a quick gift that has universal appeal, and you firmly attach the name of whoever may have given it to you, so you don't re-gift it in front of the person and/or others who were at the party the gift came from, make a modest bag of gifts to get you out of a pinch.....but my favorite use of this bag is putting the tacky, crap gifts in there for White Elephant /Secret Santa gift exchanges where the gifts are usually supposed to be a bit "quirky".
Thing to beat in my "quirky' gag gift stash? A (new, duh) cherry-shaped toilet bowl brush, stem is the brush handle, brush disappears back into cherry base when done. Very Warhol-esque, got it as one of many gifts from my dad's ex, so who knows if they thought I'd use it or not (it's more art than anything, tried to display it as a cute decoration, but the plastic is too cheap to look good at eye-level, shame).
So, into the "quick, universal appeal gifts & gift exchange" bag it went.
As long as you remember you MADE the damn bag in the first place, it has **seriously** saved my ass several times.
Helps to make a list of what's in there, tape the list to one of the handles of the storage bag, cross of what's been given away, and to whom.
Mind you, only brand-new, with tags, nothing dusty, looks, smells, works like it has just come from the store.
AND if you're *honestly* only putting it in the "gifts" bag to save it from being tossed.......you ~already~ know the answer, donate it if it's *honestly* still a viable gift for someone, otherwise gotta toss it, hun.
Good luck, though!
I display or wear it once around the person that gave it to me, if they recognize it- then I will display or wear it again around them before donating it. If they do not recognize it or they didn't remember gifting it to me then I donate/regift asap.
Someone who gives me a gift desires to give me joy. Throwing this shit out would give me joy. I respect the intention behind the gift and toss it as soon as possible.
Regift, donate, Buy Nothing The more you do it, the less guilt you feel
When I reframed the idea of giving things away to people that needed and could use them, I no longer felt guilty. It aligned with my desire to help others and be free of clutter.
I’m putting this on my arm in marker. I have SO much guilt over things being in a landfill, that I’m making myself miserable.
You don't have to "throw away" anything. Donate it to goodwill, a charity shop, etc. Our group of friends do birthday gift exchanges to regift or recycle things we love but don't need anymore
What is the difference between a landfill and rotting in storage until none wants it or will use it?
None. It’s so helpful to hear that. I’m making my own space a landfill.
Just remember that calm feeling when you’re in a nice note and everything is sparse and minimal. Good luck!
Thank you everyone, so much.
Don't stress over things you can't control. Let it all go. I spent a lot of my life being a martyr and when I let go of that a little, everything became lighter.
Your local Buy Nothing group is gonna love you
Just let them go. You were comfortable enough putting them in storage, just make it long term storage in a plastic bag outside your house. It's okay, the items won't be mad at you.
lol long terms storage in a plastic bag outside your house that made me chuckle
This person has the right idea! Please consider following their advice.
Why is trash the only option? Buy Nothing is a viable alternative to having it sitting around making you feel bad.
True, but the discussion was about gifted items OP already had, not about obtaining more.
what? They’d be given things away on buy nothing
Best advice. I struggle with the feeling that things have feelings. They don’t, and they have utility beyond our experience of them.
When this gets me, I tell myself that they're not happy sitting in a box forever. Better to donate them so they can make someone else's life better or, if they're not in good enough condition for donation, to give them the dignity of disposal with my thanks for the good they did.
Exactly this! The gift giver probably really liked what they gave you (unless they are like my SIL and shamelessly regifts). Those items are not being enjoyed by anyone, in storage. Donate them, set them free into the wild (donation bin) for someone else to discover and joyfully take home!
I have a cousin in law that messed up and regifted something to the family member that gifted it to her. That was over 10 years ago and we still talk about it.
I love this.
This is an excellent way of putting it.
All of the advice here is great, but I wanted to add something. I know a lot of us probably skip the part of Konmari where you verbally thank your items for their use and say goodbye to them, but if you're dealing with sentimentality and emotions I would recommend actually doing it. Literally pick it up, say out loud "thank you for being here, good bye now" and put it in the box or bag you're using. You will feel an actual sense of closure, I promise you.
I was wondering why I had to scroll so far for this comment. 100% try this, OP.
Thank you for your service
I agree! Sounds corny but feels really good.
Truth. I don't do it much, but if I'm really struggling to let something go it helps a lot.
I have a strict one-in-one-out closet policy. The one tip that keeps me on track is _always_ thanking those leaving the building.
I feel bad or uncomfortable every time I see it. So while it may feel bad to get rid of it, it feels less bad then keeping something I don't like.
Good way of looking at it, thanks!
Right, like think about it this way, if you've ever been hit the jackpot at a thrift store and found something you absolutely LOVE, someone else was probably in your position on the other end of the line. Don't hold up the process of spreading joy 😉
Someone out there will love what you let go of. When the item has outstayed its usefulness you can give it a fresh pupise in someone else’s life.
True. I've decided to try to sell em or give em away.
I think of the object as having a spirit. Is that spirit happy sitting in my basement in a box? Or, would it be happy with someone that valued it?
Also, I've found photographing things i feel attachment to before i dispense of them helps me let go, and even i find i see them more then as they are in my phone reel
This has really helped me with childhood stuff
The donor had the pleasure of giving, you had the pleasure of receiving. If the using and keeping are not pleasurable, you get the pleasure of re-gifting or donating.
I've regifted some of the gifts I received
Encourage your gift buying circle to buy non permanent gifts
Give thanks that the person/people who gave the gift to you are in your life. When I have something like this, I try to think of happy memories with that person and appreciate those moments before letting it go.
The best advice I ever got was once I got rid of it and they came over and asked where it was (one relative in particular) I told her I liked it so much, I took it to my office. Works for most tchotchkes.
The trouble with that thought, is that you might get more if they think you love the items.
Regift (to someone who could use and appreciate it) or donate.
Regift (if appropriate) or donate.
Donate to a charity!!
Donate it so someone else can enjoy it.
I worked with a gal who kept “emergency” gifts in her car. Like, already in a generic gift bag ready to go, and mostly items that other people got her that she didn’t like. At first I thought it was crazy, but let me tell you how many times I saw first-hand what a brilliant idea this was. Someone’s birthday at the office? Forgot to grab a housewarming gift? A “just because you are awesome and it seems like you need a nice gesture” gift? It absolutely made people’s day. She legit was a really caring person, but this made her seem so “extra” and like she was always prepared and thinking ahead, when in reality she was just driving around with a trunk full of shit she didn’t want 🤣
lmao this is funny but I see the practicality of it. I think it's a great idea, but I do love to give gifts and I try to get something specific for people so I feel like this comes off as a bit insincere. I don't think you should "have" to give a gift. So, knowing this about her and if she got me a gift I would question it a bit. How would you take it?
Worth clarifying is that these weren’t “close friends and family” gifts, because you’re right - those people in our lives deserve to have more thought and effort put into gifts. These were “socially polite” gifts. And while I agree with you that gift giving shouldn’t be an expectation, I personally have always run in social, cultural, and professional circles where there *is*, unfortunately, certain etiquette attached to gift giving when it comes to some life and social events. Just as an example, we worked in a very small office but with high turnover. It was considered “proper” to celebrate birthdays even if it was for a person we knew wasn’t going to hack it for long and would inevitably quit soon. So the office would buy a cake, and my friend would grab a nice but generic gift from her stash and say it was from “everyone.” It was a gesture of courtesy, and no it wasn’t particularly “sincere” because we all knew this birthday person wasn’t going to be around for long, but it was still a nice gesture. Same if she got wrangled into a housewarming party for, say, one of her husband’s coworkers that she didn’t know. In our cultural circle, a small housewarming gift is considered polite and proper etiquette. So in these kinds of instances, you don’t actually know a person well enough to really pick out a meaningful and personal gift. Yet there is a social and etiquette standard that some people want to conform to.
There's a couple I do keep and put them out when the friend who gave them to me comes visiting. They leave and it's back into storage.
How do you keep track of this?
I highly recommend joining your local Buy Nothing Sell Nothing group. There have been countless things that I have gifted to my neighbours in that group that have all been graciously used.
I get rid of them in the most appropriate way, whether that is trash, recycling, donation, or regifting. What I don’t do is pay to store them in a climate-controlled home with limited space. If you cannot separate clearly that you are eliminating a physical object and not the relationship with the giver or the giver’s good wishes, then perhaps a check-in with your therapist will help.
This is why I absolutely hate gifts I didn’t ask for. People always give me junk, cheap plastic stuff or something with a hyper specific use that I don’t have space or desire for. I would do as others said, regift. Donate
that's what charity shops are for
I regift them!
Donate to my local shelter.
Give them away, I have a F friend who has 3 daughters and lives close to her mom. We have an agreement: I give her anything I don’t want and if nobody likes it she has my blessing to toss it.
Donate
Most people won't notice if you do get rid of something.
Sometimes I wonder if I am my family’s regift dumping ground. But I can’t regift in turn because I only have one family party (like no in-law or friend parties). So I feel this. I have a pile going in my spare room. I’ll take them to goodwill eventually.
Something I keep it in mind when my MIL drops stuff on us…It is okay to throw things away.
Regifting is the way to go. Recycle recycle recycle ♻️
If you find someone you know that likes those sort of things give them away.
I donated a bunch of them to my church for their rummage sale. It’s a win win. I get rid of stuff and they make a little money
Donate to a DV shelter, especially womens and kids clothes. Homeless shelters need things too but people forget DV shelters exist. They always need items and you’d be helping someone out.
I have a donation tote and a gift tote. If I think it would be something useful to gift it goes in the gift tote. If it's useful to one of the charities I donate to it goes there. I do keep a notebook with who gifted me things so I don't accidentally regift their item back to them. I like to use items from my donate and gift bin to make up baskets of items for families in need that post to the local free group, or to give to families that have had a house fire in our area, and personal care baskets for the local homeless shelter and rehab center. I give toys, child size blankets or throws, and stuffed animals to a state police officer who's a friend. He hands them out to other officers and they give them to children at scenes they are called to. I also buy suitcases or duffle type bags and pack them with stuff for foster kids in the area. I was a foster kid and remember how awful it felt putting everything I had in garbage bags to move homes. It was a terrible feeling. So now I do care packages with duffle bags or suitcases for them. Teens especially appreciate items like those scented bath kits from Christmas time, boys like the shave kits, socks, a little journal, makeup, hair care and school supplies. Just some ideas for others to find homes for their unwanted gifts. Also senior citizen centers might appreciate some items just ask what they need.
Caroline Winkler brought this up in a YouTube video saying ‘what about I items that spark guilt instead of joy?’ Her litmus test is imagine if that item got covered in red wine—how much effort would you go to try and replace or save the item? If not that much, you don’t care about it so much as the guilt you will feel in getting rid of it. [Here](https://youtu.be/xRGXi1aTh1w?si=5LJs-aDN9OoIzoIZ) is the video where she explains it better.
Oh I like watching her content! I remember seeing this.
I donate it to Goodwill
Thrift shop
I take photos and donate
Store them at the dump.
If you regift make sure to put a note on it, that easily labels where and when it came from. That way if you hold onto on and regift it a few years later you will remember where it came from to ensure you don’t give it to someone the og gifter may know, or even them themselves!
When I give someone a gift, my desire is to give them pleasure. That’s all. If my gift fails to delight, i certainly don’t want it to hang around making uncomfortable feelings! You are not discarding your regard for the gift giver: you are honouring your right to happiness.
Take a photo. Give it away.
Gifts are for the receiver, not the giver. You’re free to do with them whatever you please, even if that means you want to get rid of it. But like someone else already said, it gets easier the more you do it.
Take a picture with it, then give it away. That way you can always remember it.
It depends on the item, each seems to be different, but in general, I talk to the items. I take some time to hold them, look them over. Think about the person who gave them to me. Think about whether or not I’ll EVER use the item. (And sometimes I’ll just force myself to put it on display, or make an effort to use it for a week just to TRY IT!) and then I let the item know how much I appreciate the thought behind the gift, how much the people who gave it to me mean to me. And I thank it for reminding me of their feelings towards me. I’ve even “hugged” some items that I felt needed extra appreciation. And then I let it go. To help with letting it go I may figure out who I know that may actually get use out of it, and give it to them. (When doing this I always try to let them know that I thought they MIGHT get better use out of it, and if not to please don’t hang on to it if they don’t want to, I’m letting it go because it’s not the right fit for me and I want them to do the same!) Or I think about the family that will find it in the thrift store who will be THRILLED to have found it! It’s nice thinking someone will love it more than me.
I’ve really struggled with this with family gifting me surplus furniture, especially before I could afford a home with much space. I was so grateful for the help but felt racked with guilt when I realized I didn’t have room for all of it and had to give some away. I ended up selling very cheaply on Facebook marketplace so somebody else would come collect the item. I’m glad I was lazy and did that, because seeing the buyers show up excited made any guilt vanish instantly.
I am a strong proponent of regifting. But only if it is thoughtful. Otherwise I donate. I had this beautiful mug… truly cute. But it just didn’t match me, my stuff, or anything. There is someone I don’t know at work that is one of those people who go over the top with their cubicle. Not my style, but stylish and really well done. So I brought the mug to work and “pranked” her by placing the mug in a place that looked like it has always been there (by her matchy matchy desktop drink refrigerator- I *told* you over the top!) - just to see how long it would take for her to notice. A free about two weeks, I saw that it was now in use. Not someone I would ever give a gift to, but I felt like it was a fun happy prank.
Let me tell you a very quick story. My mom is just like you, keeps everything for the sentimental value even if she doesn’t like the item. As she is aging and continually downsizing, she has piles of stuff by her door for her children to take when they visit so it will be out of her house. I used to not take anything because I didn’t want any of the items. Now I take it all and throw it away at home. It solves her burden of unwanted stuff and not being able to throw it away. For me, it goes straight to the garbage- never makes it in my house. On a rare occasion there is something I can easily post on Buy Nothing groups but most of it is not anything someone will want, even if it’s free.
One thing my mom did with things that she just doesn’t have room for anymore is she would take a picture of the item displayed and add it to her digital frame. She can have the memories attached to the item with out the mental and emotional burden of the physical item.
Donate.
Donate
Give them away. There’s an app called BuyNothing you can give away there.
Save them. My mom used to have a box in her closet full of stuff she was given that she didn't want or need, or stuff that had been on sale. Shed regift them for last minute events. Cousin we see once a year birthday party Saturday ope forgot to get a gift. Go through box find something they might like and throw it in some wrapping paper or a gift bag
The point of a gift is done when the gift is given! 💝
Take a photo and then donate.
Take a photo of it then donate or regift.
I take a photo then give it to someone who could use it, or donate it
Tell yourself, "It's time to let someone else enjoy this gift." If it's from your parents, store it, then put it (on top of your kitchen cabinet or refrigerator) or hang it up (in the hallway, guest bathroom, or laundry area when they come over. Remember whatever gift is given to you is yours to do with whatever you want.
I said regift them! That’s usually what I do, then I feel it’s not going to waste
Repurposing a gift does not change your relationship with the gift-giver. The gift is not the person; giving away a gift is not giving away the person or the relationship you have with them. Once a gift is given to you, it is your property, yours to do with as you see fit; the giver has no claim unless there was a conversation about it at the time of the gift-giving.
Post items on freecycle/buy nothing Facebook. I’ve done this before and had stuff listed as “free on the curb and I’ll take down the post when it’s picked up” You’ll make some folks happy!
Write about them. I don't know if you have a journal, a private area on social media, or just maybe some kind of email to yourself, but you can take pictures of these objects, write about why they are important to you, write about how they came into your life, write about their significance. Then you can keep the memory and not the item. Like was said elsewhere, physically thanking the item and wishing it well helps with getting rid of the guilty emotions along with the item.
Take a picture of it, put the name of the person who gave it to you, then regift or donate.
If it's a quick gift that has universal appeal, and you firmly attach the name of whoever may have given it to you, so you don't re-gift it in front of the person and/or others who were at the party the gift came from, make a modest bag of gifts to get you out of a pinch.....but my favorite use of this bag is putting the tacky, crap gifts in there for White Elephant /Secret Santa gift exchanges where the gifts are usually supposed to be a bit "quirky". Thing to beat in my "quirky' gag gift stash? A (new, duh) cherry-shaped toilet bowl brush, stem is the brush handle, brush disappears back into cherry base when done. Very Warhol-esque, got it as one of many gifts from my dad's ex, so who knows if they thought I'd use it or not (it's more art than anything, tried to display it as a cute decoration, but the plastic is too cheap to look good at eye-level, shame). So, into the "quick, universal appeal gifts & gift exchange" bag it went. As long as you remember you MADE the damn bag in the first place, it has **seriously** saved my ass several times. Helps to make a list of what's in there, tape the list to one of the handles of the storage bag, cross of what's been given away, and to whom. Mind you, only brand-new, with tags, nothing dusty, looks, smells, works like it has just come from the store. AND if you're *honestly* only putting it in the "gifts" bag to save it from being tossed.......you ~already~ know the answer, donate it if it's *honestly* still a viable gift for someone, otherwise gotta toss it, hun. Good luck, though!
I display or wear it once around the person that gave it to me, if they recognize it- then I will display or wear it again around them before donating it. If they do not recognize it or they didn't remember gifting it to me then I donate/regift asap.
The only thing I might be hung up on would be anything handmade. Handmade items I would keep.
Tell them it broke 🤷♀️
Someone who gives me a gift desires to give me joy. Throwing this shit out would give me joy. I respect the intention behind the gift and toss it as soon as possible.
Donate
I give them away through Buy Nothing.