I don&#x27;t live quite like this, but I feel similarly about gifts: I far prefer them to be practical rather than decorative or frivolous.<p>I&#x27;ve realised that people can get slightly upset when I explain it to them. They want to buy me something fun, something I&#x27;ll &quot;enjoy&quot;. Chances are I won&#x27;t, although I do of course appreciate the sentiment.<p>Equally, I find it more satisfying to buy a &quot;useful&quot; gift for others. And of course people don&#x27;t always appreciate this, and some prefer a trinket instead of a practical item.<p>There&#x27;s emotional context imbued in the act of giving, and some people embed that in the object itself.<p>So I&#x27;m learning to allow people to express their feelings toward me by letting them buy me whatever they want, although I will still hint at my preference if given a choice.<p>This can lead to clutter, which I hate, but I&#x27;ve realised some people love. I don&#x27;t know the solution to this yet, but I suspect it&#x27;s a combination of out-of-site storage and in-view display cabinet type arrangements. I have disposed of truly unwanted gifts, but I realise that&#x27;s potentially hurtful so I don&#x27;t enjoy doing it.