The holidays are about friends and family. It doesn’t make anyone less happy to receive gifts either. The holidays, however, get stressful if you don’t plan ahead. Some have gotten so good at planning for the holidays that they make it into a year-round routine. You could gather all gifts at once, pay high prices, and be stressed fighting your way through department stores with other shoppers, or you could grab one gift at a time.
Keep Tabs
You don’t want to give a person the same gift twice. Similarly, if you made a great impression with one gift, it makes sense to take note and buy something complementary the next season. Of course, it’s difficult to keep a running tab of all people and gifts. It’s much easier to keep a spreadsheet of bought gifts, recipients, and whether you made a great selection. Use Google Drive to keep tabs on the act of giving. You could also maintain websites there and links to coupon sites.
Be Patient
We’ve all felt stressed and rushed due to waiting too long. You know it’s not the best idea but when you have little time, the recipient suffers. You could get all the people on your list something perfect as long as you have enough time. Be patient and purchase one gift at a time. For example, every other weekend, when out doing chores or going to the mall for yourself, target one giftee. If you did this throughout the year, you could easily take care of 25 people. Consider the alternative of trying to get gifts for that many people in one week or a couple of days!
Log On
Decades ago, people had no choice but to pack in department stores and malls to get gifts. Today’s shoppers technically don’t have to leave the couch to get great gifts for all the people on their list. Often, you can save money buying gifts online. Websites don’t warrant the operating costs of physical stores and vendors can offer competitive prices.
Forget December
Some leave a baseball game a few innings before the end or exit the beach a couple of hours after 12 o’clock. It seems odd to some yet those who leave early aren’t hassled by crowds and traffic. Forget about the month of December, which is the busiest month of the year for gift shopping. Let other lazy shoppers deal with crowds and higher prices. Take the month of December off, sit back, and enjoy the holidays.
Give Food
Most don’t consider perishable items as gifts. It’s not like you can stick a ham in a box and put a ribbon on it. But many vendors offer services that bring foods right to your gift recipient’s doorstep. Whether your friend or family member loves eating treats, meats or is super healthy, there is a food-oriented gift for them. Survey online services and choose one that’s appropriate for the giftee. Plus, it’s a lot more convenient to pay for the gift and let others deliver it.
Stop Bad Habits
What’s better than a gift? One that endorses the health and long life of the recipient. Some have an unhealthy cigarette habit yet many are successful in quitting. Help stop your friend’s bad habit by presenting them with vaping gifts. Discover more at www.vaporescence.com/pages/kangertech. Find products, top brands, and more at exclusive online shops.
Stalk Friends
What’s the best way to figure what presents friends and family will love? Stalk them on social media. You don’t have to be creepy but you can be perceptive in keeping tabs on the kinds of things your friends share or ‘pin’ depending on the social site. Sure, you could ask them about their interests, yet where is the surprise in that? Alternatively, do some sleuthing online and take note of things they like or things they comment upon. They will be appreciative that you’re so perceptive.
Hire a Friend
We’re all busy. You may spend the weekends taking the kids to soccer games, cleaning the home, or working a second job. Perhaps you have limited time to go out and shop for presents. That doesn’t mean you can’t get someone else to get the items for you. You can provide them with the gift idea, give them the necessary funds, and ask them to do you a favor. It’s a great way to stay on top of presents while not waiting for the last minute.
Tilly Henry always loved to shop, but after being made redundant soon had to give up her ‘habit’ that is until she started her own business as a personal shopper! She’s now living her dream. She shares her top tips and tricks when it comes to gift giving.
I try and look for good deals all year long. But I really dig into my shopping late September, early October. I try to avoid all the crowds as much as possible. Thanks for the tips.
I collect gifts for the family during the year when I find marked down items that are too good to pass up. I save a lot of money shopping all year round and not doing it all in the month of December.