How many times have you gotten something as a gift that had little meaning or value to you? Many of my clients struggle with what to do with some of the gifts they get from friends & family. They get gifts that don’t fit their needs, interests or lifestyles.  When this happens, value is lost between the money the giver spends and the value the receiver gets. In some cases they get negative or 0 value.   

I heard an interesting interview with JOEL WALDFOGEL, author of “Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays”. http://bit.ly/7mhrKa

This is a great article/interview to get you thinking about the process and the person who is to benefit from your gift giving and the money that leaves your pocket to make that happen. It’s an NPR interview so you can listen or read.

I hope it get you to assess how your gifts are received and also about how you might ask for service or gift cards to a place that really meets your needs.

I find it hard to ask for a gift but would rather direct the giver to maximize the value of their gift rather than waste their money. So I asked for a gift certificate to my favorite hair salon and a  practical gift card to Meijer (local/regional gas & grocery superstore) where I can fill my gas tank to my fish tank and everything else between and keep money in the community.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.