OpinionMom

At this time of the year, with the holiday rush on full swing, there is a strong temptation to regift rather than buy new. In most instances, you should resist that temptation.

On the surface regifting might appear to be an ideal way to save money. Why shouldn’t that sweater that your aunt gave you two Christmases ago and that you’ve never worn have a new life as your cousin’s Christmas gift this year?

When you look at the regifting concept more closely you may realize that the relationship trouble that it could cause is too great for the amount of money you might save.

If you must regift, here are five things to be especially cautious about when regifting:

• Never, ever assume the orginal giver (OG) won’t remember the gift.
• Don’t regift to someone who might come in contact with the OG.
• Don’t regift to the OG
• Don’t let the gift recipient know that this is a regift.
• Fad items don’t make good regifts.

Using the principles above, it’s probably not a good idea to regift among relatives. The chance that the OG will see the regift or someone will talk about it to the OG is just too great.

Likewise, telling the recipient that you are recycling an old Christmas gift that you didn’t want is not the best way to let them know that you care about them.

I shouldn’t even have to say this, but I’ve known of instances where it happened. Don’t ever, under any circumstances, give the regift back to the OG. If you can’t remember where a gift originally came from, don’t regift it.

This might seem like an anti-frugal tip, and in some ways it is. But, aren’t people worth more than money? Remember you don’t have to spend a lot to give an orginal gift.

What are your successes and failures with regifting?