How To: Plan Christmas Shopping

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. Our was full of finishing shopping and wrapping gifts (for the most part). Pretty much the only gifts to wrap now are the ones that haven’t come in the mail yet! I love being done shopping and wrapping as early in December as possible because then I can enjoy the season without stressing about it anymore. I know getting everything done this early isn’t the case for everyone so I am here to give some tips to make things a little less stressful for you, because I know buying gifts can be stressful! Not just the money part either but making sure you have everything you need bought for every person while staying on budget, and then getting them all wrapped.

And here’s the first look at my tree this year. Come back Wednesday because I am doing a full house tour of my Christmas decor you will want to see!

Tip 1: Start Early

You probably hear this everywhere but it really does help. Now, this year I didn’t start too early. Pretty much right before Thanksgiving, but I really like shopping that week because one, of all the deals and two, because everything I order comes in the next week and I can get it all wrapped and by Decmeber 3rd I am pretty much done!

Tip 2: Make a list

I write out every single person we need a gift for. I usually split it up by mine and Miguel’s family. I just type this in a word document on my computer so that it is easily editable. I also put a suggested budget next to the name so we know how much we need to spend. (Brainstorm ideas here too!) Include secret santa and white elephant gifts too.

Tip 3: Update your List

Now that you have a list, make sure you update it as you go. Every time you buy a present, write down what you got and the amount it cost. This will help you keep track of what’s left to buy. It’s important to do this right after you purchase something so there’s no scratching your head or digging for receipts to remember how much you have already spent.

Tip 4: Keep up with Wrapping

So for wrapping I have a reserved area that I put all of our gifts, it started as just a dumping ground but Friday I finally went in there and tackled the mess. I have the space to spread them out and make piles by person (you could do this as you buy them too, don’t let them pile up like me). Then I assessed how many more gift boxes I needed to buy (not forgetting to count ones that hadn’t come in yet). This weekend I went into wrapping overhaul and wrapped all the gifts we had but then laid out boxes for the gifts that are coming this week, so I know I have enough and I am not rushing back to the store again. I plan to just be able to wrap the rest as they come in this week so I am not overwhelmed with wrapping 30 gifts in one day again.

I hope you found my tips helpful! Just remember to start early! No one wants to feel stressed out the Friday before Christmas because they forgot to buy a present or they need another gift box and and Target it sold out. The earlier you get done, the more time to enjoy the season 🙂

Thanks for catching up, can’t wait to show you all of my Christmas decor on Wednesday!