The blur of the past couple weeks may have littered your home with useless trinkets others gave you in exchange for the equally useless stuff you gave them. If you had wanted any of these things you would have bought them yourself, but you’re stuck with them until you manage to simplify and declutter.

Free From Broke offers advice for getting rid of gifts you don’t want, assuming you don’t have receipts that will allow you to return them:

* Set them aside for next year. If you were lucky, gift-givers didn’t stare you down, waiting for you to unbox their wares in front of them in faux-elation. If the packaging remains intact, you can just sock it away in the closet and give it to someone in a different social circle. If it came in a gift bag, you won’t even need to re-wrap it.

* Sell them. Hold a garage sale or peddle your wares online. Be aware that the choice could backfire if the giver finds out what you’re doing.

* Give it away. You could toss it in the garbage, but maybe you can help someone else get some use out of it. Abandon it at the table at work where people leave doughnuts. Post an online ad and offer to give it away for free. Or donate it to a nonprofit such as Goodwill.

The Art of Getting Rid of Unwanted Gifts [Free From Broke]

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