Why this exists

I discussed with my son that guests at his birthday would not need to bring gifts. He was not happy about this, and it got me thinking.

It was a moment of realisation of how deep the gift culture is engraved in us. I wanted to find alternatives. How can we do this instead? What would be useful, what would spare the planet, what would spare the buck in the pocket of our guests? I have tried before to write on invitations "no gifts, please". This never worked. Gifts had become so expected that their absence felt like a threat. I wanted to change that. I didn't know how to say it out loud.

Insteado was built to give alternatives. No one needs to feel awkward about coming empty handed. It is warm enough that relatives don't feel rejected. Specific enough that they actually know what to do instead, if they really want to get something.