How to Avoid Gift-Giving Mistakes

On the first Mother's Day after we got married, my husband gave me what he thought were the most perfect gifts: three books about things to do with toddlers, kindergartners and babies; and magnetic word pieces for little children to use on the fridge. Very nice gifts...if you're a child! There was no way to hide the horror and disappointment when I opened those gifts. Even my mother said, "Oh, no, bad bad!" Good news: I did get Mother's Day the next weekend, with a lovely basket of bubble bath, some books, candles and flowers. Of course, I sent them places with a list of the exact things to get in order to avoid a repeat of the weekend before.

So how do you avoid making the same mistakes? Ask questions. If you think you know your significant other, make sure. I know it sounds silly and trite, but believe me, it will save you from making a huge mistake that you will be paying for a LONG time.

Ask your loved ones to make a list of things they would really like to have.

This sounds simple, doesn't it? But when you ask someone to sit down and do this, it's actually harder than it sounds. The internal struggle of "What do I really want vs. what I really need" begins. They don't want to seem greedy, yet they really want to make sure they get something they really want this year.

Set some guidelines. I know it sounds tacky, but if you set guidelines like how much you each should spend on each other, then no one feels bad about getting a more expensive gift than someone else. For example, my husband and I got one gift that both of us could share this year while saving a little more money to spend on our son. Since we will be moving into a new house in a couple of months, we have made a list of things that we would like for our new place.

Avoid asking for big things. Make a list of small things like books, DVDs, or CDs. Ladies, think of things that will help you relax after a long day. Bath and Body Works is a wonderful place to check out for bubble bath, candles, aromatherapy and gift baskets. Check out their website: they usually have some special sales there for online customers. It's on my list for this year.

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