Holiday shopping for Christmas in 2015 can seem overwhelming. However, if you break everything down into small actions, allocate your budget accordingly, find everyone a gift within your budget, and have it wrapped with a few days to spare, then guess what? You did it.
Here then are our top five tips to taking care of business the stress-free way.
Make a List
Anytime a problem is overwhelming, you need to start by writing down every goal. Then you can determine much of your resources to spend on achieving each goal. That will determine where you shop. Already you’ve taken three major steps toward completing your goals.
Think of What Each Person Loves
Gifts can test your knowledge of people and send you into a weird existential funk. One way to simplify that is thinking about what each of your recipients loves. Make a list for each person. That will help you narrow down how to apply your brainpower in thinking of what to get them.
Factor In (or out) Shipping Costs
Shopping online saves lots of time. However, it also reduces your budget by adding shipping costs. Many online retailers are waiving shipping costs if you spend a certain dollar amount. If you can order gifts for multiple recipients from the same retailer, you can eliminate or consolidate shipping costs and stay on target with your budget.
Park Far Away
If you do elect to shop in person, accept the fact that you will be parking far away. Turn this negative into a positive by deciding to do so even before you leave your house. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and calm ourselves emotionally. We’re already not exercising as much because it’s cold out, so this is a win-win.
Write a Letter or Card Instead
Finally, if you have lots of people on your list who are far away, and/or your budget is stretched, consider allocating some time to telling them how much they mean to you. Everyone feels special when they get an actual piece of real mail, and isn’t emotional validation the point of every gift anyway? Write them something special, and maybe use some fancy, holiday-themed stationery.
Those are our ideas. If you have more, share them on our Facebook page or Twitter. Have a wonderful time shopping and stop by if you need a breather!