There’s been a cultural shift to declutter our homes, people are spending their hard-earned dollars on experiences instead of stuff — and some people just don’t need a physical gift. So what do you buy for someone who says they don’t want anything (and means it)? Don’t waste money on a gift that will create unwanted clutter and be received with a groan.
We’ve curated a variety of consumable, sustainable, and experiential ideas that will have the minimalist in your life appreciating the gift as much as the thought behind it.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
Related: Unusual Gifts They’ll Never See Coming
A Food or Drink Tour
Various prices from Virgin Experience Gifts Shop Now
Need a gift for a foodie but don’t want to buy food? Send them on a food or drink adventure. Whether it’s a brewery, distillery, or chocolate factory tour, a cheese and wine tasting, or a city-specific tasting such as deep dish pizzas in Chicago, you’re bound to find something delicious and even educational for your minimalist friend. Virgin Experience Gifts offers experiential gifts in several locations across the country in a number of categories, including food and drink.
Related: 33 Gifts Under $25 for Food Lovers
Help Around the House
Various prices from TaskRabbit Shop Now
Not only will a TaskRabbit gift card not create any clutter, it’ll give your minimalist some extra free time when they have a task they’re just not that enthused about. Taskers deployed by this site can help assemble furniture, mount things on walls, do handyman work, and much more.
Related: 60 Gifts That Are Made in America
Zeel Massage
Various prices from Amazon Shop Now
A Zeel gift card buys another experience that is sure to be appreciated. Zeel connects its recipients with licensed and vetted massage therapists who’ll come to a home, office, or other location.
Honey Advent Calendar
$80 and up from Meyer Bees Shop Now
Here’s a sweet and unique way to count down the days until Christmas. Meyer Bees’ honey advent calendar kicks off each day with a sampler of raw, all-natural honey, along with honey-related surprises like beeswax candles and honey candy. The sticky samplers showcase a range of flavors and styles from around the country —from raspberry blossom and coffee blossom to creamed honey and honeycomb — and are all accompanied by a fact card to help you become a honey bee savant. Don’t want to commit to the 24-day box? There’s a 12-day calendar available, too.
(SPONSORED)
Adventure Challenge Scratch-Off Guide
$30 and up from The Adventure Challenge Shop Now
Many minimalists live by the mantra ‘value people, not things.’ These books contain 50 scratch-off suggestions for fun bonding activities with family, friends, or that special spouse or partner. Each “surprise” adventure comes with an estimated time commitment and cost, usually $20 or less. And each entry includes a place to include a photo and notes, so books become cherished keepsakes even after the challenges are long-completed. There’s also a version for solo adventures and a “naughty” edition.
Related: Gifts for Couples That’ll Make Them Both Happy
Trending on Cheapism
MightyFix Ecofriendly Starter Bundle Kit
$27 from Amazon Shop Now
Many minimalists have an appreciation for design, especially sustainable design. It’s part of the reason why they just can’t have any kitschy old thing lying around the house. With that in mind, they’ll appreciate this bundle of sustainable household items that include an all-purpose cleaner, silicone food savers, wool dryer balls, and compostable Swedish dishcloths.
‘Goodbye, Things’ Book
$16 from Amazon Shop Now
What could be better for a minimalist than a book with a title that literally endorses their lifestyle? This highly rated book by Japanese author Fumio Sasaki might be just what the minimalist in your life needs to take that ethos to the next level — especially if you choose the (cheaper!) Kindle version.
The Always Pan
$150 from Our Place Shop Now
Even a minimalist can’t argue with a pan that is “designed to replace 8 traditional pieces of cookware.” With a sturdy aluminum body and a gorgeous ceramic coating — available in 10 colors — it’s sure to win over the loved one who says, “Just don’t get me anything.”
Sign up for our newsletter
Memento Video
$7 a month and up from Memento Shop Now
Even if your loved one doesn’t like a lot of clutter, they won’t mind being showered with praise and reminded how much the people in their life love them. Memento takes video clips gathered by you (using their app) and helps you organize and curate them for the lucky recipient. No mess, but lots of (good) fuss.
Potted Plant
Various prices from The Sill Shop Now
Even a minimalist has to admit that plants don’t create clutter — rather they add vibrancy to a space while also helping remove impurities from the air. Win-win, right? The Sill has a number of lovely live plants available in simple yet gorgeous pots.
Taylors of Harrogate Teas Box Set
$12 from Amazon Shop Now
Give the minimalist tea drinker in your life this set of 48 teas encompassing eight different varieties: English breakfast, Earl Grey, decaffeinated breakfast, lemon & orange, pure assam, green tea with jasmine, organic peppermint, and organic chamomile. Reviewers, who give this set an average of 4.7 stars, say it offers “high quality tea for a good price.”
A Peek Into Their Ancestry
$99 from Amazon Shop Now
Services offering ancestral DNA testing help find where in the world you came from. Gifting a test through a service such as AncestryDNA can reveal generations of history and a loved one’s ancestral past and ethnic makeup — and offers a subscription to Ancestry.com, where family trees can be identified from possible genetic matches.
Related: Thoughtful Gifts for Sisters
Gift Card
Various prices from Amazon Shop Now
For some, gift cards might feel too impersonal, but you can’t underestimate their appeal for people keeping clutter at bay. Gift cards for music and games, local food co-ops or coffee roasters, fine dining at favorite restaurants, educational workshops, Airbnb getaways, and Amazon gift cards can be thoughtfully tailored for the recipient. Amazon’s selection of third-party gift cards is huge — and even includes service cards like Uber that mean your minimalist won’t have to buy any stuff.
A Minimalist Phone
$299 from The Light Phone II Shop Now
The world is a busy, messy, and chaotic place, but there are still products out there that try to keep things as simple and uncomplicated as possible — something the minimalist in your life will surely appreciate. The Light Phone II is an unlocked 4G LTE cellphone that eschews the app-happy madness that other phones embody. It will, however, call, text, set alarms, and provide hotspot functionality. The user can also opt to use it as a calculator and music/podcast player.
