Seems like everyone around us is finally getting around to inviting friends and family to celebrate their new homes. Here’s why! During the pandemic years, people who moved homes could not host a housewarming party in style for obvious reasons, especially in Australia, given the strict Covid guidelines.
So, if your social calendar is suddenly filling up with housewarming party invites, you must be scrambling for ideas on what gifts to get for your newly moved friends.
In this post, we will discuss strategies on how to choose the perfect housewarming hampers. Read along to learn how to gift like a pro and wow your newly moved friends and family.
#1 Find Out Why They Moved
The most appreciated gifts are those that have been chosen with considerable thought. This concept is especially true for housewarming hampers. That’s because the last thing someone needs is a useless gift they will need to figure out a place for in their new home.
You need to put some thought into why the recipient of your lovely gift hamper will need the things you are getting for them.
This is where you need to find out why they moved to a new home. Is it because they needed more space? Is their family expanding? Are they planning to get pregnant? Are they moving for a new job? Is it because they decided to pursue a new degree?
These are all important questions to ask before you can figure out what would be useful for them.
Once you have answers to why they moved where they did, you will start to get a sense of what they will need for their new home. Then, you will be on your way to crafting the best housewarming gift hamper for this special home.
#2 Look for Clues About Their Likes and Dislikes
This strategy will help you find out what kind of stuff they like in their Australian home and around. Are these friends foodies? Do they like to cook? Are they big on barbecues and outdoor grilling? Do they like to entertain? What are their current hobbies and interests? Are they pet parents? Do they like to garden? Do they like yoga or working out?
These are just some questions you can start researching. Ideally, you will already know the answers to most of these questions. If you don’t, feel free to ask them via direct messages. Or, if you have the chance to see them before the housewarming party, seize the opportunity to ask them then.
Another fun way to find their likes and dislikes is to follow some of their posts on social media. You would be surprised how much you will get to know your friend after going through their last 15 posts.
#3 Ask Them Outright What They Want
This strategy seems straightforward, but not a lot of gift-givers apply this strategy. For some reason, we tend to believe it is not customary to ask the recipient what they would like for a housewarming.
But think about the last time you were at a wedding. How much did the gift registry help you out in figuring out what to buy as a gift? If the same couple who just got married is now inviting you to a housewarming party, why not continue with the trend and outright ask them what they would like?
Be tactful with your questions. Something similar to: “Hey, I am thinking of going shopping for your housewarming gift this week. Any clues as to what I could get you that you would find super useful right now?”
This tells the recipient that you care about them enough to invest the time to get to know their needs before you go out and buy a gift for them. What a sweet gesture!
#4 Set a Budget and Stick to it
In these high inflationary periods, buying gifts for all your friends who moved can be taxing on the wallet. So a successful gifting strategy includes setting a budget for each occasion.
As a general rule, here is a guideline you can follow for setting budgets:
- A housewarming gift for an acquaintance or a coworker: $25-$50
- A gift for a friend: $50-$75
- A gift for a close friend: $75-$100
- A gift for a close family member: around $50-$100
- A gift for mom/dad, siblings: you get to set the limit
There are no steadfast rules about gift amounts, but this general guideline should help you stay within an affordable budget yet capable of buying fun, useful gifts for your recipient.
#5 Personalize and Customize
Think back to the best gift you received from a friend. The best part of that gift was probably the fact that it was customized and personalized to you. This makes the gift one-of-a-kind and unique to the person’s taste.
When putting together a gift hamper for a housewarming, pick the items you know your loved one or friend will enjoy. If they like chardonnay, get them chardonnay. If they like Brie, get them a classic Australian Brie. This is where the information you gathered through your research on their likes and dislikes will come in handy.
Wherever possible, try to personalize the gift too. If you are getting them a coffee mug or a pair of champagne flutes, get their initials on them.
A mug could also have a customized message that signifies something about their new home.
If they move near the beach, get them a beach-themed gift. If they moved to the countryside, a countryside-themed gift would be perfect.
The best part is personalizing gifts does not take a lot of money. Just a little bit of research online will render several small businesses whose core job is to customize and personalize gifts.
#6 Consider Experiences and Objects Alike
Sometimes, the best gift you can give is one that involves experiencing something together. When someone just moved, their budgets are stretched a bit, and they often will forgo that dinner out or that extra cup of coffee from their favorite cafe. FYI – Australians never say no to coffee.
Consider including a gift certificate to a restaurant for the main course, or maybe a coffee subscription from their favorite cafe that they can utilize during those lean budget months ahead.
Experiences can also include road trips, an overnight stay somewhere, or a trip to a casino together. Include a card and a note with the date and the venue and ask them out to join you.
You would be surprised how much they will love the idea of getting away from the chaos of setting up their new home just to relax a little bit.
These experience-related gifts are best reserved for your bestie or your parents, a sibling, or someone close to you, as you have to want to invest the time to spend with them.
#7 When in Doubt, Reach for Food
If you don’t know this friend very well and have been just too busy to research ideas for their housewarming gift hampers, you can also go the easy route by picking food.
Food is universal and is necessary for everyone to survive, so it is always a safe gift. Food is especially appropriate as a housewarming gift because of the bare cupboard syndrome the new homeowners are probably experiencing.
Think back to the last time you moved. You probably had to empty out your pantry, liquor cabinet, freezer, and fridge to lighten the load you needed to move.
Therefore, a gift hamper full of treats, delicacies, cured meats, cheeses, jams, and preserves will always be a welcome gift in a new home.
Alternatively, if they are health-conscious, consider a gift hamper with some of the healthiest foods like nuts, seeds, quinoa, bone broth, green tea, and dark chocolate.
Just a word of caution—if you are going with food, always ask about their food aversions and allergies before you show up with food at their door.
The last thing you need is to be the one that ended the housewarming party because your food caused an anaphylactic shock to the host.
There is also nothing wrong with including booze in the gift hamper. If your friend is not pregnant or has no substance use concerns or aversions, there is absolutely nothing wrong with gifting alcohol. Just be aware of their values and their attitude toward drinking before you opt for alcohol as a gift.
Conclusion
There you have it. We have provided you with seven solid strategies on how to choose perfect housewarming hampers.
Moving can be fun, exhilarating, and angst-ridden at the same time. If a friend or a family member decides to move, it is a very big deal for them.
So if you do get an invite to their housewarming, be sure to attend the party, and show up with a thoughtful, appropriate gift for them. Just sit back and enjoy their gleaming faces as they show you around their beautiful new home.
