Using Family Tools Wish Lists

As a feature, wish lists are pretty unique to Family Tools. Because of this, we thought it’d be useful to go over some tips on how to use them. Whether for the Christmas season just around the corner, family birthdays throughout the year, or events like baby showers that happen occasionally, now is a great time to learn to make these lists and share them with others.

You might wonder how a wish list is different than a regular list. The main benefit is that it can be shared with anyone, not just those attached to your Family Tools account. It also lets you add more details to each item, like where to find the item and how much it costs. We’ll discuss these more as we explain the best ways to use them.

To create a wish list, go to Lists and select the plus in the top right corner. Add a name, change the first dropdown to “Wish List”, and assign it to at least one family member. Then hit “Create” to get started.

First, you’ll want to set up your sections. A new wish list will start with four ranks by default, but you can add and remove sections to make it your own. Ranks are a great idea for wish lists because they let others know how much you want each item and encourage them to get something higher on your list. You can also use categories; for example, a baby shower registry might have sections like “Clothes” and “Toys”. You can even do a bit of both by having a category called “Most desired” or “Essential” to set apart the most important items.

If you’d like to organize items by price, Family Tools already has that built in—just add the cost of each item in the designated field. Then anyone can use the sort button to put the list in that order. Try to include items with a wide variety of prices so that people who want to give you a gift can find something that works for their situation.

Next, add a link to each item using the URL field. This can show others where to find your requested item, and also ensure that they buy the right thing. Unlike other registries that force every item to be from the company hosting it, Family Tools lets you bring together links from a variety of sites.

This feature has another benefit for events like Christmas that involve multiple wish lists. Each of your family members can make their own wish list, then you can make another one called “Family Christmas Lists” where you add the public link of each individual list. Then you can give a single public link (the one to “Family Christmas Lists”) to grandparents or others that might want to see the kids’ wishes instead of sending a bunch of separate links. This will streamline sharing and shopping alike.

If you don’t want to give an item a URL, you can also use the field for a note. For example, maybe you want chocolate for Christmas, but it doesn’t matter where it comes from. You could write a note that says you prefer dark chocolate, but regular is okay.

Finally, use the link icon in the top right corner to share your list with anyone. Just select it to put the link on your clipboard, then paste it in a text, an email, or wherever you want to share it. Anyone with this link will be able to view your list and check/uncheck items on it. They won’t be able to edit or delete anything, so your data is safe. Unlike other apps, this link is dynamic, which means if you change anything on it, it will change for them without needing to send a new link.

Another feature of this link is that it won’t show the list’s checkmarks to your family members (i.e. anyone using your Family Tools family account). This way, the kids’ grandparents can coordinate on birthday presents, or those who attend a bridal shower can avoid giving measuring cups over and over, because they see what items have already been bought. Meanwhile, your family members can edit the list without the worry of spoiling surprises.

Wish lists are clearly useful for birthdays and other gift-giving events, like Christmas and showers. You can also use them for parties where people need to bring different things, like family reunions and work socials. For example, if you were planning a neighborhood breakfast event, you could make a wish list that includes eggs, frying pans, orange juice, and paper plates, then share the link with neighbors that are contributing. They can simply pick what they want to bring and check it off, then you can use the public link yourself to see what’s been taken care of.

Hopes for holidays, wishes for weddings, and even ingredients for in-laws are easy to share with wish lists. Let us help you put them together.