This was the year of the great decluttering.  Millions of people read Marie Kondo’s Book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and tried to figure out which items in their home sparked joy and which did not.

We saw people declutter, downsize, and minimize.

And now it’s the holidays.  We want to give  gifts that spark joy.  We want to give things that won’t create clutter or cause unnecessary work.  How do we give gifts that don’t undo the hard work of those trying to live with less? 

Holiday Gifts That Don’t Create Clutter

Here are some ideas for thoughtful gifts that won’t end up in next summer’s garage sale or donation bin:

Food gifts.  Make some tasty treats for your loved ones and they’re sure to get eaten.  Some inexpensive ideas include baked goods, homemade cocoa mixes, soup in a jar, or homemade seasoning mixes.  If time is short and you’re willing to spend a bit more, consider a food gift basket, premium coffee or chocolates, a bottle of wine, or a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant.

Bath products.  We all need to get clean so consider making some homemade bath scrubs or soaps.  You can usually find good deals on lotions and hand soaps this time of year if you wish to purchase them instead of making them yourself.

Magazines.  Magazines are a gift that keeps giving throughout the year.  Check out Discount Mags for great subscription deals on top magazines that don’t automatically renew.  Magazines don’t really create clutter when they’re recycled after being read, but if that’s a concern, you can give a digital subscription to most magazines or a give a subscription to a digital magazine service like Zinio.

Gift memberships.  Give the gift a year’s worth of experiences they will remember.  Families will appreciate gift memberships to the local children’s museum or the zoo.  Others will enjoy memberships to art or history museums.  Avoid giving a gym membership unless they’ve specifically asked for one!

Tickets to events.  Give a sports fan tickets to see a game played by their favorite team.  Give tickets to concerts, comedians, or theatre in your community.  A gift certificate to the local movie theater would be a nice gift, too.

Netflix or Hulu Plus.  With so many folks cutting cable, many are turning to streaming services like Netflix or Hulu to watch their favorite movies and shows.  Give a gift subscription to one of these services.  This is an especially good gift for those folks who may prefer to stay at home.

Gift cards for Redbox.   For those folks who would rather rent movies than stream them, you can buy gift cards for Redbox.  Redbox also rents games, so this can be a good choice if you have a gamer on your list.

Amazon Prime.  You may be wondering why Amazon Prime is on the list since ordering stuff from Amazon clearly creates clutter, but there are plenty of perks to an Amazon Prime membership that don’t create any clutter at all.  Amazon Prime members can stream movies, television shows, and music, borrow books from the Kindle lending library, use the Amazon Cloud for photo storage, and get a free Kindle book every month.   They can also take advantage of free two-day shipping to buy things they need like groceries and household goods.

Give the gift of Kindle Unlimited.  If you know someone with a Kindle who is an avid reader, they may appreciate a subscription to Kindle Unlimited.  A subscription to Kindle Unlimited gives you unlimited access to more than 1 million books and audiobooks in the Kindle library.

Gift cards for Google Play or iTunes.   If you’ve got a music lover or a smartphone addict, than a gift card for Google Play or iTunes will be a great fit.  They can use the gift card to download music, apps or games for their devices.

Give the gift of car care.  If you have a car, you know it needs maintenance.  Oil changes, car washes, and tire rotations all cost money and it’s not very fun to spend your personal money to do these things.  Buy a gift certificate to a favorite local car care place and they’ll dread the task knowing they can spend their own money on more fun things.

Donate to charity.  A donation made to a favorite charity in your recipient’s name is a great gift idea for those who seem to have everything.  For example, if you have a relative who is passionate about animals, a donation in her name to the local animal shelter will be appreciated.

Give the gift of your time.  Sometimes what a person appreciates most is someone who will help out.  Give a family coupons for free babysitting.  Give a coupon for free house or pet sitting to busy travelers.  Give the gift of a homemade dinner at your home once a month or pledge to help a senior stain their deck.

These are just a few holiday gifts that don’t create clutter.  I’m sure you can think of even more. What are some of your ideas for clutter-free gifts?

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