There's always one person on the list who makes it tricky. They've already got the coffee machine, they've already got the perfume, and the coat they had their eye on? They bought it themselves last week. Finding gifts for someone who has everything isn't about running out of ideas: it's that the obvious ones have already been used up. The good news is that there's a way out, and it isn't about spending more money but about changing the question you ask yourself before you buy.
Why gifts for someone who has everything fall flat
The mistake is nearly always the same: we buy by category. We think ‘they love coffee’ and turn up with yet another bag of coffee, when that person already owns the grinder, the scales and three single-origin beans in the cupboard. Buying by category means competing with what they already have, and that's a contest you always lose.
Someone who has everything doesn't need another object on the shelf. What they need is for someone to have noticed something specific about their day-to-day life. That's what they'll remember, not the price.
The four-question method
Before you open a single website, answer these. It takes five minutes and completely changes your shortlist.
- What do they use every day? Things we use daily wear out, and hardly anyone bothers to replace them. That's where the best gift lies: the good version of something they already reach for every morning.
- What do they moan about? Listen to the little grumbles, the ones nobody sees as a real problem: dog hair on the sofa, the throw that keeps slipping off, the drawer that won't shut. Fixing a daily annoyance is worth more than any treat.
- What do they love but never buy for themselves? We all have one area where we always skimp on ourselves. A gift right there almost always hits the mark, because it's a pleasure that person denies themselves.
- How much space do they have at home? In a small flat, a big object is a problem dressed up as a present. If in doubt, choose something that fits in a drawer or gets used up.
Ideas that survive ‘I've already got one’
The quiet upgrade. Same job, done better: the knife that actually cuts, the towel that actually dries, the reading lamp that doesn't strain your eyes. It won't wow them when they unwrap it; it'll wow them a week later.
The good consumable. Olive oil, tea, candles, a lovely soap. It doesn't take up space for good: it gets enjoyed and then it's gone. For someone who already has too much stuff, a gift that disappears is a virtue.
Something that takes away a daily niggle. This is where you're most likely to get it right, and where people look least. If there's a dog or cat in the house, pet hair is complaint number one: a self-cleaning reusable pet hair roller gets used every day and doesn't end up in a drawer. If the animal wolfs its food down and then brings it back up, a silicone slow feeder bowl solves something the owner has been putting up with for months.
Time instead of things. A dinner, a ticket, a day out together. It takes up no space and is remembered for longer than any box.
Three mistakes that spoil the gift
Giving what you'd like yourself. It's the most common mistake and the hardest to spot. If, while choosing it, you catch yourself thinking ‘I'd quite like to keep this’, think again.
Guessing sizes. Clothes and shoes often have to be exchanged, which turns the gift into an errand.
Giving gadgets they have to learn to use. If it needs a manual and fifteen minutes of setting up, it'll most likely end up in the loft.
If you're still stuck
Go back to question two and work from there: the little grumble that person repeats without realising. Hardly any expensive gift can compete with a small touch that takes away an annoyance every single day. And if you need inspiration, have a look at our selection of home, pet and gift ideas: the point isn't to find the most expensive thing, but the thing that person will use tomorrow.