Gift experiences instead of physical items. We waste about $9 billion every holiday season on gifts that are returned or thrown away. Focus on experiences like day trips or meals in restaurants, or cover the cost of digital services they already use like Netflix, Spotify or online workout classes. And forget gift cards: Nearly $23 billion in gift cards goes unused in the U.S. If you have unused cards, CharityGiftCertificates.org lets you give balances of any amount to a whole host of charities for animals, the environment, the unhoused, disaster relief, and fighting hunger and disease.