Stress Less Holiday Gifts and Shopping
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all are enjoying a lovely day with loved ones, with Christmas quickly approaching, its time to start thinking about the holidays and every Thursday this month, I am featuring tips for a “stress less” holiday season, click HERE to read more and print my Stress Less Holiday Planner.
With Black Friday coming up TOMORROW, I wanted to share a few ideas about how to simplify your holiday shopping and gift giving.
One of the hardest things about the holiday season is shopping, wrapping and hoping you selected the perfect gift for everyone on your list! Here are a few tips to help make this year’s shopping and gift giving a little easier…
1. Make a list-
Make a list of everyone you need to give a gift to. There are all the “usual suspects” like family members and close friends, but don’t forget people you encounter on a regular basis like: teachers, service providers, neighbors, co-workers, and bosses!
2. Set an overall budget-
decide BEFORE holiday shopping exactly how much you can spend on all the gifts this year!
3. Set individual budgets for each person on your list-
obviously, family members and close friends will receive the majority of your budget, with a lower budget for others on your list.
4. Consider “universal” gifts-
meaning everyone on your list gets the same thing- this idea works well for non-family members. Examples of “batch” gifts include: wrapped homemade baked goods or food items, ornaments, books, coffee, candles- these items are usually enjoyed by everyone and will simplify your shopping.
5. Consider online shopping for all your holiday gifts-
with large online retailers like Amazon it’s easy to find almost everything on your list, and if you become a “Prime” member you will receive free shipping and in many cases, 2-day shipping on many items!
6. Consider “one-stop shopping”-
why not challenge yourself to find everyone on your list something at one shop? Large retailers like Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart carry such a variety of items, you are sure to find something for everyone on your list.
7. Consider shopping at small local shops-
support your community by shopping at local “mom and pop” stores or holiday gift markets- you will likely find more unique special gifts for those special people on your list and you can feel good about encouraging local businesses!
8. Consider giving “non-material” gifts-
items like concert or sports tickets, annual passes to a local theme park, airline tickets or vouchers for travel…or maybe select a subscription to a magazine or “wine of the month” club. Non-material gifts are always a fun surprise!
9. Consider giving “memories”-
select a special photo and have it framed, or maybe convert old home movies to a DVD, or print photo gifts like calendars, mugs, or home décor.
10. Create a wrapping station-
Set up a small holiday wrapping station in your home, so you can easily wrap all your gifts as you get them…gather together all the materials needed (papers, gift bags, tissue paper, scissors, tape, ribbons, bows, and tags) this will prevent you from dashing around looking for all your supplies!
Hoping these shopping and gift ideas will help simplify your holidays a little, one last tip: if you REALLY want to keep things simple, a gift card or cash is always welcome- just make it special by giving it in a pretty card with a heartfelt note or greeting!
Click HERE to download my entire Stress-Less Holiday Printable Planner, with planning worksheets for holiday decorating, entertaining, gifts/shopping, and making more special memories!
I recently restocked my Etsy shop for the holidays, so CLICK HERE to take a look, I have so many beautiful gifts for your favorite coastal style friend or loved one!
