Five Tips for Holiday Shopping for a Picky Person

• Shopping for picky people can be a challenging task, but there are gifts that you can give your loved ones that they will be satisfied with receiving.
• It's crucial not to overthink your gift ideas and to know that simplicity may be the best option.
• Although the holiday season is in full effect, sticking to your budget is essential to avoid overspending.

When someone provides you with their wishlist or Christmas list, it makes shopping for them much easier. However, we sometimes come across a family member, friend, or colleague who responds with "I don't want anything this year" or "Just buy me whatever you'd like." Unfortunately, those who provide such as response are usually the hardest to shop for when it comes to gifting.

Another person who is difficult to shop for is someone who is considered "picky." It isn't that they will look at a gift you've purchased for them and tell you, "I don't want that," like some obnoxious toddler. Instead, these are people who have very specific interests or needs. 

Shopping for a Picky Person

Holiday shopping for picky people can be challenging, but by following a few easy tips, you can get past this part of your holiday to-do tasks and satisfy your picky holiday picks.

Simplicity may be the best option. 

Don't overdo it. The more over-the-top you go, the more likely you are to miss the mark. 

Have you ever thoroughly thought through and chosen what you believed was the perfect gift, built anticipation, became overly excited as the time neared for you to present the gift, and then it all fell flat? It turns out that you completely overthought it. Something simpler and probably cheaper would have been more satisfying to the receiver. 

Gift cards are a safe choice.  

Everyone has a favorite store or activity. So when thinking of a present for your picky friend, take a moment to think about the store where the person likes to shop. Your person will likely appreciate a gift card for that store because they will be shopping there again. 

If you don't know the favorite store of the person you are giving a gift card to, you can take a guess based on gender. For guys, you can find a gift card that can contribute to home improvement or electronics. For girls, a safe guess could be a gift card to enjoy a spa day. However, be careful with this gender-based guessing option, as it is important to know and respect a person's preferred pronouns and preferences. 



Another option is to go the more general route. Some malls have a gift card for the entire mall, or you can provide a Visa gift card that can be used anywhere. Either option can be a perfect gift card.

Gift cards may not be considered the most thoughtful gift, but they are still a good option. 

Give them the receipt. 

With your gift-giving, be sure also to provide the receipt. Doing so is a sneaky backdoor way to give them an optional gift card while still giving them a gift. This is the case because when you give someone a gift with the receipt, if they don't like the present or can't fit it, they can easily return the item and get the value of the item as a gift card or store credit. 

Providing the receipt with your gift is also a general gift-giving best practice because you might still get the wrong thing even if you follow someone's instructions to buy a gift. 

Make them something personalized. 

The more time and effort you put into a gift, the more meaningful it becomes. People you perceive as picky will often appreciate the effort you put into making a personalized gift, even if they don't care for the gift itself. 

Personalized gifts can include a lot of different things. Some ideas include the following:

• Creating clothing or blankets with special meaning 
• Having a design printed on a T-shirt 
• Crafting an ornament 
• Commission or create a painting of a special location or family member 
• A personalized "Build-a-Bear." 
• And other things that take more time than money. 

You don't have to be super crafty to create any of these gifts. Many of the listed options are readily available online and are relatively inexpensive.  

Buy them their "Gazingus Pin." 

You may be wondering what is a Gazingus Pin. Even if you've never heard the term before, you know what a Gazingus Pin is, and you could probably identify yours in a matter of seconds. A Gazingus Pin is anything that we can't pass by without purchasing. To put it another way, it is that thing that someone collects, even if it is entirely useless. 

What is your picky person's Gazingus Pin? That can be an easy go-to gift. 

Examples of Gazingus Pins include: 

• Hats 
• Small electronics 
• Porcelain dolls 
• Santa Claus statues 
• Headbands 
• Rooster paraphernalia 
• Shoes 
• And pretty much anything else someone could like. 



If all else fails, look at what your picky friend owns a lot of and buy more. For example, if your friend has a collection of watches, buying a watch as a gift is a safe bet because that is more than likely their Gazingus Pin. 

Stick to your budget.

Due to holiday shopping for picky people often being complicated and stressful, it can lead to wanting to pull out all the stops or go into "go big or go home" mode. Don't fall for this trap. You want to stick to your holiday budget during the holiday season. Buying a bigger and better gift to impress your picky friend or anyone else is not worth it. 

The Money Wrap-Up

Breaking your budget is not the answer here. 

The amount you spend on a gift does not correlate with how much someone appreciates it. However, it does negatively correlate with your financial well-being. So remember, if you're holiday shopping for a picky person, find something that will be impactful but won't break the bank. 

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