How to Not Overspend and Over-give when you Give Gifts

In our last post, we talked about how to give a gift that someone really likes. Today, we are going to talk how not to overspend and ‘over- give’.

But first, why do we give gifts in the first place?

The gift-giving culture is largely based on the respect, relationships and rituals to maintain family connections, and to establish strong relationships among friends and relatives. It is about demonstrating care and respect for the other party.

However, we must also be tactful and not over-give. Sometimes, by over-giving it can cause anxiety in the other party because they fear they have to reciprocate the similar gesture.

Visiting your home town should be a happy occasion. For many families, the cost of travelling is already placing a heavy burden on their budget, let alone the cost of gifts. Thus, you would not want to be discouraged to visit and to reconnect with your relatives for the fear of overspending on gifts.

So here are some simple suggestions on how you are able to give the gifts that your relatives will love or want, while staying within your budget and not over-giving.

Here is how to strike the balance:

1. Get in touch with your immediate family to ask them before purchasing anything – this way you will be getting the things that they need and want. Also, give yourself enough time to shop around for the best deal.
2. As for other relatives that you rarely see or communicate with, but you would still like to connect with them, you will normally bring a small gift with you. This time, purchase the gifts locally, i.e. the specific food or treats that you can only get in your home town, or handcrafted items that are uniquely from your hometown, and which you know they would love.
3. For some elderly relatives, they may not need any more material items, nor any food that their diet would not  allow, so sometimes a red packet (which contains money) would be something that they would welcome more.

So before you proceed with purchasing any gifts for your relatives, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are the gifts within the budget I set?
2. Am I getting the gifts that my relatives would want or need?
3. Are there any treats in my hometown or my local area that my relatives would love and can't get it in their hometown?
4. Will my visit and my gifts bring love and joy to both my relatives and myself?

Giving and sharing is a beautiful gesture and rekindles the connections and relationships. It is an opportunity to give back to the relatives that we grew up with and to let them know that they are still in our thoughts.

I would love your thoughts whether this article has helped you with gift-giving. 

Happy ‘gifting’.

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