Building a brick path is still an expense, it's ju...

2008-05-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

Building a brick path is still an expense, it's just one of time rather than money, and since time is money, it all comes out to just be a more expensive gift.

My Grand Unified Theory of Gift Giving is as follows: the best gifts are things that the recipient would want to have, but for whatever reason is not inclined to simply get for themselves. For instance, a friend of mine absolutely loves the truffles from The Chocolate Garden. Enough so, in fact, that I'm sure the cost/benefit ratio for her almost certainly warrants buying them from a rational perspective. Nonetheless, she is psychologically adverse to buying expensive chocolate because she thinks of it as a frivolous luxury. Solution: I give her some as a gift every now and then. She gets to enjoy good chocolate without any of the buyer's remorse that it would cause her if she got it herself.

Thus, she receives utility that is uniquely provided by the fact that the item is a gift, and that I know enough about her to make accurate decisions on what would provide that utility. This probably isn't the best example of personally tailored gifts since most people like expensive chocolate but are reluctant to splurge on it, so the exact same product could be substituted for many people. In my defense though, this particular friend of mine has never hesitated to buy the things she usually wants, since she has both a decent income and relatively inexpensive tastes most of the time, so I've got limited room to work with here!

Hi FF,This isn't so much a comment on this post, a...

2008-02-17T02:05:00.000-06:00

Hi FF,

This isn't so much a comment on this post, although I totally agree with it, but more of a comment in general to say how much I've enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks!

Small Cents

Comments on Feminist Finance: Gifts Versus Expenses

Building a brick path is still an expense, it's ju...

Hi FF,This isn't so much a comment on this post, a...