How to Get Rid of Unwanted Gifts

By now, all of the wrapping paper and boxes have been thrown away. Everyone is milling over what they received from loved ones and friends. Some gifts were desired, while others weren't. I hope that you were gracious with the unwanted gifts, but what are you supposed to do with them after the holidays? That all depends on whether the gift was from family, far away relatives, friends or acquaintances. Here are a few suggestions, depending on the gift giver.

1) If your parent gave you an unwanted or un-needed gift, and they live near you, your basically up a tree. I have gotten rid of things that my mother gave me that I didn't want, like a purple pocketbook or floor length skirt in bright orange. As soon as I get rid of them I receive a phone call inquiring if I am going to wear the orange skirt to her house this weekend. Try getting out of that one. I always say something like, " I don't know where it is, but hopefully I'll find it again." I honestly don't know where it is. And maybe I will find it again. Now I keep everything so I can at least wear it once, so my Mother will be happy.

2) Grandparents that live far away.My daughter's other grandmother bought her some lovely pink, fuchsia, and bright green blue jeans. For anyone with a teenager, you know that those aren't the colors they wear. They wear blue, black, and sometimes gravy. Being that grandma was far away, we no longer have them. But to be gracious, I made her wear a pair home to see Grandma one year. Hopefully she has forgotten about them, because I haven't heard anything about the famous green jeans in awhile.

3) A best friend. Hopefully your best friend knows you better than to give you a useless gift.But if they don't, it all depends on how much of a friend they are. If they are close, you are stuck with the gift. If they are an acquaintance, you can tell them you appreciate the gift. Chances are you might not see them for awhile.

4) Co - worker. A co - worker gave you a gift that you don't want. If they are you cubby buddy, you better wear it, use it or spray it. If not, you can pretty much get rid of it. Chances are they will never ask about that gift again. If they do, tell them you appreciate it and it is perfect for cold weather when you go on vacation, or some other excuse. Graciousness goes a long way.

So now that you have handled how to be gracious over unwanted gifts, how do you get rid of the ones you don't want? Be creative. Here are some suggestions.

1) Donate the gifts to the Salvation Army or other charity stores.

2) Have a garage sale and make money off of the gift.

3) If the tag is still attached, a lot of stores will let you make an exchange for another item, but they will not give you cash back.

4) Re gift. If the gift is still in the box, and is a nice gift, but one you won't use, you can re gift it to someone else. Just make sure the previous giver and the new recipient of the gift don't know each other or you'll have a lot of explaining to do.

Hopefully you didn't receive any silly or useless gifts this year. If you did, you now know whether or not you need to keep it and if you can get rid of it, how and where. If the gift is absolutely ridiculous or just plain terrible, the last option is to just throw it out!