Christmas Shopping Now (and Why To Do It Now)

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It makes no difference WHICH month you read this article in (articles on the internet stay around for a long time, usually)

. Anyway, NOW is the time to do your Christmas shopping!

Here are my best hints and suggestions for saving TONS of money on Christmas shopping. Last year, I figured I spent about 80-90% off ALL the Christmas gifts I bought. Which means my $400 went WAY WAY further. NO way would I have spent $4000 on gifts (we buy for lots of family).

So how to do it? The biggest biggest thing is buying all year round. I have a space in a closet with my "gifts" in it (actually several boxes). During the year as I am shopping (online or in real life) and I see something that I think someone would like (either one particular person or several people) and it is marked way down (meaning 75-90% off), I will buy it. (excepting food items that might go stale). The purchased gifts go in my gift box. In the early fall, I will sort through it and figure out what I want to give to whom and for whom I might still need to find a gift. An ESSENTIAL key in this method is to HAVE a place (and remember where it is) to keep your stuff. When I first started there were sometimes things I forgot about and missed, as I had put them "someplace else" sure that I would remember! HA! The old brain does not remember things like that, at least mine does not! So, number one suggestion is to buy all year round. This technique also helps spread out the cost all year around.

Next, for online buying find some good sites that you like, bookmark them and look back at them every now and then
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Go to their clearance (sometimes called outlet) sections. Browse through there. If you need a specific particular gift (meaning Susie wants the XYZ Barbie fashion doll with ABC accessories) this does not work very well. But say, you are looking for an educational gift for your 7 year-old nephew, there would be lots of good choices in the clearance areas. Things that are clearanced out are not necessarily because they are poor items or poor sellers, but for lots of reasons (overstocking is a common reason). There are often LOTS of VERY nice items for kids of all ages.
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And clothes... buy seasonal clothing at the end of the season. GREAT deals, not too hard to find 75-90% off. Look in March for winter sweaters, August for summer wear. (You can use this method nit just for gifts, but also for your OWN and your family use.)

So, are you ready for Christmas? I like to have ALL my Christmas shopping done (even wrapping) before Advent starts (usually around the end of November). That way I can relax and enjoy the Christmas season instead of tearing around like a chicken with the head cut off (by the way, we live rural, and have butchered chickens, and they really do run around a half minute or so after their heads are cut off if they are loose and not restrained...). For me, Christmas is a holy season, a time to reflect on Christ, and it is easy to get caught up in the trappings of consumerism and commercialism. I try hard to stay out of stores (and keep the kids out) during November and December. Leads to too much, "I want! I want!"

I did not figure all this out by myself. It happened one year (about 20 years back) when my husband was diagnosed with hepatitis in late October. It was not bad or anything, BUT it did mean that all the rest of us were potentially contagious. Incubation period is something like 60 days. While not "required" to be "quarantined" or anything, I felt it was simply prudent and courteous for us to stay as much as possible out of public places and not visit people. So we stayed home that year, declined invitations, parties, etc. REALLY stayed home. And I discovered it was the most peaceful, wonderful Christmas ever. Now, to be honest, a certain amount of that is good, and can add much to the season, but when you add in shopping and about a thousand other activities, the peace (His Peace) often gets lost in the hustle and bustle. Just something to consider.

by: John Szymanski

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