Your Guide to Ease Christmas Shopping This Year!

Hey if you have not done any Christmas shopping yet that is okay. While it is ideal to buy Christmas gifts earlier than later (like early November), most of us (including me) don’t think about it till December rolls around.

So, I thought I would share some helpful tips to ease your Christmas shopping and make it less stressful. Here are some things I have done or others have shared online.

Write down whom you are getting gifts for.

There’s a reason Santa has a list! Even if you don’t believe in lists or feel you are already organized it is so efficient to make a list. Write each person you would like to get a gift for and a check box, so when you are done you can check them off!

Write a budget.

Whether this is for each person or in total, I would write it down on the same list with the names. Don’t feel like you always need to get the most expensive thing or the most creative thing either. In the end it is the thought that counts.

Don’t feel obligated to get everyone a gift.

If you are having trouble figuring out gifts for everyone or just have a tight budget consider other options. Discuss drawing names or doing a gift exchange with friends and family, instead of buying individual gifts for every person. Chances are you’re not the only one trying to stick to a budget.

Keep Staples in Mind.

As stated earlier, you don’t always have to get an extremely expensive or creative gift. Everyone loves a gift card or a nice pair of sweatpants (and of course socks), so when in doubt, go with a staple.

Shop Online!

The easiest thing we can do to check things off our list is to do it right from the comfort of our homes. Plus, if you buy multiple gifts on one site you are bound to get to free shipping (or other coupon deals). Just factor in shipping times!

Map out and plan your shopping.

If you need to do any physical shopping find a day when to get all your shopping done. Plan out your route and where you’re going to save the most time and money. Also, keep a lookout on what days stores change their deals to better ones. When in doubt, check websites.

Check your list twice.

Once again, Santa knows what’s up. Check to see whom you have gotten a gift for, what that gift was, and what the budget was, and maybe even keep your receipts together.

Hope this helps ease the holiday shopping process for you! Some ideas were inspired by goodhousekeeping.com.