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If you're like most people, it probably takes you several months to get your
bills paid off after the joyous Christmas season. Try this shopping tip
instead and ease those gift purchases into your budget painlessly... don't
wait until December to do your Christmas shopping, collect those special
gifts all during the year.
"You've finished Christmas shopping, in October!" Well yes, I'm proud to
say, I did that last year for the first time in my life. It wasn't easy, but
the shocked look on people's faces when I told them I'd finished my
Christmas shopping so early made it even more glorious. Especially, when I'm
usually the one being shocked by someone else bragging about his or her own
such accomplishment. Maybe that's why I did it; I just wanted to see if I
could. It's not like I have a small shopping list either, we have a large
extended family, and add to that, my own 4 children.
You're probably wondering how I got it all done so early, or maybe you've
already decided I'm one of those crazy, completely over-organized women who
get everything done ahead of schedule. Well let me assure you, that is not
the case, at least not the crazy part.
I had a great reason for getting my shopping finished early, besides just
seeing if I could do it. I wanted to be able to enjoy the holidays with my
family just a little bit more. Three of our children are in school now, and
we're busier than ever. The holidays tend to be so stressful for me,
preparing for company or taking a trip to see relatives. The school
programs, church programs, picking out Christmas cards (which can take me
several shopping trips just to find the right ones), hand addressing the
cards (I try to send them out 2 weeks early), trying to put together a
family newsletter and photos of the kids (to enclose inside the cards),
planning menus and grocery lists, office parties, school parties, etc
I'm
getting exhausted just thinking about all of it.
With all the preparations for Christmas, not to mention Thanksgiving just 4
? weeks prior to that, how in the world do we manage to choose wonderful,
meaningful, gifts for our loved ones? Maybe this is only a problem for me,
being a busy mom of 4, but I think most people can still benefit from my
plan. It's never too late to get started, but I do recommend starting in
January if you can. As the months go by, keep a list of who you've found
that perfect gift for and who's is still yet to be found.
This is especially great for people who love to shop anyway, but really
don't have the extra money to buy anything. Because shopping for those
special Christmas presents doesn't count, you can actually save money by
purchasing your gifts early. You can often find these wonderful gifts on
sale, and I highly recommend doing so. For a true frugal shopper, nothing is
worse than paying full price for something, only to see it go on sale a
month later. I try my best to avoid this spending nightmare, and for the
most part, I do pretty well.
Sometimes, once I decide what the perfect gift for someone is, I will
postpone the purchase if I suspect a future sale. However, there are those
"hopefully perfect" gifts that are not on sale, and may never go on sale. As
well as those *one of a kind* items, that if you pass up for another day,
might be gone forever. Sometimes you just have to go ahead and make that
purchase, if it's within your budget for the month. And this brings to light
another reason for shopping so early... by purchasing just a few gifts at a
time, we've paid for them a little each month (interest free), instead of
all at once!
I hope this shopping tip has been helpful, though giving gifts is not what
Christmas is all about, it is a very special part of our tradition. It's
wonderful to give those special gifts that you've put some time and thought
into. I wish you a wonderful Christmas shopping season (all year long), and
may all your gifts be well received!
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