If thinking of "all that the person you want to give to already has" frustrates your search for The Perfect Gift... give up! - and give him something edible, drinkable, or otherwise "use-uppable". So what if he can afford to buy himself whatever he wants? - use another (few?) of the meaningful-gift-giving principles to make your choice stand out for him. ...He can’t get what you will give him in a store - because you’ll give him something of your thought, perhaps even of your creative efforts... the connection to you.

All sorts of things a person might use every day, or every so often, are consumable! There are so many edible gifts:  wine, jam, cookies, pickles, condiments... see the Foodstuffs section for lots of ideas. Then there are body lotions, soaps, perfumes, etc... see the Personal Stuff gifts sections for more. Here’s a mishmash, off the top of my head:

• gift certificates for the movies, or to restaurants (you could even suggest a good movie or menu item, if you know them and the person’s tastes)

• fire starters

• homemade dog treats

• annual plants

• craft supplies

• wrapping paper

• kids’ fingerpaints

• stationery

• crossword puzzle books

• confetti eggs!

The person who "has everything" may even be a little wistful about how much less fun gift-exchanging is these days... and she may realize perfectly well that people are stumped. Give her a pleasant surprise - a twist, and your gift stands out, no matter what it is! (Of course, this isn’t the only type of gift that can appropriately and winningly be given to the person who has everything - look at some of the other principles with this "problem giftee" in mind...)

If you hardly know your giftee, of course, this type of present has some inherent pitfalls... You don’t want to give jerky to a vegetarian, or candy to a dieter, or alcohol to a tee-totaler, etc. Craft supplies won’t be of use to the person who’s all thumbs, nor confetti eggs, perhaps, to a neatnik.

...Well, think in terms of gift certificates to stores or catalogs that offer a large selection of consumable products or services to choose from - the wide-choice gift certificate can save the day! (And one thing we do know:  everybody eats... something! - so edible gifts are a good fall-back position.)

A gift certificate can also be the centerpiece of a gift that includes real items… For instance, here’s a gift idea for a whole family that allows for choice and engenders family togetherness: a movie rental certificate packaged with candy, assorted cans of soda, and microwave popcorn. (If you’re lucky, maybe they’ll even invite you!)