We have all been there. You open that gift from Aunt Janet, she splurged this year and bought you an iron. The gift may be practical, but you already have an iron, and it wasn’t on your wish list. Now what to do?

Option 1: Exchange. Depending on how close you are with your gift giver, you could always graciously thank them for the gift, but explain that you already have one at home (this can work even if you don’t have one). In this case, that gift can be exchanged for something more within your liking. Some shops will even accept an exchange without a receipt, so it is worth a try!

Option 2: Re-gift. If it is not an option to ask for a gift receipt from your gift giver, you can re-gift. Think about those around you that might have use for this special gift. Hang onto that item until a practical time to do the re-gift (just be sure it isn’t re-gifted to someone in the same circle).

Option 3: Donate. The Christmas season is all about giving, right? You may not have use for the gift you received but someone else might be thrilled to have it. There are plenty of charities out there you can donate to. Do a little googling and find one in your area that best suits the gift.

Option 4: Sell. There are plenty of online marketplaces around, including Facebook. If you know your gift giver won’t see your posting, you can always try to sell that gift for cash and use that cash to get something you have been wanting.

Option 5: Swap. There are some good swap sites online these days. You never know, that gift you got may be on someone’s radar, so it is worth checking out. You can join a buy swap sell group on Facebook to make things easier and ensure the people on the look out are in your area.