As far as holidays go, Christmas is typically the most stressful and busiest time of the year. Whilst most of us definitely look forward to celebrations, relax and family time, the pressure of the expenses combined with the hassle of last minute shopping always takes its toll. After a week or two into December, it’s not uncommon for people to turn into the Christmas Grinch tearing your hair out because you can’t stand the thought of Christmas shopping anymore! We’ve all been there.
With the silly season just around the corner, there are no doubt a small handful of people that are truly prepared. They started their Christmas shopping in early January and they won’t be going anywhere near the shops come December. For the rest of us last minute crew, we’ll be tackling the queues in only two months’ time. The good news is though – there’s still some time to get organised! When it comes to Christmas shopping – it’s never too early!
1. Santa Savings
It’s easier said than done though. Every year we promise ourselves we will be more organised. Until you actually start seeing the benefits early Christmas shopping has firsthand however, it can be a hard to motivate yourself to get it done earlier.
One of the biggest advantages early Christmas shopping has is the savings – and there’s not one of us out there that likes a good deal! Major retail shops are clued on, and it’s not uncommon for prices to be jacked up come holiday season. By doing your Christmas present shopping throughout the year, you can contribute more of your money to the entertaining and holiday side of things come December.
Boxing Day sales are notorious for great present finds so take advantage of this for next year’s Christmas presents too. If you want to make a difference on your savings now, starting your spending early will give you the chance to shop around and save money. Instead of trying to squeeze all your present shopping last minute at the same store,you now have a good two months to take your time or order online for a better deal. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it!?
2. Organised Elves
With savings and early present preparation comes a good deal of organisation skills. Even if being (or staying) organised is not your forte, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to apply it to your Christmas shopping skills. By being organised, you give yourself enough time to find the right present for that special person.
Christmas organisation eliminates the stress that comes with the silly season to leave more time enjoying the holiday month. When combating stress, time is your greatest friend and it’s been proven that stressed out shoppers spend more money.
If you’ve already discovered the ease of online shopping, then you’ll understand the benefits it involves. If you’re new to it – check out everything you need to know here. Trying to find the perfect gift days before Christmas normally leads to you buying something way out of budget, but if you want to eliminate expenses and the hassle of the queues then Christmas shopping online is simply bliss. The downfall? You have to be organised to do it! Whether it’s for food and drinks to help with the entertaining side of things, or present shopping for everyone – you can order and pay for your Christmas in advance.
3. The Ideas Man
Finding the right gift for people can be hard – regardless of your budget. The greatest advantage of being organised for Christmas sooner rather than later is it gives you the opportunity to come up with more than one idea for a gift. Most times when you leave present shopping until the last minute, you’re not just stuck with overspending but something you weren’t that keen on buying in the first place.
Give yourself a chance to shop around for the right gift and allocate a spending limit to each person. If you’re really stuck on ideas, allow the time to wander through shops and find something that could suit. Then, jump online and see if the same product can be found cheaper. If nothing springs to mind, Christmas hampers can make the perfect gift with a mix of food, drinks or creative hobby ideas.
4. Prancer Pay Ahead
For many people, putting Christmas presents on layby can be an absolute lifesaver – especially for the bigger gifts. An exceptionally good one for families, allowing time to incorporate laybys into your Christmas shopping can help to take the stress off.
Regardless of whether you start your Christmas shopping in January or now, your first step should be to allocate a budget for each person. Once you have a total figure in mind, work in putting a small amount of your pay aside each time into a separate Christmas account. During the months in the lead-up to Christmas, you can keep your eyes open for a gift for everyone on your list. Once you’ve found something – dig into your savings or put the item on layby to pay off in time. Don’t turn into someone who hates Christmas shopping, start organising today and earn that much needed and valuable relax time later.
Author Bio
Corina Mentinkis Director of Boxt.com.au, a leading online provider of Hampers, Balloons and Gift delivery in Australia. Connect with Corina on LinkedIn.
Good advice! Thanks you!
Bom conselho!
ajuda muito
good advice, we as a family don’t really do the whole buying gifts for each other thing though.
Thank you, that was useful 🙂
Yes when I find the perfect gift and there is a sale I don’t hesitate to take advantage to get it done.
thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the useful information!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I always do last minute christmas shopping, so I’m not sure it’s gonna be different this year…
such good tips
I’ve always known to buy Christmas gifts early and bday gifts for my daughter since her bday is in December because of all the sales, especially Black Friday! All of these tips are great and layaway can be a real lifesaver especially if there’s a certain popular toy you need to get!
This year has gone fast. I remember just buying Christmas presents for last year and now it’s coming again already.
These are great tips! Definitely putting them to good use!
I adopted this gift style almost two years ago…My parents’ jobs weren’t going that well, so we decided to buy all the Christmas gifts during summer or winter sales, since we were going to buy beauty products and similar it was a great decision. I suggest everybody to do so =)
Thanks for sharing!
well 🙂
thanks for sharing!
So good
useful ideas!thank you
so good
does not buying early gifts means anxious wait? 😛
I like #3. I always try to get ideas ahead of time especially since my kids both have birthdays right before Christmas, I often run out of ideas myself.
I do it every year earlier and earlier!
If you want to get everything on your Christmas list and at a good price, then you have to use these tips. I used to wait but found that everything was sold out or marked way up and that stinks especially if you have a child who really wants a certain toy!
The problem with me and shopping for others is I buy everyone everything I like then have to buy myself the same. :/
Thank you for the good advice!
Thanks for sharing!
These are very good reasoned out tips. I keep forgetting about layaway and need to go do that, it makes life so much more enjoyable in December.
Thanks for Sharing !
Some good advice thanks!
Thanks
boa review
If you start early you have plenty of time to scan for sales
You should always try to shop early for Christmas to save a bunch of money. And if you can, you can start buying Christmas presents through the year so when you get to December you don’t have to spend a lot of money all at once! Great tips!
great time to shop early but online is cooler than to go to stores.
Yesterday was the first snowing day of the year here in Finland. Christmas air is coming all around.
These are great tips!
I want to get organized before Christmas, especially with all my old decorations. Want to send a bunch to Salvation Army.
I hope to do most of my shopping online and avoid crowds. Good article.
Good reasons 🙂
I’m so happy my family and I don’t exchange gifts, makes life so much easier!
My mother always did layaway when my sister and I were little. It was a huge help!
Very nice!
Great tips! I try to use all these tips because you save a ton of money!!
The holidays are sneaking up on me, the year has gone by so fast.
Good advice!
These are all great tips and layaway can be a lifesaver especially if there’s an expensive Christmas gift on your list and it’s on sale!