How to buy gifts without killing yourself

The custom of giving gifts has always existed in human civilization. It can be traced as far back as cavemen! Gift giving was an important part of their communities, particularly for establishing dominance, being respected and starting a family.

Gifts are the sweetest gesture of showing gratitude. By giving gifts, we can project our appreciation to our friends, family members, a mentor or any other person who puts relentless efforts to make our life better. After all, their smile is sure to light-up our world.

Popular misconception about a perfect gift is, it has to be expensive. But the truth is, it just has to be thoughtful. Sometimes, something very simple is more than enough to bring a smile to the face of loved ones. The emotions and feelings matter the most, not the price of the gift.

Small treats like earphones

Earphones are the most useful gifts ever. Headphones or earphones make a pretty solid gift and the best part is you can give it to someone on any occasion. Gifting a pair of earphones or earbuds does not even require extensive prior research. Making it a present is so easy and effortless.

Brands like JBL, Joyroom, Anker sell high quality budget friendly earphones. They have both wired and wireless options, and you can buy them from physical stores as well as online.

A good quality branded earphone can cost you somewhere between 1k to 10k BDT. Price will increase if you look for a high end one, of course.

Perfumes, the affordable luxury

The beauty of fragrance is that it speaks to your heart, and hopefully someone else's too: when it is a gift. No wonder, perfumes are one of the greatest classic gifts of all time.

The idea of using perfume as a gift is an ancient practice. From the Egyptian-Roman period, perfume has been considered a token of extra affection and used as a gift. This practice is continuing somehow.

Perfumes are sentimental gifts. Giving someone a perfume is a way of letting them know how much you think of him/her. It shows that you have put a lot of thought into who the recipient is and what they might like. That is why giving someone a perfume is a sign of affection.

Miniso Bangladesh sells various genre of perfumes ranging from 800 to 3000 BDT. They even sell pocket perfumes. These imported perfumes smell wonderful, are pretty affordable and a most fitted gift for birthdays and anniversaries. 

Gift voucher

Gift vouchers are lifesaving gift options as they do not require any prior research and packaging. Gift cards give the recipients the full freedom of buying things of their choice. Gift vouchers are an impersonal gift.

Brac Aarong sells a wide range of gift vouchers starting from 1,000 to 5,000 BDT. Redemption period of these cards are 1 year from the day of purchase.

Rafina Tabassum, a student of finance at Dhaka University is very fond of giving and receiving gift vouchers. "When in doubt, I always lean on Aarong gift vouchers. It never disappoints anyone and is a perfect gift for weddings, birthdays or even anniversaries", she added.

Evaly.bd has created a whole new level of hype in the market by launching different shopping vouchers at a discounted price. You can have vouchers of apparel shops, diamond stores, makeup shops etc. You can even have service vouchers of Gala Makeover Salon and other beauty parlors from Evaly. These vouchers can be the ideal Eid gift for almost everyone.

Account of Spotify

The idea of giving an account of Spotify to your beloved one is actually very thoughtful and unique. If the person is a music addict, this might turn out to be the best gift ever. A yearly subscription can cost you around 2,500 BDT to 3,000 BDT. Subscription cards of 1, 3, 6 or 12 months are available for purchase on Daraz BD website as well.

When you purchase an account of Spotify for someone, Spotify e-mails that person an electronic greeting card which is personalized with your message and includes a link to his Premium code. You can also print the message and add it to a paper greeting card.

Custom package of locally made chocolates

Chocolate is an all-time best gift. It never really needs any particular occasion to give someone chocolates. Chocolate is universally enjoyed and is an affordable luxury.

"I am never tired of getting chocolates as gifts, doesn't really matter if it's a candy of one buck or 1k worth imported chocolate bar. Chocolates always lift up my mood. And in terms of giving as well, chocolate is my first preference. It never goes wrong after all", shares Fatema Antara, a student of London College of Legal Studies.

Coco Lab, a local chocolate producer company is passionate about crafting quality chocolate. Apart from the fact that Coco Lab crafts chocolates from highest grade of imported raw materials, they also provide custom assorted chocolate platter for different occasions. 

Gifts are basically manifestation of emotions. Every so often, people simply buy and give gifts without that special feeling in the heart. Giving gifts should not be something done out of compulsion; it must come from the heart. After all it's the thought that counts.

Kaniz Supriya, 4th year, Department of Geography & Environment, University of Dhaka