Why My Spouse and I Skip The Gifts

I’m sure some people are surprised to hear that my husband and I don’t buy each other gifts. After all, gift-giving is a common way to show love and appreciation in relationships. But there are a few reasons why we’ve chosen to do things differently.

Why we don’t buy each other gifts:

1. We would rather skip the stress

Thinking of what to buy for someone for special occasions every year (forever!) is stressful. Plus, there is the guilt of keeping something you don’t really like, simply because your spouse gave it to you. No thanks.

2. We don’t want to create a cycle of expectation.

If we start buying each other gifts, we don’t want to feel like we have to keep up with each other or spend more and more money each year. We’re happy with the simple things in life and we don’t need expensive gifts to show our love for each other.

3. We express our love in other ways.

We show our love for each other in many other ways, such as date nights, walking the dog together, and doing things around the house. 

4. We’re more interested in experiences than material things.

We’d rather spend our money on experiences that we can create together, such as going on vacation, meeting for lunch, or going to classes together. We believe these experiences will create lasting memories that we’ll cherish for years.

5. We’re setting a good example for our children.

We have three young children, and we want to teach them that it’s not the value of a gift that matters, but the thought behind it. We want them to know that they can show their love and appreciation for others in many different ways and that expensive gifts aren’t necessary.

Of course, we still celebrate special occasions together, such as our birthdays and our anniversary. But we don’t buy each other gifts. Instead, we might go out to dinner, take a walk in the park, or just spend some quality time together. We know that our love for each other is more important than any material gift.

If you’re considering not buying your spouse gifts, here are a few tips:

• Talk to your spouse about it first. Make sure that they’re on the same page and that they’re comfortable with the idea of not exchanging gifts. 
• Find other ways to show your love and appreciation. This could include cooking meals for each other, doing chores around the house, or simply spending quality time together. Take The Love Language quiz (no personal information is required) and have your spouse take it too, so you can understand the best way to show love to each other.
• Be creative with how you celebrate special occasions. Instead of buying each other gifts, you could go out to dinner, watch a movie together, or make cards to give each other.

Remember, the best gifts are the ones that come from the heart.

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