What do we feel about re-gifting?

[NormaLouiseBates]

Just that really. Things are quite tight this year for one reason and another and I'd rather spend the little available funds I have on my own children. I've got things that have been bought for me that I'll never use... nice things like Ted Baker jewellery, OPI nail polish sets etc that I think would be good matches to some of the people I need to buy for (doesn't help that I've got about 6 birthdays between now and Christmas too!) but is it mean, crap, whatever?

Is regifting any worse than the present bought at 5.20 p.m on Christmas Eve, thinking " Shit I forgot to get Mike anything, Yep, this'll do"?

It looks like it's been regifted anyway.

I'd personally say to people that I couldn't afford to do gifts this year so please could we not exchange them.

This present culture needs to stop. It's inane in my opinion. Fine give toys, books, clothes, whatever to kids - they need all that stuff. But come on, adults just don't need random "stuff" (like your birthday presents demonstrate) and nobody needs the stress and hassle of sourcing all this useless stuff. I must sound like an old scrooge. Perhaps I am.

I was given a tealight holder for Christmas last year.
It is pretty but it wasn't my style and didn't fit with any of my decor.
So i regifted it to my mum and she loves it. It fits in perfectly with her lounge.

I don't see a problem with regifting, as long as you know the person would be happy with it.

I don't mind a bit of regifting - saves the planet! Why waste stuff that's nice? (I wouldn't regift anything rubbish. And I'm often told I have good taste, so hopefully I wouldn't pass on anything really awful.) I often do a bit of a regift on kids' stuff as they sometimes end up with duplicate presents. But these days thankfully at my advanced age of 40 I don't get given many presents at all, so nothing to regift (this is exactly how I like it...)

MIL has given me some inexplicable tat in the past though. One year, rubber mats for the car floors from Halfords. Why she thought that would make a good present I don't know! And not exactly regiftable Since then I've just suggested she get me a token box of inexpensive £5 chocs I like (I never turn down a Ferrero Rocher )

We’ve done it where eg a Lego set was received that we already had. Unopened it’s a great present and I would swap it with DS for something else in the present drawer.

I don't have a problem receiving regifted items, apart from once when I received a French Connection nail varnish tin that had already been inpart used, I was pissed off about that but only because it had been used.

Otherwise, I genuinely have no issue receiving stuff other people didn't want. I don't regift myself, if I receive items I have no use for I do give to friends but not as presents. For example, I had a lot of Soap&Glory/NO.7 stuff in mine and I recently did a clear out and have given it all to a friend who likes both brands but she knows it's "old stuff" and she also knows she will receive a "proper" Christmas gift from me on top.

I am a regifter, mainly toiletries and costume jewellery.

When DS was younger and had whole class parties, I would gather up all the gifts and bring one out each week (otherwise things just ended up lost and broken). I have been known to dip into this stash for an emergency children's birthday party gift and eased my guilt by buying DS something he'd actually want.

It’s fine. In fact, it’s sensible and better than buying things for the sake of buying things. Just think of the waste...

This present culture needs to stop. It's inane in my opinion. Fine give toys, books, clothes, whatever to kids - they need all that stuff. But come on, adults just don't need random "stuff" (like your birthday presents demonstrate) and nobody needs the stress and hassle of sourcing all this useless stuff. I must sound like an old scrooge. Perhaps I am.

Completely agree. I also think children get too many toys generally and all the plastic makes me want to cry. It doesn’t mean I don’t like Christmas and presents it’s just we should be thinking more carefully about how much we are getting and maybe sourcing the gifts second hand or giving more experiences than something you bought just because you thought you should.

If someone gave me a regifted present that I liked I wouldn't mind at all. Saves them some much needed cash, recycling and I get something I like. Winners all round

Had some ear rings that I suspected might have been nicked out of mum's box from one of the kids from school. They weren't expensive so I never asked and yes I did wear them to school and he was thrilled. They weren't my cup of tea but I felt it was the thought that counted. I might have been right because he went on to nick other peoples stuff and worked for HM for a while

I don't have a problem with it but I don't do it myself. Sis owned up to getting me something from a charity shop once when I told her off nicely for spending too much. I was delight then. It was a Ness handbag I wouldn't have wanted her to buy a new one because I know she can't afford it. We didn't usually give presents and it was a surprise. She said she saw it and thought of me so had to get it.

Cookit I agree. Even our immediate family just give token presents.We buy a present to open usually smellies and a food present. One year we gave the boys a butcher voucher. We had made them hampers before.

When my best friend and I had our kids small we gave a token present.It had to be a nominated sum...like 30p or 50p and something tacky. We used to scour charity shops, boot sales, school sales etc for the perfect present. We would wrap them beautifully too. We used to get such a laugh out of it. I can recommend it to anyone who is strapped for cash.
Her family are doing Secret Santa for the adults this year and she is just buying for grand kids.