(EARLY) HOLIDAY PLANNING
I know, I know… it is early to be thinking about December, especially given the year so far and who knows how the next few months will look. And ironically, I hate jumping into seasons too quickly…I have strict rule about not decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I also have a hard time decorating for fall and Halloween when its still 90 degrees outside. But I do find it prudent to think about holiday gift giving and holiday schedules ahead of time to save myself stress later.
This year it might be even more important to plan ahead for the holidays. Stores may not be open or may be open with limited capacity; inventory might be low or stores might experience lag-time in stocking items; shopping in person might not be possible; travel may be difficult or hindered; all the more reason to think about these things ahead of time. My big piece of advice is get organized early, however you can, for the holidays this year.
Here are a few tips I use, or have used in the past, to help me plan for the holidays and to help me get organized so I am not scrambling last minute…and most importantly, I do these so I can fully enjoy the holidays and our time at home.
TIP #1. Have a general idea of the people you would like to get gifts for. Whether you have system within your family or your spouse’s family for gift giving, whether you plan to exchange gifts with friends, whether theres is a cap on the amount to spend per person, are you attending any holiday parties that may require a gift for the host or a gift exchange, where will you spend the holidays, etc. Planning ahead does not mean this needs to be set in stone, but it will give you an idea of what your gift giving season might look like. Even having discussions with family and friends about the holidays is helpful to get organized.
TIP #2. Create Amazon wish lists. I create a list on my Amazon account for myself and my daughter months in advance so that I can add things as I think of them or as I come across a good idea (my memory cannot be trusted to remember the good idea I had that random day in September from that random instagram account I came across, for my parents to give to my daughter for Christmas). The other benefit to an Amazon Wish List is you can easily share it with loved ones.
TIP #3. (This is a tip that worked for me for years) Starting a few months before Christmas, every payday I would take out a set amount in cash and put it aside as my “Christmas fund” (you could also do it electronically, it was just better for my budgeting and system to take it out in cash). When I was living paycheck to paycheck in DC, this may have been as little as $20 or $40 per paycheck. When my extended family starting growing and I had a little more wiggle room in my budget, I increased the amount each paycheck. But this was something I accounted for ahead of time in my monthly budget. And I made sure to stick to it by making it part of my routine. By Christmas time, I would have a good amount set aside for gifts and my bills in December did not add stress.
TIP #4. Use annual sales and mid-year sales wisely! For example, if you know your mom has a favorite beauty product, and it goes on sale in August, stock up. Don’t be afraid to buy things in advance and hold on to them, especially those tried and true gifts you know your loved ones will like.
TIP #5. Try a theme. Maybe you found a product or brand you love and you buy one for each family member. Maybe you travel somewhere and think of something unique to that location. Maybe you give each niece and nephew a related gift, or an experience rather than a toy, such as a zoo membership or pass to the children’s museum.
TIP #6. Add a folder to your file system for receipts and/or gift receipts. If you have a place to keep the receipts from the beginning, you can easily track spending, remember what you bought, and have the receipts for exchanges and returns.
