Last month was a big birthday month for me. I won’t say how young I am, but I can confirm I milked the celebrations for 3 weeks in my home country England also back here in Dubai. For once, I gave them a free pass to buy me a present (as usually, I ask for vouchers or money only)My friends and family who I celebrated with knew:

I am a professional organiser,
don’t like to receive junk presents, and
will reject anything I don’t like as politely as possible (but there will be clenched teeth).

Thankfully they have known me for long enough then to give me anything which would result in point c.I was not given the bottle of perfume or box of green wrapped chocolates that have been doing the rounds in Dubai since 2002. I was lucky, but you may not be so fortunate so in this post I want to discuss how to get clutter free presents and how to give them as well.

Ask for What you Want - I was very fortunate that I was able to tell my parents and family specifically what I wanted. I wanted certain bag in a specific colour. To save the hassle of buying it themselves, they asked for the price of the bag, remitted me the money and I went shopping for the bag myself. Joyous alone time shopping for something other than food or organising products, and they didn’t have to go hunting for the bag. Easy life for all.

Buy Vouchers - If you don’t know what you want, ask for vouchers – whether it be from a big department store, or from an app like You Got a Gift. For many years I asked friends to always give me vouchers from Selfridges in London as it is my favourite shop in the world. Moving to Dubai, I changed that to one of the stores here. A few years back a friend gave me a Nail Spa voucher via the app You Got a Gift. I had never heard of the app, but once I downloaded the app and redeemed the voucher for a specific salon, I made this my go-to for present buying ever since.I tend to buy the voucher for either a spa session, nail salon visit, experience or shopping in a store, usually on the way to the birthday party! The outlets have increased exponentially so I have a massive choice (which can sometimes be a bit too much) to choose a perfect voucher for the friend.This app is also perfect for children presents. Instead of buying bulky presents which the child might not like, buy the voucher and let the parents decided what they will buy their kids. * You Got a Gift and Selfridges (unfortunately) have not sponsored me to mention them.

Share Experiences - Instead of buying a present that the person might not like, why not buy them an experience. If they are a daredevil, buy them the chance to skydive, zip line or white-water rafting. Or if you are like me and dislike those activities how about a tasting menu dinner or tea tasting session. These experiences will be memorable and mean more than an item that they may declutter after a short while.

Forgo the Gift Wrapping - Wrapping paper is a waste of money for me. I don’t unwrap presents elegantly so it can’t be reused, I can’t wrap presents well so it looks horrible to the receiver and the bags don’t fit the item properly. This year I received a few paper bags (one giver gave me two massive bags for two small presents. I was not amused. Loved the presents though). These will be donated to someone who will use them, as I doubt I will reuse them in the next year.If I do give an item as a present, I use an old carrier bag (paper, supermarket - I am not fussy). I see it as recycling of the bags and doing my bit for the environment.One friend came up with a genius idea for handing over my present – she gave it to me in this cool toiletries bag! The bag is perfect to use in my new handbag or when travelling and it kept the other present safe on its travels to me!

Declutter the unwanted Presents - Often when working with clients we will find unwanted presents, sometimes still in their wrapping. They don’t want to declutter them as they feel guilty and fear their friends/family will hate them for decluttering the items.My argument is, If you are not using the item it is taking up valuable real estate in your home and how will they know that you decluttered it?If the giver of the awful present does ask about it, you can either be honest and say you hated it and donated it to someone who will love it or be dishonest and say something such as the maid broke it, or your mum loved it so much that she “borrowed it”. (Declutter Me and I hold no liability for any outcome that may arise from using these suggestions). By removing the stuff being given as presents, you remove the present and gift wrapping clutter in yours and the receivers life. You could also save money by reducing the gift wrapping and rubbish present purchasing.Try these tips and let me know how it helps you to declutter your life.

How to Declutter the Presents you Give and Receive

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