How To Gift Like A Minimalist This Year: 20+ Unique Gift Ideas

For this post, we have created a minimalist gifting guide.

We will cover the principles of gifting, and how they can help you pick out the perfect gift for any occasion. 

We have even provided a list of 20+ gift ideas for inspiration. 

Continue reading..

Minimalist Gifting Guide

When it comes to gifting from the perspective of a minimalist, the goal is usually to find ways to give something meaningful that is not necessarily a physical item (if we can help it). 

Just like shopping in day to day life, minimalists are very mindful, conscious consumers. They stay very aware of how they spend their time and money, and it reflects in their gifting style as well. 

Minimalist Gifting Principles

With this in mind, we are including The Three Principles of Minimalist Gifting in this gifting guide to help you find the perfect, meaningful gifts for your loved ones. These principles are Time, Choice, and Experience.

The Gift of Time

The Gift of Time can either be about saving them time, or giving them some of your time. 

This type of gift goes much deeper than it looks on the surface..

When your gift saves them time, you are really giving them more time to spend with their loved ones, and more time to pursue the things they enjoy. In other words, more time to live their life.

Gifts that save them time might include things like:

• subscriptions to time saving services, such as shopping / delivery apps
• tools, appliances, or other time-saving devices

By giving them some of your time, you are building a stronger relationship with them, and also usually helping with some household tasks / repairs or projects they are working on.

Gifts of this nature might look like:

• helping them with a project around the house
• watching their kids so they can have a night out

The Gift of Choice

The Gift of Choice is about letting them have some input in the gifting process.

This is much more than simply giving them money or a gift card..

This type of gift shows that you want them to actually enjoy the gift you give, and not have to rely on ‘it’s the thought that counts’.

One way to look at this principle is to imagine treating them to dinner at a restaurant, but they get to choose what they want from the menu.

A more specific example would be gifting them a subscription to Audible or Kindle Unlimited, rather than buying them an individual book. 

This gives them the power to choose when and how they utilize their gift.

The Gift Of Experience

The Gift of Experience is about gifting them something they will participate in, usually an event or escapade. 

This is the type of gift they get to enjoy twice; once when they first receive it, and again while they are actually experiencing it. 

Gifts of experience might include:

• tickets to a local concert, event, or theme park
• vouchers for a cooking / painting / crafting class

Try to choose something that gets them away from screens / phones etc. Experience is a gift for them to interact with, a gift that lets them walk away with a new skill or lasting memories made. 

Now let’s get to the Minimalist Gifting Guide with our list of 20+ gift ideas..

The Minimalist Gifting Guide 

Listed below are some gifts from each category to get you started:

1. Subscription to their favorite magazine
2. Book subscriptions through Kindle Unlimited and/or Audible
3. Movie or concert tickets
4. Culinary class or a cookbook
5. Canvas painting class
6. Enjoy arts & crafts at home with the kids with an Orange Art Box
   
7. Give your time by helping out with a project they have
8. Give them extra free time with less trips to the grocery store through Instacart
9. Less trips to the store overall with Amazon Prime
10. Offer to babysit or pet sit for the night or weekend 
11. Set aside a specific date to give one on one time to someone
12. A Yoga subscription and/or yoga at home with a starter yoga kit
13. Passes to a state park (if they don’t use it you’ve still helped out the parks)
14. Tickets to a local attraction / museum
15. Donate to the charity of their choice, or check out Kiva for a more hand's on approach
16. Invest in their health with a Thrive Market Membership
17. Invest in their mental well being with a journal
    
18. Homemade candle making kit 
19. An herb garden, house plant, or terrarium that they can tend to all year
20. Day trip to the spa or a massage 
21. Or try something a little more unique like acupuncture or a salt cave
22. Gift an interactive experience such as a theme park, arcade, or escape room.
23. Board games (Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Forbidden Desert are some fan faves)

Your Gift Ideas?

Hope you were able to gather some helpful ideas!

What are some of your favorite gifts (that aren’t necessarily ‘things’)?

Let us know in the comments below.