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It must be a generational thing (I'm Gen X), because I had never heard of this either before this post, and apparently my friends and family owe me some back-gifts big time! Kidding!
So I googled it, and what do you know, people are doing this now. I even found a good Q & A about the etiquette of it here:
All I can offer to the OP is first, a congratulations on your new home. It's very exciting when you buy your first home, and your closest friends and family probably do feel nearly as excited about it as you do. If they wish to buy you larger gifts beyond the customary "bottle of wine", that is very kind of them.
Please do keep in mind your friends who are still saving up for their first home though. I'm sure you would not want them to feel pressure to spend significant money on a gift for your event, so maybe there's a way to "let them off the hook"? A registry is asking for a gift and at a specified dollar amount, so you might want to rethink the registry part, IMO.
"Back in my day", when you bought your first home, the excitement was all yours (and maybe your immediate family shared in it). If you had a housewarming party, the guest of honor were your friends - you were welcoming them into your home. They might bring a bottle of wine to help you celebrate, or some flowers or a plant, but that was entirely up to them. But times change and customs change along with them I suppose.
At least know I'll know what the registry is all about if someone invites me to one!
people on here need to get a life, I know how hard it is just starting out on your own after buying a new home and some people do have families that care about them, not raise them in a barn like some of you rude @ss people on here. If they want to have a registry then they can. If you don't like it then don't post on here. I'm pretty sure they wanted helpful replies not stupid ones. Congrats on your new place and let the morons keep hating, not their fault they were raised without manners.
I find registering for a housewarming so tacky! Although brining a gift to a housewarming is obvious, registering is the same as expecting gifts, and gifts should never be expected. We just bought our first home and has a housewarming last Saturday. We invited neighbors, friends, and family and received gift from about 1/3 of our guest. We got gift cards, serving platters, bottles of wine, and a plant. Nothing over $25.
It is tacky and I'd be totally embarassed to do this. Have the party (shindig) and graciously accept a gift if offered. The way I see it is you just got yourself a HOUSE, that is the prize and not a reason to expect gifts from people who may not be able to afford a house of their own.
wow, I've never heard of this either. I'm a tad jealous. We just bought our first house, we've never owned our own place before. I got a couple of plants from 1 friend. That's it. My MIL washed my windows for me, is that a housewarming present? I would have loved a bit more financial-type housewarming, this place is really a fixer-upper and is drying us up!
It is a housewarming party not a housefurnishing party. Friends and family are supposed to bring things that brighten and enliven the home. Things like wine and plants.
And it isn't a gift if you expect the giving, certainly not if you demand what kind of gift they are allowed to give. I would be pretty affronted if I received an invite saying I had to buy something off a gift registry for something like this. And I certainly wouldn't show up with lumber or whatever it is you are expecting people to buy at Lowe's and Home Depot!
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SJPrincess
Hi,
I'll be closing on a condo next month , and I'm looking for a place to register for my house warming. I've looked at Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as Crate & Barrel, but both places are hella pricey, and I didn't really see a good amount of things worth registering for. I'm more interested in Target, Lowes, Home Depot, but I haven't noticed a registry on any of those sites.
I would like to register to avoid people buying gifts that I don't really need or want (sorry if I sound picky ). This is not my first place, but I am starting from scratch ie., new living room, dinning room and bathroom ideas. So I have specific styles, fabrics, prints, etc., in mind. Any ideas on how I can steer people in the right direction, without directly saying..."I want this"?
I would gladly purchase something off of a gift registry for a young couple embarking on their FIRST marital journey or proud new parents with a baby on the way and if a twentysomething or young thirtysomething has recently purchased his or her first single-family, freestanding structure with bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and a garage I would probably donate or purchase a hammer and a screwdriver or something like that (maybe more if this is a good friend who actually knows how to work on a house), but...
a condo? I'm quite sure that this person will be able to decorate without my help. I'll gladly bring some beer or a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon to your housewarming party, though... Just don't be surprised or put out if I drink most of it.
Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Lowe's & Amazon... Register!! They would appreciate it if it were for them. I've had pleanty of parties/housewarmings where I had to choose out of a bunch of pricey items. When they were out of my price range I just gave them a gift card for the places they were registered at.
Good luck & Congrats!!
P.S. When you register, there are some places where they ask if you'd like giftcards. Usually, just asks you to click a box if you do. CLICK IT!!
My typical housewarming party gift is a bottle of wine or a nice picture frame. I would be offended as hell if someone presented me with a list of gifts to choose from; I am of the opinion that the only registry-worthy occasions are first weddings and first children (let's be honest, most shower gifts are unisex).
When I invited people to my housewarming party I did not register for gifts and I did not expect any. A few people brought them but most did not and I was totally fine with that. Most of the gifts I got were small tokens just like I bring to parties.
Registries for housewarming parties? What's next...registries for shacking up? Registries for going off to college? Yearly registries for birthdays?
I just gave someone a housewarming gift and they thought it was really cool. They moved into an old, historic building and I found an archived black and white photo online of the street sign where the building is located taken back in the 1950's. I saved it to my computer then uploaded it to Snapfish and had a 5 X 7 print made at Walgreens. When I picked it up an hour later I also got a simple black frame to present it in. Personal, quick AND cheap!!
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). This is not my first place, but I am starting from scratch ie., new living room, dinning room and bathroom ideas. So I have specific styles, fabrics, prints, etc., in mind. Any ideas on how I can steer people in the right direction, without directly saying..."I want this"?
