In this episode, we explore the thoughtful art of regifting as a decluttering strategy. Is regifting a smart, sustainable choice or a tacky faux pas? Well, we get into regifting etiquette, why it can be a meaningful way to pass items along, and tips to ensure your regifting is done with intention and care. Whether you’re passing along a family heirloom or trying to decide what to do with a duplicate gift, this episode will give you the tools to regift like a pro—or decide it’s not for you.
We are also sharing an exciting announcement about the upcoming podcast name change to reflect the heartfelt mission behind Organized & Cherished.
Find all of the links mentioned in this episode at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
In This Episode We Talk About:
- Why regifting can be a compassionate and sustainable way to declutter.
- How to approach regifting thoughtfully with etiquette and intention.
- What to do if regifting isn’t your style (and how to let go guilt-free).
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Upcoming Podcast Name Change: From Organized & Productive to Organized & Cherished starting January 2025.
- Organizing Categories for Decluttering: Tips on managing regift, donate, and sell piles.
- Drafting a Thoughtful Regifting Letter: Ideas for sharing backstories and offering recipients a choice.
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The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Join our weekly email newsletter for all-things organizing & productivity delivered right to your inbox https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
Review Transcript:
Stephanie [00:00:00]:
Hey, Organized and Cherished community members and listeners. Welcome to this week's episode. I don't know if you noticed, but I started the episode saying a different name of the podcast. It is time for us to move away from the word productive here at Organized and Productive at the Organized Flamingo. We are still using that as a term, but we have outgrown that, to be honest. And we felt that efficiency and the feeling of productivity is way more than just getting more squeezing more out of time, out of life. It's more about the heart and the soul and the memory making that goes along the way while you are simplifying your life. So starting the end of January, our podcast name will be changing.
Stephanie [00:00:46]:
I will give you more details as the time comes, but I will start to refer to the community as organized and cherished, which is something we have had for a while now that that the community part has actually been here for a while. But we felt that the podcast should be part of that community. And so the topics will continue to be organizing and productivity and efficiency and making life simpler, topics that align with your values that you are all used to and and love about us. So that won't change. It's really just the chain the name change that reflects who we really are at our heart and our mission to help those of you who are in positions of helping other people organize declutter and downsize to be for it to be a more heartfelt memory making but efficient process. And we just felt that this name was more appropriate. So hang tight for that change. It's coming.
Stephanie [00:01:44]:
Let's get to this week's podcast. Welcome to the Organized and Productive podcast with The Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert. Ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you? Yeah? Well, then let's go. Now, if you've ever wondered whether regifting is the right decluttering move for you or not, you're not alone. I mean, I'm sure if you have inherited stuff or you have doubles or triples because you've you've combined a few homes, then you might be thinking, like, okay. Well, I don't I don't wanna donate it quite yet because you think there's more life to it, Meaning you'd like to maybe sell it. You feel like it's worth a little bit more.
Stephanie [00:02:25]:
You're not ready to give it up for free per se. So maybe regifting is the right move. It's like an alternative move. So you're donating, but it's more of it's a gift. So it's like you, you are giving them instead of you buying it, you are now gifting it to the new person. I mean, here at the Organized With Bingo, we emphasize simplifying life with respect for the things that hold meaning. So we get it. I mean, these things are meaningful to you and you like to pass it on to people that might feel the same way about them as well.
Stephanie [00:02:55]:
So regifting them can actually be a beautiful way to give new life to items that might not be quite right for us, but could bring joy to someone else. And you're not ready to donate it because you want to see the reaction of the person or you have someone in mind, or you just would like to see it be given to somebody that knows that you gave it to them. Okay. Because when you donate, they don't know. Right? You I mean, outside of you getting your donation slip from the charity, nonprofit, or donation thrifting consignment center, if it well, not consignment, but the donation center. But that's like very not very personal. Right? It's like it's not a 1 on 1. So if you're looking for that, maybe regifting is right for you.
Stephanie [00:03:38]:
Because we're about meaningful, sustainable choices, regifting when done thoughtfully aligns with our mission and with your mission. If you're a part of our community here, if you like what we have to say, it's most likely because you kind of like the idea of trying to make the most out of your stuff, and this is one way to do that while letting it go from your space, AKA decluttering. And that way, the gift isn't wasted, and someone else gets the joy of something new to them. So it's a win win situation that keeps the spirit of giving alive. So what I'm gonna do is I'll give you I'll give you a little background on regifting if you're if you're not very familiar with it, or if you are familiar with it, but you've always had a cringe reaction or, like, a adverse reaction or, I remember talking about this in a a workshop a while in a couple years ago about regifting and ideas on how to do that in your decluttering journey. And I remember this gentleman said out loud, ew. I could never. And if I ever get someone's regifted stuff, I would, you know, and then said something gross.
Stephanie [00:04:48]:
I mean, it was a it wasn't in a, like, mean malicious way. Like, we were just having an open conversation about how people felt, so he was in a space where he could express that. And I get it. Some people feel that way. So I'm not trying to convince you to do it one way or another. I just want you to think about this as an option and see if it's right for you. So let's understand it a little bit more if you're not familiar or if you are or gives you a bit of or you're standoffish about it. Okay.
Stephanie [00:05:16]:
So let's talk about it. So it's a practical and compassionate approach. What makes regifting a compassionate and practical approach to decluttering, it's it's its intentionality. When we look at items that no longer serve us, there's often a sense of guilt, especially if they were gifts from people, right, that we care about. But with regifting, we're not just letting go, we're passing it forward in a way that lets the item continue its journey. Regifting can bring the same joy to someone else that it once brought to us or the original giver, and that's really meaningful. What regifting is not is a way for you to give people your trash. If you don't like the thing for yourself, but it's in good condition and you know of someone that would be so happy to have it in their possession, then that is considered, like, a good, like, a good etiquette, in in other words.
Stephanie [00:06:21]:
You know, that's like a, okay. You've been thoughtful about it. The thought behind it is kind. It's giving. It gives you, like, you know, more warm, fuzzy, thoughtful feelings versus, oh, I don't like this, but so my neighbor would love this. I don't even know their favorite color. I don't know if they like it. They may not even be a let's say, it's like a vinyl or something.
Stephanie [00:06:42]:
Maybe they don't even know or have or own or ever express to you that they are vinyl people, but you're trying to get rid of them, and you don't want to pay the fee to throw them away if it's something that, you know, you'll have to pay an extra fee to throw away or something. Or you don't even wanna be bothered with it, and you feel guilty, and you don't like the guilty feeling, so you're just going to give someone your trash. Well, that's that is not good regifting etiquette. Okay. That's not what we're talking about here. We are talking about having a thoughtful approach to your decluttering journey and the stuff that may be better off in someone else's possession or home, not just giving away your stuff just because you want to get rid of it. And now it becomes their problem. That is not what we're talking about, and that is not the type of regifting that we advocate for.
Stephanie [00:07:32]:
We are talking about the opposite of that. It is thoughtful, re giving to someone else. So let's talk more about the etiquette. These are just things that I have noticed have worked for people when we do re gift items in as part of the decluttering journey. I have had many clients where this is one of the boxes that, you know, that they start to fill. Like, you know, you've got the throw away, the gift, donate, or sell boxes that we categories that we put stuff in as we're decluttering or downsizing. And then one of their boxes will be regifting. And I know a lot of you have talked to me about that.
Stephanie [00:08:09]:
Like, you have your gift pile. Your I bought these items for for gifts or people gave me something, and I don't really love it, but I think someone else will. So you have your regifting pile. That could be a whole category that you can do. So that's it's more like the etiquette. Like, what are some good things that I have seen, some positive movements, and that have been well received by not by the person that they gifted it to, so the gift receiver. So not just you as their regifter, but the person that received it. We're so happy.
Stephanie [00:08:38]:
We're so excited. And so these are the types of tips that I have for you so that it is a win win for everybody. Okay. So regifting can feel a little tricky. Right? Because a few key principles to to help keep it thoughtful is first think about the recipient. Is this someone who would genuinely enjoy the gift? Could they use it? Would they like it? Have they expressed to you that they want this item, that they've been looking for this item, that they're into this item? So we're not talking about unloading something just to clear the space. Regifting should be about genuinely bringing joy to the next person. I'll give you an example of mine.
Stephanie [00:09:13]:
Mine personally. One of my best friends, she had some paintings that I love from a painter and from an artist that, you know, I really enjoyed, and she inherited it was part of, like, a inherited stuff from a loved one that she knew, and they were trying to figure out what to do with them. And she found out that I really loved that artist. I actually had other other drawings, paintings from that artist. And immediately when she found out and she knew that that person had them and their stuff, she said, oh my gosh. Do you, you know, do you I didn't know. Do you like them? And I said, I do. Not the paintings, but the artist.
Stephanie [00:09:52]:
Next thing you know, she gifted these beautiful paintings for to me as a gift. And I I knew exactly where they came from because she had talked to me about this relative that had them in then the, in their stuff. I think it was, like, this is basement. So I knew that, and I was totally okay, more than okay that she even thought of me as a person to give these to as a gift. So if she would've given them to me for I think I think it ended up being either Christmas or or or my birthday. I can't remember there. I have a January birthday, so sometimes they're about the same. She gave them to me, and I was I knew exactly where they were.
Stephanie [00:10:29]:
I knew they were regifted. I didn't care. I left them. I I my gosh. I was just very honored that she even thought about me for them Because I she knew, she paid attention, she asked, and it it was just a win win. So, like, it didn't even cross my mind that at that point that it was, you know, what the etiquette was. I was just so happy to have them. So look for that.
Stephanie [00:10:55]:
Look for the reaction of the person that would give you the, oh my gosh. I don't even care that you didn't pay you didn't go to the store and pay money for them. Like, that's not even the principle. Like, a gift is a gift when you are so thoughtful. And and if I know that it came from your relative's basement, I don't care. You were so thoughtful to think of me. So look for that reaction from the person, or look for the signs that that person would will most likely feel that way when you bring them this gift. Let's talk really quick about family heirlooms because I just gave you that example.
Stephanie [00:11:32]:
Family heirlooms can be a little bit funny because or, like, really personal gifts to use. Like, somebody, you know, you let's say your name my name's Stephanie. So somebody gave me something that said Stephanie. And I meet another friend. Her name's Stephanie, and I think she would love the gift too. So I basically just gave someone that was very personal to me, like, that per you know, who the original gift giver gave it to me and made it for me, Stephanie, and I just gave it to another Stephanie or maybe a family heirloom, like, things that are very personal to your story. That is up for you. And if the original gift giver is still around, you still talk to them, they will be part of the circle, that is a conversation you might you might want to have with the original gift giver.
Stephanie [00:12:16]:
Again, this is not a right or wrong conversation. This is just for things that I want you to think about. Maybe send them a message. Say, you know, hey. You give me this beautiful sign that says Stephanie, but I I don't love it, or I don't know where to put it, or I know the perfect person that would love this. Are you okay if I passed it on? And, you know, they may say no or they may they may give you the silence treatment. Be prepared for that. But if you do ask them and they say yes, then now it's a green light.
Stephanie [00:12:44]:
Or what I've seen a couple of clients do is what they'll say is, hey. You know our mutual friend, Stephanie? You know how her name is also Stephanie? Well, I don't really love well, you know, actually, they didn't say I didn't love this. I don't really use this item, but I know she would. Are you okay if I gift this re gift this, pass this on to that, you know, Stephanie number 2 from the both of us? And, usually, that will work really well. That worked really well that time because my client said, can we give it to our mutual friend from the both of us? And they were honest about how the history of the thing, you know, like, hey. I so and so gave it to me. It was not, you know, something that I was going to use, and I thought you'd be perfect for it. So we're passing it on.
Stephanie [00:13:31]:
We hope you like it. By then, though, you have thought about it. You're not just passing on the hot potato, the trash from one friend to another. You were passing something very thoughtfully and giving them the backstory. I have seen that work really well when you tell the person what your intention is, what was your original start of that gift, and how it's landed to them. Because at that point, you're, you know, you're being thoughtful, especially for those very personalized items that the next gifter I know this is starting to get like a map like a mind map, like, what are you talking about? But whoever you're gifting it to, basically, the person who you're gifting it to should not if they if they see that this is something that looks used, it looks like a family heirloom, it looks like it was meant for someone else and not them, they should know the backstory. It is much easier, better, more thoughtful for you to be honest about the history of it than to just make pretend that this is brand new, that they're not going to know. Like, you know, people know.
Stephanie [00:14:37]:
So if it looks used, if it's a family heirloom, it's very specific to you was made very specific to you, tell the next person the history of it, and then go from there. So if you are regifting okay. So after this conversation that we're having here together, you decide that there are things that you someone else could could really like. There's a few ways to make it feel intentional and thoughtful. For 1, give it a fresh look, you know, maybe repackage it in a way that makes it feel special. Get out a little note or a little story, you know, like I thought of you when I received this and hope you enjoyed as much as I thought you would. A bit of a personal, like, like, a personalized touch really goes a long way. So reshape it, regift it, give it new life to the new person.
Stephanie [00:15:21]:
Don't just literally use the same wrapping paper and pass it on unless it's it's it's an original packaging, but that's a different story. I'm saying, if you've opened it, if it's out, but you didn't use it and you're ready to gift it to somebody else, this is very per particular and predominant in clothing. You used it, somebody gave it to you, or, again, a family heirloom. It just didn't fit you. It just it it's not going to fit you. It or not your style. Okay? You've now established that it's time to declutter. It's time to let it go.
Stephanie [00:15:50]:
It's not serving any purpose in your closet because it never goes out. You're just keeping it out of guilt. But you know that your neighbor would love it, and they would fit really well into it. And they love that brand. So let's pass it on. But it looks used. Right? So if you want to give it to them for their next birthday, let's say, instead of buying a gift, you want to give them this, which you could've technically sold it. You could've gotten $20 for it or $100 for it, but instead, you want to gift it to your neighbor, you can say something along the lines of, I thought of you when I was decluttering my closet, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I thought.
Stephanie [00:16:29]:
And I think you will you will. You know, if you don't like it, I totally understand. You know, won't take it personal. Hugs, kisses, happy birthday. Let me know if you don't, and I have something else for you instead. You know? And and have the person decide for themselves. If you are re gifting something that is super thoughtful to the next person, they will know what it's worth. And it's not always financial, and it's not always the monetary price tag that is attached to the item.
Stephanie [00:16:59]:
They might know how hard it is to find something like this, and the the fact that you thought of them before just throwing it away will be so special because, again, that person is your tailored person, no pun intended, to clothing, but they will know what it's worth. They love the brand. They know how hard it is to to find 1, or they've been trying to reach, you know, to find 1 or reach 1, whatever. They will know the worth, and, you know, it will be reciprocated, like, the the appreciative appreciation will be reciprocated. So repackage it, tell them the story, and then go from there. Okay. So I'm gonna give you a couple more bullet point type of tips here, a quick list of things that I have seen work really well and just things for for you to consider as we finish off the conversation. One is the when you do have your you're decluttering, let's say, your closet and you're decluttering stuff, and you have your box, like, the section, like, wants to sell, donate, throw away, recycle, whatever it may be.
Stephanie [00:17:56]:
And then the last one is regift. When you put them you know, I I like to wait until I finish a an entire project for a client before they decide to regift it to somebody. I know that sometimes along the way, you're like, oh, this, you know, you find something, you call your neighbor, and you say, hey. I have this for you. I found it. Come and get it. Have at it. Of course.
Stephanie [00:18:19]:
You know, do that if you think it's best. But here's the thing, when you finish, at the end of the project, you'll see really all that's there. Take a picture, and that way you can remember what you gave them. Right? And you can also remember if if you feel guilty about letting it go that, you know, your aunt will remind you around Thanksgiving that she gave you whatever. So that way you have some kind of record that you had it at some point. So for if you were looking for record record keeping, definitely wait until the end and take a picture of everything before you give it away as opposed to it being an impulse giveaway. So tip number 1 is if you're feeling guilty, if you think that there might be family member that remembers what they gave you, the original gift giver, and you like to have proof of what the stuff that you gave away just so that it can you can recap your your own memory, Take a picture, but so wait until the end and then take a picture. Sometimes what I'll have people do is draft a letter.
Stephanie [00:19:16]:
Actually, I have a client that I'm working with right now. We're drafting up a letter of this of the stuff that she will be handing off to her stepdaughters from their dad that it was when they were together. I'm having her drafted up because what I've seen happen is that you have these original intentions of regifting these items to the next person. It was stuff that her, her husband gave her. He passed. She never used them, and she would like to regift them to, you know, to the stepdaughters as birthday Christmas presents so that she doesn't have to spend more money necessarily because she's saving as her retirement, you know, continues. She doesn't really want to be you buying new things, and she thinks that these things would be lovely to pass on while she's still alive and while she can see the reaction of the person that is receiving them. Right? So it's like a double gift.
Stephanie [00:20:07]:
1, it's this is a gift that came from your dad. But, yes, it was for me and to me, but I would like to pass it on, and I hope you enjoy it. But here's the thing. We are drafting a letter that goes with those items because the people receiving it may not be welcoming to receiving those items. Even if you know that they're the perfect candidate to be the next person, you know, the the the next owner of the thing, let's say a purse. Oh my gosh. They love they love that brand. I mean, that's that's their brand.
Stephanie [00:20:41]:
They would love this purse. But to them, that memory of that original gift giver, if they know them especially or the association of the original person may not be a happy memory. So I want you to think about that. So we're drafting a letter right now that gives them, you know, the story, all the tapes that I already gave you. We're doing a draft, and then we will do a couple of renditions because 2 things might happen. 1, when she is ready to give away all the things in her gift regift pile to the people, to everybody who she has in mind, you know, that will give her the the last like, some time to really make sure and think about that those people are the right people to to get all these items, number 1. Number 2, it will give people a permission to say no. So that's what we're doing with this letter.
Stephanie [00:21:27]:
We're going to first ask say, like, this is the item, but if you don't want it, please send it to this charity. Please ship it. I've already paid for the shipping here. They're prepaid if you decide to use it. So give them a way out. Give them a way to keep it going so that it's not you're not forcing them to keep it even if they love the item, because to them, the memory of the original story might not be a good one. Okay? So I just want you to think about that. You know, if it's items that have zero emotional attachment to them, then that's a different story.
Stephanie [00:22:03]:
Right? Like, let's say you got a white elephant gift last year, some candles, and you're passing them on to an entirely different group of people and friends and don't even know each other. Those are not the gifts I'm talking about. And now they're, you know, they're not serving you any purpose. You don't even like candles, and so let's let them go. But you know exactly the person who loves candles, and you're going to give them to them, and you're gonna put them in a nice basket and regift it and then call it a day. That is not what we're talking about. We're talking about something that those people, they know where it came from and that that association might not be a positive one for them, or you don't know. You might not know.
Stephanie [00:22:41]:
I'm not saying this isn't a for sure, but if you're not sure and you think that there is a possibility that that could happen, give them a way out. Give them a prepaid shipping label to ship it to somebody else, the next person. Give them some charities that might be willing to take it or tell them that, hey. I I I believe it's worth around this much according to this auction house. You know, feel free to post it if you don't want it. So give them that option. But this also helps you kinda let it go with a purpose, and then, you know, pass it on, get it out of your space, but with intention and thoughtfulness. Alright.
Stephanie [00:23:24]:
So as we wrap up today, I just want to encourage you to feel empowered in your choices about regifting. It can be a beautiful way to let items continue to bring joy as long as it's done thoughtfully. Remember that simplifying your space doesn't mean letting go of the thoughtfulness. It's about finding a balance that feels good for you and those you care about. So give re gifting a a try, you know? And if I changed your mind, hopefully, maybe, or now you're closer to, yes, I might regift, and or you know what? I'm open to other people giving me their stuff. Let me know. Post it on social media. Send us a message.
Stephanie [00:24:06]:
Let us know if this helped you either way, or if this gave you the okay or that permission slip you needed to not re gift anything at all. Some of you are very, very pro re gifting. You have your whole box of re gifting stuff, and it's been sitting there for days years months decades, and you've never re gifted it. So this is actually a permission slip to say, oh, wait. I don't wanna do any of that. I just want to get rid of it. And this gave you that permission to just donate it, get it over with, and give it to a good cause, and be done. So if this changed you either way, let me know.
Stephanie [00:24:43]:
I'd love to hear it. And until next time, happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the Organized and Productive podcast with The Organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources, head on over to the organizedflamingo.com/podcast. Happy organizing.
