In the world of organizing, the decision to re-gift items can make either a small dent or a big difference in securing more space for the things you really want to keep. When you have more space, you have more options for organizing the things you need to keep.

One of the most basic principles of organizing is to get rid of things you don’t want or need. And nothing declares that so obviously as the “re-gifting” drawer or space in a closet for things we will never use. In fact, without much contemplation, the things we choose to save as future gifts for others might be a decision made within seconds. Compare this to agonizing over giving up favorite clothes which just no longer fit.

The question at hand is whether those gifts really get recycled or do they just pile up? I have tucked away gifts over the years, but usually I would not want to re-gift the things given to me. Most of the gifts we don’t like are the generic ones which do not feel like much thought was put into buying them, such as getting a candle. And yet, having an assortment of candles could be imperative in an emergency. I have often thought how ironic and lovely Southern California will smell from all the burning scented candles when we have our next Great Quake and millions need to use candles since we will have no electricity for weeks or longer.

Whether expressed or not, most of us want to receive a birthday or holiday gift which we will really like. As an example, one of my best friends loves to read and is a prolific writer as well. I often try to get her a book on a topic she is interested in. Even better, she appreciates a gift card from Amazon. If I re-gifted her a candle, she would surely be disappointed and not feel that I had put much thought into making her happy.

So, is there any circumstance when these little frivolous items can be passed along and not feel cheap or generic? I have found that when these little items are passed along when least expected, that people appreciate them so much more! I brought over a luxurious bar of soap to a friend one night when we were simply getting together for dinner. She was surprised that I gave her something for no reason and acted thrilled! But if I had given her soap for her birthday, she would have been disappointed, I am sure. So, my suggestion for “winning friends” and spreading good cheer is to just re-gift for the heck of it during the year and for no special occasion. For example, if you have a female friend who had a bad week, presenting her with some fun costume jewelry or a little goofy stuffed animal can be a nice gesture without it being judged as “This is what you got me for my birthday?”

Another way to bring value to your re-giftables is to group them into a gift basket where the sum is truly greater than the individual parts. Donating these items to Good Will may not seem like the essentials really needed by these charities, but many people will buy these frivolous items and bring donation dollars to the charity itself.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have received a steady stream of very expensive holiday gifts from one of my wealthy clients. Somehow I got on his Christmas gift list and I know I must be in the company of a hundred or more recipients of his surprising annual generosity.

If you ever feel overwhelmed with your own holiday shopping, just know that the personal assistant to a celebrity very much feels like they are one of Santa’s Helpers each December. I remember visiting this client one holiday season and the whole living room looked like a cashmere shawl factory, with orderly rows of dozens of sweaters waiting to be gift-wrapped and mailed out. With this one particular client, I have been given some gifts so expensive that I felt they were “too good” for me.

And yet, these kinds of items would be equally inappropriate to re-gift to friends who usually spend much less on each other. They would surely feel an awkward burden to buy me something of equal value. In these cases, I either go ahead and indulge myself, or save it for a really special occasion like a wedding or some other milestone. Re-gifting in an unexpected way can be a win/win in helping you de-clutter one closet or one drawer at a time.

Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions (R) Since 1992
From the Tao of Organizing Blog Series