Gifts for and from minimalists

[flexagon]

I am really excited about my birthday present from heisenbug. He's been agonizing over what to give me, and this morning I finally thought of and asked for the right thing: a decision on what computer I should buy to replace my POS desktop at home. This is obviously a gift of time and research, and it's going to unblock me on something that's been creating a vortex of resentful energy around my office desk for many months. I'm going to boot that thing out the window and replace it with a dockable, travel-worthy laptop that's got higher specs than my old desktop and is lighter than my work lappie. EXCITED, I tell you. :-)

I'm also pretty excited about my birthday present to heisenbug a couple of weeks ago: large quantities of high-quality exotic-meat sausages, because he likes sausage.

As most of you know, I'm a minimalist; not a crazy 100-thing devotee, but I like to do "one in, one out" and I will very possibly pass on your gift to me once it has fulfilled its purpose of being accepted. And even non-minimalist adults already have the material items they need. And as not all of you know, heisenbug is kind of a time-commitment minimalist, so I try not to give him books or time-consuming games or other massive time-sucks.

So here are some gift ideas for things that don't take up space or time forever, most of which reflect things I've given or gotten over the years:

• Classes, as long as they're one-offs and not too time-sucky. Circus classes, music classes, pour-over coffee classes?


• Magazine subscriptions. I give The Atlantic a lot. Someone gave me Redbook once.


• Food can be a subscription; for anything there's an "X of the month club", though I feel I should warn you all that the "bacon of the month" clubs I've found seem to focus on weird flavored bacon.


• Gourmet food. Duh. But other consumables can be fun... if you have nerve, try giving makeup. Really nice primer matches everyone's skin tone, and nail polish doesn't need to.


• Tickets to an event(Cirque du Soleil works well).


• Anything practical that the person uses or eats all the time, but in quantity. This is a fun one. I once saw a guy give a girl a dozen Gatorades for Valentine's Day in her favorite flavor, and she loved it. For me, how about a crate of Triscuits? I'd also accept a hundred lip balms of the proper variety.


• Getting something serviced or repaired. One year I got heisenbug 's bike tuned up and also put a mirror into an empty frame he had. I think his picking out a new computer for me almost falls into this category, since whatever he picks will replace something broken.

What are your clever ideas? I told you mine. :-)

Comments

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

I really like your ideas.

Can you explain to me what time-sucking minimalist is? Does he not like having to devote time to anything for more than an hour for instance?

I like using groupons as gifts, especially for classes. You can try new things, and it's temporary (and usually quite cheap.)

I think for me, as a self identified minimalist also...focusing on experiences vs. things works best. Especially if you can share them...so a sunset cruise? Acroyoga classes (you already do this), CHOCOLATE OF THE MONTH, BEER OF THE MONTH, massages (can't keep em,but they make you feel great) from massage schools, alcohol (rare whiskey for instance.)

[flexagon]

He was going to reply to this himself, but it's been a couple of weeks, so... I don't think this "time minimalist" behavior is about not wanting to devote time to something, exactly, and he doesn't resent the time taken by movies (like I do).

He doesn't like obligations to spend time in a certain way though.

He doesn't schedule tightly like I do either; he'd rather have just a couple of things in the day, max, that have an exact time attached to them, and he likes to leave extra time between those scheduled things for padding.

At one point he said he likes to treat time the way I like to treat physical space, and that might be about right.

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

Interesting idea!

[heisenbug]

"One year I got heisenbug" - You get me every year! <3

[flexagon]

Haha, I get you PRETTY well after all this time. :-)

Fixed the entry though, sorry.

[ellenclaire.livejournal.com]

My preferred gift-giving tactic, at least for people I'm close to (and I don't tend to give birthday gifts unless I'm very close to someone) is the birthday date/experience - bonus points if the experience is a surprise. For R's birthday last year I booked an afternoon at an incredibly swank spa for the two of us and didn't tell him what we were doing until we arrived. I took K to a historic greenhouse for her birthday last year (she loves plants), and T and I took a day trip to NECCA for private lessons and small town wandering-around for his last birthday.

No "stuff" involved, one-shot experience so it's not a huge time suck, and you get to spend time together.