Gift for a Friend Who Has Everything

For a friend who has everything, don't give one more thing: give something that gets used up, something that fixes a problem, or something that can't be bought. The friend who "has everything" rarely has time, rarely buys herself the good version of what she uses every day, and rarely has someone solve a problem for her without being asked. Here are six ways in that work, and at the end, what not to give her.

1. What she uses up, in its best version

Things that get used up don't take up space. Notice what she reaches for every day and give her the version she never buys herself:

• Her coffee, but from a small roaster, or whole beans from the café she loves.
• The good hand cream, the one she always smells at the store and puts back.
• Real vanilla or a beautiful olive oil, for the friend who cooks.
• Candles in her favorite scent, the long-burning kind.
• Flowers every month, even if it's just you bringing her a small bunch on the first Saturday.

2. What's broken in her house

The friend who has everything still has, like everyone, a few worn-out things she never replaces. Next time you're at her place, look:

• The frying pan with the scratched-up bottom.
• The charger that only works at one angle.
• The towels that don't really dry anymore.
• The umbrella with one bent spoke.
• The pillow that stopped being a pillow years ago.

Replacing one of those isn't a romantic gift, but every time she uses it she'll remember you noticed.

3. Time

What a woman who has everything is really short on is time. Give her yours, as a voucher with a date on it:

• "Good for one afternoon of babysitting."
• "Good for organizing your closet, with me, with music."
• "Good for one Sunday dinner, cooked by me."
• "Good for one airport ride, any hour."

4. A plan with a date

Things get forgotten; days spent together don't. A class neither of you has taken (pottery, dance, cooking), tickets to see her favorite artist, or a short weekend somewhere two hours from home. What matters is that it's written down with a date: a plan without a date is just a good intention.

5. Her own story

This can't be bought anywhere, because only you have it:

• An album of her year, made of the photos you took of her, which she never sees because she's always the one taking the pictures.
• A letter about the five times she saved you without knowing it.
• A box of "us" things: the ticket stub, the napkin, the photo of the place where you met.
• Her mom's or grandmother's recipes, copied neatly into a notebook, if you can get hold of them.

6. A cause she cares about

If she truly needs nothing, give to something she loves: a donation in her name to the shelter where she adopted her dog, to her hometown library, or to the cause she always shares online. Add a card that says why you chose it.

What not to give her

• The latest gadget. If she wanted it, she already has it.
• Decor she didn't choose. The home of someone who has everything already has its own style.
• Joke gifts that end up in the trash in January.
• A gift card on its own. If you go that way, add a note that says what you picture her using it for.

A print she can't get anywhere else

A print only works for a friend who has everything if it's personal. We make prints of Capy and Bara, two capybara best friends, with her name or both your names on them. In the one in the photo, Bara brings a bunch of tulips under the words "Thank you for everything. These are for you." Pick the color, and collect it with Same Day Pickup at a store near you, or have it mailed free to any address in the 50 states. See the prints.

For the card

I know you have everything. So I'm giving you the one thing you didn't: a whole afternoon of me, phone off.

You don't need anything, I know. But I needed to say thank you.

The only thing that can't be bought is what we have. And that's already yours.

If you want to put your names on something, here are personalized gifts for best friends with names.