There’s a lot you can do with one hundred dollars. You can spend it wisely, or you can spend it mindlessly. You might spend it in one go or in smaller purchases that can all be categorized as unnecessary. The challenge is being aware of the things that you buy.
When it comes to gift-giving, you want to be generous, but you also want to give something that’s not entirely pointless. There are so many options, and choosing impulsively might mean having to spend more than what you intended. The easy solution is to window shop (even digitally).
The Joy of Gift-giving
Buying something gives you a hit of happy hormones, which is why retail therapy has been touted as a feel-good activity. When shopping online, you get twice the dopamine hit: once when you make the purnochase and another when you receive the package. That’s how it is when you’re buying items for yourself. When shopping for unique gifts from Phoenix for your loved ones, however, that secondary dopamine hit happens when you see their reaction from the gift you gave them. This makes choosing the gift extra important, as you will not be happy if they don’t like your gift.
The Cost and Value of Gift-giving
Gift-giving can be a costly affair. The more important the recipient is, the less attention you give the pricetag. You want them to feel loved, and one way of showing that is to provide them with gifts they might not buy for themselves simply because it’s too expensive. However, not all gifts need to be costly. Your present would not come with less love if you spent less. If you can buy unique gifts or personalize them, their value increases, but not their cost. This is where digital window shopping comes in handy. You can look at the offerings of different online stores to see the variations available to you. One may offer a generic shirt, another may provide free printing, and yet another may come with freebies. Even with gift baskets, you can usually curate it according to what will be ideal for the recipient. The time it takes for you to find the perfect gift adds to its value.
The Reciprocity of Gift-giving
You may not be doing it consciously, but most people buy gifts with the expectation that the receiver will reciprocate it someday. You’re more willing to spend money on someone you know will also spend money on you. It can be a cycle of buying expensive gifts for each other on every occasion, and it’s not a bad thing when you have the money to spend. When you’re on a tight budget, this doesn’t mean you’ll be the first to skip gift-giving. You may feel bad not being able to give back. Instead of thinking in terms of meeting the price your loved one spent on you, find gifts that look more expensive than their original price. You can easily see different artisanal products online and get better deals than if you bought them from the store. You can also increase the value of your gifts by adding something sentimental to it, such as a letter or a personal item.
The act of gift-giving can easily be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive if you do it the wrong way. Forget about price tags and focus on the meaning behind the gesture.
