Gift spreadsheet or gift app: what actually works
Plenty of careful people track their gifts in a spreadsheet, and it works. It is free, you already know how to use it, and nobody else owns it.
So the real question is which one you will still be opening in December.
What does a spreadsheet do well?
It is yours. You choose the columns, it stays private, and it will not change because a company changed its mind. For a small circle of people it can last for years.
If you want to start one, these columns cover most of what you need:
- Name and date
- Ideas and wishes
- Sizes
- Can't have (allergies, diets)
- Bought, wrapped, sent
- What you gave last year
How do I keep a spreadsheet working?
Sort it by date, so the next person due is always at the top. Hide the rows you have finished. Put a repeating note in your phone calendar for the first of every month that says "open the gift sheet". The spreadsheet cannot nag you, so the calendar has to.
A notes app is a lighter option for a short list of names. It stops being enough once you want to track sizes and what you bought last year.
Where does a spreadsheet give out?
It will not remind you. It sits in a folder until you remember to open it, and remembering was the problem.
It cannot ask anyone anything either. You still message each person, copy their reply into a cell, and keep it current. With thirty people, that is where most spreadsheets quietly die.
And it is clumsy on a phone, which is where you are standing when you remember a birthday.
What if two of us buy for the same people?
A shared spreadsheet works until two people edit the same row on two phones. Agree on one owner who does the typing while the other reads. Otherwise you will end up with two versions and a quarrel about which is right.
What should a gift app do?
Four jobs matter. Anything beyond them is clutter.
- Remind you before a date, with time to act
- Let people tell you what they want without making an account
- Keep what you learn about each person, year after year
- Show who is covered, so nothing is bought twice
How do I choose?
Count the people. If you buy for six or eight, enjoy tidying, and have never missed a date, stay with the spreadsheet. If you buy for twenty, forget dates, or spend more time chasing answers than choosing gifts, an app will earn its place.
How do I move over without losing anything?
Do not move everything at once. Start with names and dates, and add wishes as people answer. Wishmark is free, with an ask link for each person and a reminder email before each date, so you can try it on five people and see whether it fits.
Keep the spreadsheet through one full season. Archive it afterward instead of deleting it.
So which one should I use?
Use what you will keep up. A spreadsheet you open every week beats an app you forgot you installed. If yours works, keep it.