While procrastination is a universal phenomenon, we should all be fighting the urge to delay when it comes to shopping for the upcoming holiday season. Although many of us are content to wait and drive to the store a couple days before Christmas, it isn’t the most efficient way to maximize your budget. The truth is, one of the best holiday shopping tips is that you’re always better off giving your loved ones a great gift that they actually want, instead of whatever was left on the shelves for a double-price mark up on Christmas Eve.
Web Coupons
If you take the time to look, there are many money saving tools out there. For example, you can take advantage deals provided by online coupon providers like Coupons.com, and KrazyCouponLady. Oftentimes, you can snag awesome discounts for the entire family on items like clothing, jewelry, and housewares.
Looking for another holiday shopping tip? Many times, you can also get free shipping on your orders, hefty discounts on top of in-store markdowns. And if you’re really lucky, you may even get cash back on select transactions.
Making a List
There’s nothing worse than getting home from a marathon shopping excursion a couple of days before Christmas morning only to realize that you forgot to pick up a present for someone special. So take a page out of Santa’s book and keep a list of what you’ll get each person for Christmas. That way, when it comes time to start planning where to shop, you can minimize your travel.
Don’t Be Overly Reliant on Credit
It can be easy to get carried away with your spending during the holidays if only because, when you’re putting a large number of gifts on your credit card, it’s easy to lose track of how much you’re actually buying. A great holiday shopping tip is to keep track of your credit limits and focus on only buying gifts that are within your allotted budget for the holiday season.
Get Creative
Picking out one thoughtful gift for a single recipient can be more meaningful than buying a bunch of sub-par presents for everyone — so try planning a Secret Santa gift exchange with your family to lighten the burden for everyone. In a Secret Santa exchange, people guess who drew their name for the gift they’ll receive. And if a Secret Santa gift exchange isn’t your thing, get a present for the entire family instead. For example, here are two suggestions from Kiplinger:
Buy a single gift for your brother’s entire family — perhaps an ‘entertainment’ basket filled with DVDs, microwave popcorn and gift certificates to the movies. Or for your sister, the new mother, how about an evening out at a restaurant, plus your services as a free babysitter?
The Bottom Line
Everybody is looking for a few great holiday shopping tips at this time of year. Just remember this: When it comes to gift-giving, it’s the thought that counts. This is why, even if your gift isn’t the most extravagant, you can bet they’ll appreciate the gesture. No matter what it is! And if it’s something the recipient will use, then all the better.
Photo Credit: stock photo
Next week, I will start to make a list for the my family and I’m excited for it. I already used to gave my family a gift every Christmas and I love doing it. Honestly, last weekend, we already set up our Christmas tree!
I agree–plan ahead! I think that’s the single best way to save money on gifts (well, that and not buying people yachts). I keep my eyes out for deals all year long so that I’m not faced with a daunting list on December 20th. If only I could buy all of the food for hosting our families in advance…
Buy gift cards to the two or three grocery stores you will shop at (so you can take advantage of sales). I buy an extra $25 card twice a month starting in July. That’s an extra $$200 by Thanksgiving.
I have three grown kids and six grandkids. We have all started wish lists on Amazon. We keep them updated throughout the year, and it really helps for gift ideas!
The number one thing I would recommend is to save money throughout the year so that the gifts can be paid for whenever it happens to be that they’re purchased.
When you see something that would be a good gift for someone on your list, pick it up and put it away until the holiday. Just don’t forget you’ve stashed it! I make a list I keep tucked in my wallet so I remember what I’ve already purchased and what gifts I still need to buy.
Huh? People still do Holiday shopping? My parents are happy to just have me home safely once a year. I bring bottles of wine and they’re happy for my companionship.
I know everyone hates to get sales emails, but I love getting them from my favorite retailers. I shop their clearance online sales all year long, and then the Saturday before Thanksgiving, there are several doorbuster sales. Some items can be as much as 80% off retail. Since these are my favorite retailers anyway, I know the quality I’m getting.
I used to shop all year long picking up just the right gift for each person. Then, I got the family to start picking names. You only had to buy one gift. Finally, I said I don’t want to participate anymore. We all have what we need and more. Most of the family agreed. The others were outvoted.
Now. I send a case of oranges to my cousin’s family. Her husband loves them. I send a buddy some nice warm soft lounge clothes, and a book by his favorite author. He sends me the most amazing confections, a Nashville shirt or cap, and a gift card to a book store.
Don’t forget to mail early people. Waiting until 5 days before Christmas to mail Priority is not guaranteed to get there on time. I mailed all mine off last week. hahaha
Almost 80 days early, Bill – and there’s still no guarantees things will get there by Christmas!
I’ve had worse results from the other two carriers. We’ll skip the horror stories thread.
Mail early people! If you get it all done now, you can put your feet up, and indulge. Christmas calories don’t count! Well, unless it’s fruitcake. Anyone who eats fruitcake deserves the weight gain.