Holiday Shopping Made Easier

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is shopping. I love walking around and looking at all of the holiday decorations, seeing the ornaments, and feeling the holiday spirit in the air. While most people put this off until the day after Thanksgiving (or worse, Christmas Eve) I usually start thinking about what to get people for Christmas at the first sign of fall. My holiday stress level is very low because I plan ahead and prepare for the holiday season.

The timesaving tricks I have mastered for holiday shopping are so simple. Usually by September I have created a gift list with the gifts I am giving to my family and friends. After I do some comparison shopping (usually online) I make a note of the store the gift is sold in and how much it costs. Then I use my gift list as my plan of attack for which stores I need to hit. Like I said, this is really easy. Instead of going to the mall empty handed with the intention of "spotting the perfect gift" you go to the mall with a plan and you will leave the madhouse sooner, and probably have more money in your pocket by having prepared your gift list ahead of time.

Many department stores offer complimentary gift wrapping on purchases made in their store. To cut down on your time spent wrapping gifts, consider dropping your gifts off to be wrapped while continuing on with your shopping elsewhere. For stores that don't have gift wrapping services, many do offer free gift boxes with your purchase. Even if you aren't buying a gift, consider taking the box - you never know when it could come in handy down the gift wrapping road.

Grocery shopping is not on my list of favorite things to do. It's time consuming, tedious, expensive and seems to happen too frequently - especially around the holidays. If there is one grocery store trip that you prepare ahead of time and make a list I suggest that you make that trip during the holidays. Generally your list is longer, more encompassing and much more specific than at any other time of the year since many people entertain or bake goodies for friends and loved ones. It is just as necessary to have a game plan to go to the grocery store as it is to go to the mall. Prepare your list (include quantities, of course), get your coupons ready, and plan ahead by creating your meals ahead of time and around what is on sale that week. Need holiday recipes? Look online, ask your family and friends for suggestions, read the paper, check out your grocer's recipe collection, or look on products in your pantry for recipes.

Happy holiday shopping!