Gifts and Re-gifting: How to Put a Gift You Don't Want to Good Use

Have you ever received a gift that you did not really want or need? Instead of being disappointed with your gift, thank the person who gave it to you and find another way to put the gift to good use.

One of my very favorite ways to use an unwanted gift is to re-gift it. There is nothing wrong with re-gifting an item that you do not want or cannot use. Just be careful that you do not accidentally give the item back to the person who originally gave it to you. If you think that you may forget who sent you the item, place a piece of masking tape on the bottom of the gift and write on it the date, occasion, and the name of the person who gave it to you.

Re-gifting is an excellent poor skill because it allows you to give a gift when you normally may not be able to afford to give a nice present. If, for example, you receive a nice item that you have little use for, you can re-gift it to someone who will really appreciate it and you will have given them a nice gift without having to spend any money on it at all.

If the item came with a receipt or if it still has the tag on it, you can return it to the store. Almost all stores will give you cash for items with a receipt. If you do not have a receipt, you can still exchange the item for store credit. Many stores will put this credit onto a gift card. You can give this card as a gift or use the store credit to get yourself something you really need or want. If you give the card away as a gift, you may need to put a few more dollars and change on it in order to make it a nice round number.

When in doubt, most items can be returned to Wal-Mart. I often return gifts to Wal-Mart when I have no receipt and do not know where they have come from. You can check their website to see if they carry the item or you can call the store to see if they have it. If you take the gift to Wal-Mart's return center, they will scan the item and let you know if they do or do not carry it.

I have found that Wal-Mart is also the best place for returns because they process the return quickly and never ask any questions. They will not give you cash without a receipt, but they will give you store credit which you can use to buy what you really wanted or food or a gift for someone else.