My Christmas Shopping Is Ready – Use My Tips For A Stress-Free Holiday
Website design By BotEap.comYes, once again I have crossed every last person off my Christmas shopping list before Halloween. Mom, dad, grandma, brother Steve, brother Jason, kids, nieces, nephews, even bus drivers, school teachers, and the postman. I’ve stockpiled hostess gifts, stocking sufferings, and a few random gifts for those surprise trades that pop up every holiday. Everything is already wrapped and labeled. Come December, I’ll be relaxing in a hot bath with a good book while the rest of the world scrambles to stock up on ratchet sets, bezel-set diamond earrings, and the latest in Tickle Me Elmo.
Website design By BotEap.comWhy don’t you join me? In addition to the smug satisfaction you’ll get from doing your Christmas shopping early, you’ll be able to appreciate the holidays, bake cookies, lay eggs, mistletoe, even the relatives, without guilt.
Website design By BotEap.comSo how did I already do it? With a little advanced planning. You can also do your Christmas shopping early, if you follow my lead. Here are my secrets:
Website design By BotEap.comNine holiday shopping tips (also Hanukkah shopping tips) to make the holidays easier:
Website design By BotEap.comMake a list. A little advanced planning goes a long way. Just like you do when you go to the grocery store, make a list. This way you will stay focused and finish the task quickly. Before you buy, write down who you need to buy for, how much you plan to spend, and any ideas you have in mind based on individual tastes, hobbies, etc. Think: Did they mention a great book they want to read? A piece of jewelry that you particularly admire? A movie you want to see? A piece of clothing that you like? A tool they had to have? A work that seemed interesting? If you’re stumped, look up gift finders online. Many popular websites have special collections of Christmas gifts broken down by gender, age, tastes, price, etc. If you want to give something truly memorable, think about the truly memorable gifts you’ve received. My favorites have been a basket full of little things I love like books, lotions, bath stuff, etc.; a subscription to the New York Times daily online crossword puzzle; a three course dinner prepared with all my favorite foods and a beautiful bracelet of black baroque pearls. Think about the gifts you have given that have been successful. What were they? Who enjoyed them?
Website design By BotEap.comOnline store. This is the best advice of all. Once I got a computer, Christmas shopping was no longer a chore I dreaded. In fact, it became a breeze. Doing your holiday shopping online saves time, money (gas prices being what they are), and legwork. Best of all, you don’t even have to take your pajamas off. I can go through my entire list in less than an hour, I have almost everything in a week and it’s delivered right to my door. And don’t worry about security: shopping online is safer than shopping in stores. Many more credit card numbers are stolen in your presence by waiters, clerks, etc. than those stolen by hackers and phishers.
Website design By BotEap.comReduce your list of sites. Over the years I have pared down my holiday shopping websites to a few great e-retailers that I use over and over again. Some allow me to save my information in a password-protected format, so I just go online and shop. Once my shopping cart is full, I don’t have to re-enter my name and address, or the addresses I ship to. A word of caution: don’t store credit card details. Although it probably won’t happen, hackers can and do steal your information. It is best to re-type your credit card number each time to be sure.
Website design By BotEap.comThe best news about site loyalty is that many sites offer incentives for repeat shoppers. A 20% coupon can go a long way in reducing your holiday gift budget!
Website design By BotEap.comUse e-retailers that have something for just about everyone. I have an online jewelry store that I shop at over and over again because they have something for most everyone on my list. Last year I shopped for all the women on my Christmas shopping list in one 20 minute session. I have a trendy gemstone ring for my niece; a classic pearl necklace for my goddaughter, an inexpensive but high-quality pearl bracelet for my children’s teachers, a pearl pendant for my friend, and a pearl jewelry set for my mother. Shopping in one place made it easy to manage my task. I printed my receipt at the end and had a great reference of what I bought and what I still needed to buy.
Website design By BotEap.comLook for sites that offer free shipping. Pretty self explanatory. Shipping can add a lot of surprising hidden costs to your vacation budget. There are plenty of sites that regularly offer free shipping, and even more that use free shipping to attract holiday shoppers. Search for free shipping coupons on Google or on great coupon sites like couponcabin.com. Sometimes you’ll find a money-saving code that wasn’t obvious on the site.
Website design By BotEap.comLook for sites that offer freebies. This is my favorite tip. Free gifts with certain dollar amounts purchased can save you a lot of money. For example, the site I work for offers free pearl earrings with purchases over $150. Buy a few gifts and you’ve earned yourself a high-quality free gift to give to someone else on your list or keep for yourself.
Website design By BotEap.comAlways check the return policies. Generous return policies are a must for early holiday shoppers. This tip is especially important if you’re shopping for a gift in October that your recipient might want to return or exchange in January. You don’t want them to get burned if they only have 30 days to return an item. Look for return policies of at least 90 days, and take note of sites that don’t seem to have helpful customer service or easily accessible contact information. You don’t want to spend your money on sites that make it difficult for you to communicate with them after the sale.
Website design By BotEap.comClick on the gift wrap option. E-retailers that don’t gift wrap are crossed off my list. Because? Gift wrapping is time consuming and expensive. Christmas wrapping paper costs about three dollars or more per roll; bows can cost a dollar each, and you’ve got tags and tape, not to mention the time it takes to fold corners perfectly without wrinkles or get that oblong doll’s wrapper just right. Also, like me, you may not be very good at it. At $3-$5 a gift, which is what the sites I shop at usually charge, it’s worth it to have the items gift wrapped. Shopping online saves you money on gas, so why not use that for wrapping? Just make sure you have gifts labeled if you’ve ordered multiple gifts for multiple people or you’ll have a lot of unwrapping and re-wrapping to do.
Website design By BotEap.comFor last-minute things like hosiery sundries and office gifts, I shop for items where I already shop regularly, like the grocery store. Take a look and you can find great books, gift cards, beer, candy, mugs, even office supplies, art supplies, puzzles, and flowers. Another great idea is a magazine subscription. (With a monthly subscription, your gift will continue to be given 12 times a year.) Hey, you still have to go to the supermarket regularly. Why not take what you need there instead of making a special trip? Then you can do like I did and not make an extra trip or spend more than an hour on your Christmas shopping, including gift wrapping.
Website design By BotEap.comReady to take back the retail holidays and celebrate what these special days are really all about? I find it much more satisfying to celebrate my spirituality and spend time with my family and friends rather than wasting my precious time in a mall crowded with cranky and stressed shoppers. Why don’t you join me this holiday?