Did you know Christmas comes on the same day, every year?? It's true! :) I'm completely joking, but I know some people are seemingly caught by surprise when the holidays roll around and seem astonished that the world will be celebrating Christmas (yet, again), while they aren't the least bit prepared financially. Now, before anyone gets in attack mode, am I saying the holiday is only about gifts? No.
If you shop all year, it doesn't have to sneak up on you. Like I mentioned yesterday, when I purchase things at the end of a season (especially when talking about my own kids or other children in the family), I size up for the next year and put them back. I, being quite the over achiever, (my friends are reading this, by the way, and having a great chuckle right now) will often bring the gifts home and wrap them for the next birthday, Christmas, etc.
Honestly, the reason I go ahead & wrap them is because I have kiddos who are getting to the age that they would love to sneak a peek at what they're getting. The first year I did this, Christmas was just as much of a surprise for the person receiving the gifts as it was for me. I had forgotten everything I had bought! Lesson learned. Now, I flip the gift tag over & write (very small) what each item is or keep a list of things purchased. Hey, and please don't tell my kids about the tag thing or my already bad handwriting will have to become something similar to hieroglyphs.
This year, we've started something that I hope will make gift buying a great deal easier for our family. We have a spiral notebook and every person in our immediate family has a page, then there's a page for HOUSE/CAR/FAMILY. Every page has a 'needs' column and a 'wants' column. All too often, when birthdays and Christmas rolls around, someone will ask me, Financial Guy, or the children to name (off the top of our heads) something we'd like to have. The response is always the same: deer in the headlights look accompanied by the sound, 'uhhhh'. I know there are always plenty of things we have all mentioned throughout the year that we could use, but when I'm thinking off-the-cuff, I usually can't come up with much.
My hope is, by using the notebook, when one of us thinks of something, we write it down. If the need/want changes, we simply erase it. That way, gift purchases can be made year 'round, rather than trying to cram a year's worth of shopping into the roughly 30 days between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. As a reminder to myself of what I have purchased, I keep a piece of paper in my wallet with all family members I will be purchasing gifts for through the year. That way, when I snag a deal, I write it down, and always have that reminder with me.
If you have something that works for you, I'd love to hear about it! I'm always looking for ways to cut corners and be frugal, yet stay organized. Next time, we'll wrap this gift segment up... pun intended. :)
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I love that idea of the ongoing list! When I first started reading I was thinking but the stuff they want is consistantly changing. The idea of buying at sales after Christmas is an awesome idea, however I have no idea what they will want in a year.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was doing good buying the next size up at a consignment sale and then my daughter grew two sizes last summer.
So I struggle with this idea even though I think it is a good idea. I'm going to try the notebook approach though to see if that helps.
OH and I really love putting house and car on there!
ReplyDeleteI keep a small notebook in my purse and have a page for each member of my family,grandkids included. I list xmas gifts I buy throughout the year when I find sales and the cost of the item purchased. Then when xmas rolls around I'm not trying to remember what I've already purchased. And usually I'm finished way before xmas. It helps when I don't have to shell a ton of money right at holiday time.
ReplyDeleteSusan, that's PERFECT! My purse tends to look more like the city dump on a strap, which is why I usually keep a small paper in my wallet. No matter, same objective accomplished. Good goin'!
ReplyDeleteHere's a tip on gift wrapping...my husband is the king of guessing what is in a wrapped box (and passed this talent on to the kids), so long gone are the days of putting gift-wrapped and tagged gifts under the tree a month before Christmas! A few years ago, I secretly changed my strategy. I have 3 family members, other than myself. I get 3 different rolls of gift wrap and designate 1 roll per person (without telling them which is which, of course). Now, with all gifts wrapped and under the tree - with no name tags - no one would ever know where to start with their weighing, shaking, and guessing :)
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, Christmas is over so quickly each morning, especially when your kids are older and the gifts cost more (so they receive less quantity), I started placing an index card with a clue on it with each of their stockings. The clue directs them to where their first gift is hidden. Then there is another clue with that gift that leads to the next gift, and so on... They bring each gift back to their "stockpile" and once all the searching is complete, we take turns opening gifts until everyone is finished. It is a lot of fun and also makes me feel that my money went a little further (than the usual 5 minutes of tearing into gifts) :)
Amy- That's GREAT! Really good suggestions. Thanks!
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