Christmas is just around the corner and you still haven’t bought any presents, picked out the meals you are going to prepare or even haven’t decorated your home? It’s no wonder why you stress about the holiday shopping every year then if you always leave the shopping for the last day.
If this is you, you’re probably wondering how some people keep a smile on their face even though the lines at the supermarket are enormous, people are generally stressed and unpleasant as your life descends into chaos.
The answer is simple: planning!
Holiday shopping doesn’t need to be stressful or painful. It can be a walk in the park if you know how to plan everything and make sure you’ve checked everything off your to-do list.
So get an app like Blink the Bee and get ready to take notes – we’ll show you how to make the most out of your holiday shopping.
Think About the Gifts First
The biggest expense on any holiday shopping list are the gifts, especially if you have kids you don’t want to let down. Chances are you already know what they want for the holidays as they have been nagging you about that new toy or video game for months.
Fortunately, you can find these at a lot of stores and online, just make sure to order it in time or your kids will be left empty-handed.
Make a Holiday Shopping List (And Stick to It)
The gifts are just the tip of the Christmas tree you need to climb as the holiday approaches. If you haven’t done your holiday shopping yet, chances are you’ve forgotten about a lot of Christmas essentials. So make sure you leave a note in your virtual online assistant so you don’t forget about any of these categories:
Decorations: Get those holiday decorations for your home, both for the indoors and the outdoors.
Food: Know what you will be cooking? Make sure to write down all the ingredients so you don’t forget anything.
Dinner Essentials: There’s more to a family holiday dinner than the food. Make sure you don’t forget about the drinks, napkins or extra plates.
Gifts: You’ve already picked out the gifts? Great! Now don’t forget to get the wrapping paper, holiday cards, and ribbons to wrap them up.
Traditions: Don’t forget about advent calendars, picture books or Christmas socks.
Pick a One-Stop Shop
Got the list written down? Good, now it’s time to do some shopping. The best and quickest way to do this is to find a store that has everything you need in one place. Whether it’s a giant supermarket or a mall, not having to navigate through the holiday traffic jams will save a lot of time and nerves.
Remember the Things You Are Likely to Forget
There is nothing worse than having gone through your holiday shopping only to realize you forgot something when you come back home. Whether it’s batteries for your holiday decorations, wrapping paper or dinner napkins, make sure to write down all the items you are likely to forget on a separate list so you don’t miss anything on your first shopping run.
Be Done With Shopping
Once you’ve shopped for everything that was on your list, be done with it. It might be tempting to visit a shop again just in case you’ve missed something, but try to avoid the temptation and enjoy the holidays with your family without any stress of being lured into one-time deals on things you’ll never need.
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