How to Make Christmas Shopping a Breeze

Sharing some tips on How to Make Christmas Shopping a Breeze!

I always enjoy Christmas shopping, when I have a plan. Without a plan I am lost and have no clue what to get people and can start to get really stressed out. This year is even more different, since we’re flying to both our Christmases, we are doing the majority of our shopping online. I was thinking through my years of Christmas shopping and wanted to share a few things to help make Christmas shopping a breeze this year!

– Shop online- With all the traveling we’re doing this year for the holidays my first strategy is to shop online. Not only is it a great way to beat the crowds but I can also ship my gifts directly to their destination rather than traveling with a suitcase full of gifts. But with shopping online comes the question of where are the best deals? That’s where CyberMonday.com has come into my shopping this year. This site pulls together all of the deals from online retailers everywhere. You can see what specials each site is running and not only for Cyber Monday but you can see deals 365 days a year. Since I was raised to be a bargain shopper this site is where it’s at for me! I love to get my family all PJ pants from Old Navy so I loved seeing them on Cyber Monday and finding out the deals even when I was shopping last month!

-Make a list- This is something I start as early in the year as I can. Whenever I’m with my family, I try to pay attention when they mention offhand something they would like. When my Memaw was here visiting in August, she saw my copy of Fiddler on the Roof and started talking about how much she loved it and how she didn’t own it on DVD. I quickly made a note of it in my phone and sent it to her for her birthday. If I hadn’t made a note I wouldn’t have been able to remember something that she was very excited to receive!

-Plan Ahead- This is important with both online and in store shopping. No one wants to have to keep going back to a store and also if you’re spending enough to get that free shipping at a store online you certainly don’t want to forget one thing and end up having to pay shipping on it. Planning ahead to what you need from each retailer is a great way to be more efficient and save money.

-Make a Budget- I always think it’s important to have a budget. Having a general idea of what you’re spending either as a whole or on each person keeps you from overspending and also narrows down the pool of items from which you can choose for gift buying!

These are my four top tips to really help make Christmas shopping easier. I know for some people (me included) it can get so stressful remembering everyone, brainstorming ideas and trying to stay in a budget.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.