What if all three answers are 'maybe'?

Maybe is no. Pick a consumable or experience instead. Borderline objects become closet clutter. Maybe on use but yes on fit suggests a smaller version of the same idea.

Office secret Santa under $20?

Question 1 dominates: desk snack they eat, nice pen they lose constantly, reusable mug if they bring coffee. Skip decor — nobody wants another desk sign.

Use still applies — will they play with it this month? Fit means parent rules (no loud, no mess). Regift: parents regift constantly; buy classics with good resale, not fad plastic.

Wedding registries feel impersonal.

Registry items pass all three questions by design. Pick one mid-list item they actually chose plus a handwritten line about why you picked it over the fancy blender.

Gifts & Giving

The Three-Question Gift Test

Filter every idea in 90 seconds before you spend

35 min9 photographed stepsBeginner

Before you buy, run three questions: Will they use it this month? Does it fit how they actually live? Would I feel good if they regifted it? This course turns those questions into a repeatable checklist for birthdays, holidays, weddings, and office swaps. You will learn how to score borderline ideas, salvage a half-good concept, and say no to group gifts that waste everyone's money.

What you'll learn

Question 1: Will they use it this month — not someday, this month
Question 2: Does it fit their home, schedule, and values
Question 3: Would you respect them if they regifted it
How to downgrade a bad idea into a good consumable or split a group gift

Inside this course

Question 1 — UseThis month, not someday.
Question 2 — FitTheir life, not your fantasy.
Question 3 — RegiftThe respect check.
Run the full testScore, choose, execute.

Full step-by-step lessons with photos unlock with a subscription.

Free preview

First steps from Question 1 — Use

See how every step looks — photo, checklist, and pro tips included.

01Ask 'this month' out loud

Say the question literally: 'Will they use this in the next 30 days?' Someday gifts are fiction — language learning software for a non-starter, camping gear for someone who hates bugs, a journal for a non-journaler.

If the honest answer is 'when they finally get around to it,' fail the question. Pass examples: replacement for something broken, upgrade to daily tool, food they eat weekly, ticket to an event within the month. Calendar proximity forces honesty.

Pro tip. Seasonality counts. December gloves pass in November; fail in June unless they are traveling.

02Score partial use honestly

Partial use is still a fail unless you shrink the gift. A full home espresso setup fails for occasional coffee drinkers; a bag of beans from a roaster they pass daily passes.

Write Pass, Fail, or Shrink next to each idea. Shrink means find the smallest useful version — one class instead of a series, sampler instead of full bottle, gift card for one meal instead of appliance.

Full library access