The Clutter-Free Gift Guide
Whether you need a list to forward to your spouse, you know a busy mama (who doesn't need one more item to organize), or you're wondering what to get the friend who has everything, this is the ultimate gift guide. We could all use the gift of a little more breathing room around the holidays.
1. Flower Subscription
This is a favorite of mine. Can you imagine getting a beautiful arrangement delivered once a month for an entire year? Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! There's just something about the way flowers add life and energy to a room. My favorite flower subscription is from Urban Stems.
2. Massage
Whether it's too much "together time," too much pie, too much wine, or too much (fill in the blank), a massage is the perfect gift to rub those overwhelmed woes away. And yes, it's okay to kindly let your masseuse know that you'd like a little quiet time... adults need it too! Maybe you'll even catch some zzz's. This is a perfect gift to give a sleep deprived spouse or a girlfriend who needs some serious "me time." If you're gifting this to a new mama, there are some great businesses that will come to their house to eliminate unnecessary time away from the sweet new babe.
3. Indoor Play Space Membership
This can also be a museum, zoo or any other local membership. But I love play space memberships because when it's too hot, too cold, or stormy outside (and you've been inside allllll day with kids... oh wait, it's only 10am?!), it's so nice to go somewhere kids can be kids, and you can actually have an adult conversation... even if it's with the person behind the desk ;)
4. House Cleaning
Do I even need to explain? One of the best gifts I ever received after having my second baby was 4 hours of house cleaning. I wanted to cry – it was glorious. It's the next best thing to having someone send you a whistling Mary Poppins. This is especially a perfect holiday gift because after all the family leaves, after the parties are over, and the decorations finally get put away, who has the energy or the resolve to clean the bathrooms?
5. Car Detailing
A perfect gift for the clean freak, car fanatic, or especially the mama with DISGUSTING car seats in your life (OMG – I don't even remember having the snacks I find in the folds of my kids' carseats!). If you've ever detailed your car on your own – like really gotten in there – you know this can take hours. So with this gift, you're basically giving someone a clean car, time, and sanity.
6. Dinner Out
So simple, yet so wonderful. A paid-for meal... That you don't have to cook... Or clean up after. The icing on the cake is that you can sit the entire time while you eat and actually finish a sentence. So you might as well actually order the cake. Finding a babysitter is another issue...
7. Meal Subscription
After all celebratory meals are over and the treats are gone, it might feel like a good time to press the reset button on meal planning. This one speaks to me since meal planning is my Achilles heel. Seriously, why is it so hard for me?! Instead of spending all that time mapping out a week of dinners, and then searching for a bottle of specialty sauce at the store that you'll only use once, companies like Freshly do it all for you. Plus, they make it easy with a "gifting" option.
8. Grocery Delivery
I don't mean for the whole month or whole year – just one delivery of groceries. With apps like Instacart you can fill a friend's fridge with all the essentials within hours of ordering from your phone. Well... they will actually have to fill their fridge, but the groceries will be waiting on their doorstep. This is my favorite gift to give new mamas, but it's also perfect for the holiday season when days are packed with activities, visitors, and crowded grocery stores. You're an even better friend if you add a few bars of specialty chocolate and Häagen-Dazs.
9. Artkive
January is a great time of year to gift Artkive. You know, when we all feel like magically shipping all of our household clutter to the North Pole. Not that kid's art is clutter ;) Obviously, each piece of paper that comes home from school is a masterpiece. Especially the ones with a singular orange crayon scribble. Luckily you can save all of it and at the same time save space – you fill the Artkive Box that they send you with your kids’ art, send it back to them, then they’ll professionally photograph it and turn it into a keepsake book.
10. In Lieu
Of course, this list wouldn't be complete without mention of a charitable gift. I love inLieu because it allows users to make donations in lieu of purchasing material gifts, and at the same time makes donating fast and easy. You can support your minimalist friends by supporting their favorite cause. A few nonprofits you can donate to include No Kid Hungry, Vital Voices, Water.org and so many more.
