Minimalist Gifts Checklist

Today, I'm sharing my minimalist gifts checklist. My mom called a few weeks back stressing because we’re coming down for Christmas and she had “no idea what to buy a minimalist”. And I was like- "There are things that I want! In fact, I have a list that I’m happy to send over to give you ideas of the types of things I would like to have."

In that spirit, I thought that instead of going with the usual “buy the minimalist you love a really nice candle”, I’d share this handy Minimalist Gifts Checklist. I’m also going to go a step further and share my actual Christmas list (and recent purchases that I just couldn’t wait for) and why. The idea is that you may use my reasonings for some of these things to ninja the perfect gift for yourself or the minimalist you love 💕.  

#1. Things they want or need

The #1 thing to check off of your minimalist gifts checklist is always going to be things they want or need! One thing that you can do, as the minimalist receiving the gift, is to keep a list of things that you want-- even better if it’s easy and convenient to share.

We’ve used Google Sheets in the past to curate a list with links of ideas for things we would like. This year, I got a little lazy and created an Amazon list to generate easy ideas that can be shared- as well as ideas of where similar things might be found. 

The idea is that it’s a simple way to share things that are of interest. To be clear, I won’t be getting all of these things, but I might get one or 2 of them or something like them and that’s the point). There’s still an element of surprise while maintaining a sense of others “being in the loop” on what I need. 

As the gift-giver, just ask! It’s preferred. There are ways to keep an element of surprise but complete surprises can go either way. Don’t make one more person fake excitement this year—just ask :). Again, I’ll share my own list here in a bit so you can see a visual (it’s really not grandiose). 

#2. Locally produced consumables

Consumables don’t always mean food. Now, I know a lot of people who LOVE getting snack boxes for Christmas- when we do White Elephant Christmases here we always have a few of those floating around and they do really well. 

But things that make me swoon are handmade, organic, things you might purchase at a farmer’s market or Saturday market. The more earthy and natural, the better. We typically eat that stuff up! Plus, if they don’t like it or don’t finish it, they don’t have to feel bad about discarding it because it’s all-natural. 

I got these yummy chunky soap bars from the farmer’s market last week and I couldn’t resist cutting some off and using them! I’m going to have to buy some more if I want to give them as gifts. 😬 They smell delicious- mmm lemongrass and lavender with all-natural oils and herbal remedies packed in. 

#3. Upgrades and replacements

Most of my list this year falls under this category as you’ll see here soon. It never hurts to ask, but if you’re close to someone and you’ve seen them complaining about the hole in their pillowcase or the malfunctioning can opener- well, that’s a safe bet that an upgrade might be appreciated and wouldn’t add clutter or excess to the space. 

#4. Goods with a mission

Minimalists are often into purposeful goods- eco-friendly, sustainable, zero-waste businesses, locally sourced, organic, supporting a good cause, etc. This may not always be the case, but there's definitely some correlation of interest there.

Now, I just want to reiterate that ALL of the items in this checklist are for idea generation and should not be assumed fair game for all gifts - in other words, asking is still the best practice. For example, if you know someone who is into zero waste and you buy them a bunch of eco-friendly products that they don’t need- well, an eco-friendly product that isn’t needed is still waste.

Many of these things aren’t financially accessible to a lot of people but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t love to participate! This makes it an even greater gift option. Think outside of the box (store). 👈 See what I did there? 😆 Focus on quality and sustainability over quantity.

#5. Compact items

All things being equal, consider items that are compact in nature. For example, over the summer I got really excited about the prospect of backpacking-sized tools and equipment to bring camping, rather than loading up the vehicles with regular-sized-space sucking items. 

I’ve also tried to think of ways that I can make my home storage feel a bit more compact. When we sent my daughter on her camping trip, I was super excited about getting her a giant tote bag that folds up into a small circle for storage. These things can save so much space which tends to be a common consideration for most minimalists.

#6. Versatile items

Finally, consider versatility. One principle that’s often used in the minimalist community is the concept of having items that serve multiple functions. I’ve said in the past that my Ninja blender falls snugly in that category because I’ve been able to use it as a tool for so many things- from shredding chicken to blending smoothies, to processing smaller foods. 

I recently got tired of fitting and stacking measuring spoons and ditched them all in exchange for a single adjustable measuring spoon. Things that are versatile are essentially saving the space of multiple items and when you do that in a variety of areas in the home- it makes a huge difference.

So, that’s my quick minimalist gifts checklist! Let me show you how that translated into my own wish list. Below you'll see a list of anything mentioned in this post as well as my own personal wishlist mentioned in the YouTube video above! You can also see 21 of my favorite minimalist gifts and 25+ minimalist gifts for kids.