By: Camila Ambrosio Silva
The holiday season is the most expected season of the year. It is a time to celebrate family, life and all the blessings that came upon us this year. Even though this time is a joy, it can be a pain as well. Some people need to adjust their budgets to buy gifts for everyone to make sure everyone is happy at the end of the year.
To start planning your Christmas shopping, the first thing you need to do is make a list. Be very specific on the list, see how many people are in the family, including friends and kids. Don’t be afraid not to include some people, especially if you know you don’t have a lot of money to spend. On this list, make sure to add what you are going to buy for each person you want to give something to. When you have the list done, you need to set a spending limit for every person; see what your overall budget is and limit the amount of money you can and want to spend on the gifts.
One thing you can do to make sure you are sticking to your plan is to buy using cash. It is easier for people to stick to plans when they can see the actual money. Using credit or debit card makes it harder for people to focus because you can easily lose track of what you’ve already spent and how much you can still spend.
Discount stores are a good thing to keep in mind when Christmas shopping. Discount stores always have good deals and sales that can help when buying gifts for a lot of family members. Stores like Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and Marshalls are examples of discount stores that have items for everyone in the family, from kids, to adults, to pets, to home goods. Take advantage of deals and sales even before Christmas time and buy ahead of time, so you don’t end up paying extra because everyone is trying to buy gifts. Stock up on discounted gifts so you don’t have to worry a lot when Christmas time comes.
Another tip is to team up with another family member to get nicer gifts for kids, for example. Instead of you spending a lot of money on one kid, you can team up with another family member and spend less money and still get a nice gift, making everyone happy. You can also buy one gift to a couple or one bigger toy to two siblings.
Buying gifts after Christmas is a good thing too. There are lots of post-Christmas sales and discounts, and everyone should take advantage of them. Stocking up on those can be a good idea as well, especially because there are birthday celebrations ahead and you will need gifts for those occasions too.
Lastly, think about DIY gifts. Homemade gifts always bring a new tone to what you are giving. It shows you’ve put in thought and time into the gift and it makes the gift even more meaningful. Homemade gifts are not that expensive to make since you can buy raw materials online and at stores for a good price.
To sum up, you should make a list to limit the number of people you will buy gifts for, what you are going to buy, you should watch out for discount stores and plan ahead of time. Also, think about teaming up with another family member or also buy one gift for multiple family members. Consider DIY projects to make presents more meaningful.
