The Stash

When the twins were toddlers, we got an invitation to a birthday party.

They were excited and we set out to find the perfect item for the celebrating child. That same day, when we got home, we had another invitation to yet another party.  There was one summer when we (no joke) attended a birthday party every weekend and sometimes 2 in the same day! If you're reading this and thinking, "wow, they're really popular"... yeah, not so much. It sometimes seems, however, that every child we know celebrates a birthday within about a 10 minute span. If you have kids, you may have had a similar experience and if you're not paying attention, all that unplanned gift buying can quickly eat into your budget.

Shortly after the gift run, I heard some friends talking about a gift stash they had put together and I was intrigued. They would stockpile gifts for both boys and girls that children in certain age brackets would like. "Ingenious!", I declared and vowed to start a gift stash of my own.

Before I go any further, I need to go ahead and apologize to my family and friends who have invited my children to parties. Confession: If we have gotten an invitation from you or if you've celebrated a birthday in the last several years, there's a good chance I got your kid's gift on sale and possibly even off the (gasp!) clearance rack! If I was unable to get a great in-store deal, there's a good chance I used a coupon to get it. Heck, there's a phenomenal probability that if you're my own kid, I got your gift on the clearance rack (nah-nanny-nah-nah). If you're horrified by this, maybe we need to talk privately. :)

Let's face it. Most people just want to be remembered on their special day or occasion and the amount of money you spent isn't important to them. Don't agree? If 2 people gave me the exact same gift and I found out one paid considerably less for it, would I be mad? Not if the one also bought me a cake with their savings! :)

In all seriousness, it's not the cost, it's the thought. For example, I found out a few days ago that a lady I work very closely with was celebrating her birthday, the next day. Instead of going straight to panic, I went straight to my gift stash and pulled out something she was elated to receive. Boom! We're both happy. She got a cool gift, I saved a bundle, and didn't have to drag the twins, the Sisternator, and Quatro to the store, to find something for her in 30 degree weather.

You don't have to dedicate a lot of space to stocking up on gifts, as there is always a sale going on somewhere. There's also almost always a clearance rack with last month's new "gotta have it" toy. My stash is in a cardboard box labeled 'gifts'. More than one last minute/"I forgot"/Dirty Santa/office party gift has been plucked from that stash. Of course, this doesn't just apply to birthday gifts. Have you ever been caught in this situation: "Hey, let's have a gift swap" and it's in the words of Annie, it's "only a day away"?

Am I saying I feel the need to give everyone I know a gift on their birthdays? No. I'm just saying when I want to do so, I often go to the stash. If you're looking to cut your budget and cut out some of your stress of last minute gift buying, start making yourself a gift stash. Next time, we'll talk about how! :)