Hey Swagsters!

Today’s Ask the Swag Gal question comes from a simple man, just wanting to keep things simple. Some of you may remember this question… it has been seen on Swagbucks, yet never answered.

TSGal,

Birthdays, Christmas, Father’s day – I am always asked what I want for gifts. I am a simple man and don’t really need or want anything. If I need it, I will buy it. If I don’t need it and I feel frivolous, I can just use the money I earn from Swagbucks to get something on Amazon.com. So, how can I let people know that I don’t want them to get me anything that will sit on a shelf, need to be returned, or eventually go in the garbage months after I receive it? If there is a polite way of asking for money so that we can put it towards groceries or home repairs, that would be great! But usually when I bring up the cash, people say that it’s no fun to get cash, what would I like… And they also scoff at donating money to charities in my name.

So, if you have any ideas to let people know that they can save their money, let me know.

Mandsogdon

Dear Mandsogdon,

I always face this problem with my mom, she always wants me to give her a list of gifts that I want and she will just pick the one that has the most meaning for her but to me, it’s more important that the gift is practical. You are lucky to have friends that are so eager to shower you with gifts! I can also relate to your friends – it’s not fun to just give your friends cash.

I have been to a couple of home renovation parties and have thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt like I left my friend with something they will enjoy even after our friendship has passed. You mentioned that you would rather have their finances donated to a charity of your choice or go towards groceries and home repairs. Why don’t you consider organizing a home renovation soiree of your own?
You can pick one room in specific and make a list of the equipment, man power and approximate time it will take to get your room just the way you’ve been thinking it would fit your needs best. Once you make the list of supplies needed, send out a Facebook invite suggesting that specific people bring specific tools to the party. Oh, and don’t forget to tell people this is also a potluck BBQ style event – so they bring food.

Heck, if you don’t think the things you need to renovate your house will be expensive or hard to come by, organize a scavenger hunt for you and your friends to take part in. This way everyone who gathers in celebration of your day, gets to feel like a kid again, save his or her money and you’ll have the things you need to take care of your home repairs. You could also suggest a potluck-style dinner for that event as well.
It’s amazing that you have people in your life that are wonderful enough to want to give you something greater than a check and it’s okay to help them give you something that will bring you comfort when they are not with you.

Here is my final suggestion: If you would prefer the monies be donated to charity. Talk with that charity and see if there is a day near your birthday that you and your friends could come and donate your time to their organization. I am sure if they spend an afternoon with your favorite charity, they’ll get to see why you have chosen the organization as something you want to support and hopefully they will donate more than their time for years to come, as you have.

I hope this helps.

Until Next Time,

TSGal