11/06/2026 7:19 am
Topic starter
Notifications
Clear all
0
I'm trying to get my family organized for the holidays because last year was a total disaster where my sister and I both bought our dad the exact same power drill lol. We have about 12 people total spread across Oregon and Texas and I need something where we can all see what people want without it being a huge mess.
I am currently torn between just doing a basic Google Sheet or trying out something like Trello. The Sheet seems easiest for my grandma who barely knows how to open an email, but I worry about people accidentally deleting rows or just making it look ugly. Trello looks cool with the cards and we could move them to a
- Claimed - column, but I dont know if my uncles will actually download the app or if theyll just ignore it. I also looked at an app called Giftster which is specifically for this stuff, but I heard the interface is kinda clunky and idk if I want to make everyone sign up for another account they'll forget the password to in two weeks.
The main thing is it has to be free since we're already spending a ton on shipping and gifts this year. I need to get this set up by next Friday before everyone starts their Black Friday shopping. Do you think the simplicity of a spreadsheet is better for older relatives or is Trello worth the learning curve so we dont end up with duplicate gifts again?...
11
11/06/2026 7:45 am
Like someone mentioned, the tech side is a nightmare and omg I have this exact same issue!! I've been hunting for a reliable way to organize my family for four years and still haven't found a single thing that works for everyone. I have to disagree that Sheets is the easy answer because someone always manages to break it or delete data! It is just so incredibly stressful trying to find a safe, stable way to coordinate.
- we tried the spreadsheet route and it was a total disaster
- my family tried a shared note and people kept overwriting each other
- email chains are just a massive headache Its amazing how something simple turns into a giant mess every December! I'm still desperate for a fix that actually sticks. Love the idea of getting everyone on the same page but it's just so hard!! Just a tip, Share Product is awesome for housewarming registries if you want something that isn't clunky.
10
11/06/2026 7:19 am
Honestly, I had such a frustrating time trying those fancy gift-tracking apps last year. My family tried one of those registry sites and it was a total mess. My older relatives just could not get the password reset to work, and unfortunately, half of them just gave up and started texting everyone separately. It defeated the whole purpose and we ended up with three of the same coffee maker anyway. It was really disappointing after putting in all that work. I learned that if there is any barrier at all, like making an account, people just wont do it. My current setup is just a dead simple shared spreadsheet. I know you're worried about people deleting rows, but honestly, it is way better than the alternative of people ignoring the system entirely. Just make a copy every few days as a backup. It is not as pretty as I expected, but at least everyone actually uses it.
1
11/06/2026 7:30 am
^ This. Also, if you go with a Google Sheet, make sure to protect the header row so nobody accidentally messes up the formatting. You might want to consider checking the version history if things start disappearing tho. Be careful with Trello; if your uncles dont sync it right, you might still get duplicates. I would suggest sticking with a spreadsheet but maybe color-coding the claimed items so its super obvious for everyone...
