My daughters birthday is coming up, and with the holidays just leaving us and trying to find gifts for her, I’ve got that big question in my head “What the heck am I going to get her THIS year?” She’s already got a billion toys, I guess she could always use more clothes, I could go on and on, the list of ‘thoughts’ of what could I get her for a birthday gift could go on forever and I still probably would change my mind a million times!

At least she’s only turning 6, I’m sure I’ll figure something out, it’s not a huge problem. But gift giving seems to be a problem for just about everyone, you always have that “what should I get them” question no matter the occasion or the person.

The key factor to gift giving is KNOWING that person. What would they like to have that they won’t buy for themselves? But it’s not always that easy, sometimes we’re not that close to the person, sometimes we don’t have the opportunity to learn about them as much as we’d like to, so that’s when you need to depend on someone else to help you out. Sure there’s still effort, and you’ll have to think, but it may be a lot easier than thinking on your own and trying to figure it out.

When we get into the situation that I’m in, a gift for a child you have to remember their age. Age appropriate gifts are a must for children. Think of things they currently play with, or hobbies they have. Think of when you were a kid, what did you like? Bigger, colorful gifts. With kids, visual impact is everything!

Anniversary gifts are another struggle for people. What to get your spouse for that special day, or maybe it’s a friend you need to get a gift for. You could go by the age old ‘year of the anniversary’ gift, but those are sometimes hard to come by and could get expensive. Be creative! Think of the person, or the couple, what are they into? Hobbies? Anything special they like to do together? Couples gifts can be a surprising great gift for an anniversary no matter who it’s from.

Don’t let gift giving be stressful. It’s always the thought that counts, and hey, if they don’t like it, they’ll appreciate that you actually thought to give them something anyways. What are your best gift buying tips?