It is December. We are in the homestretch. The last thing you want to be thinking about now is last minute Christmas shopping. The focus should be on party planning and the arrival of Santa Claus. Eleventh hour Christmas shopping is very stressful and often unnecessary. It puts are major crimp in your time, wallet and Christmas spirit.
Here are some tips to bypass the wasteful last minute trips to the mall as well as how to deal with last minute shopping if you have no choice.
- If you have not started shopping yet, shame on you! To make it less painful, make a list of everyone for whom you need to shop then list three things for each person. By listing three things, you won’t go nuts trying to find one specific item. It the first item on the list is sold out or not available in the color or size you need, move on to the next item.
- Take advantage of websites that offer last minute deals, discounted shipping and guaranteed delivery by Christmas. Any time you can dodge the mall, do it.
- Try not to come down with a case of the “might as wells.” Make a list, buy exactly is on it and then STOP! The “might as wells” can really kill your budget and usually, they are just silly things that people don’t want or need. At Christmas, think quality, not quantity.
- Buy a handful of “emergency gifts.” These are restaurant gift cards, department store gift cards, gift baskets, movie theater gift certificates and the like. Keep them handy along with a supply of greeting cards. The idea here is that you can give these to anyone you may have forgotten or who may show up at your door unexpectedly. They are the perfect emergency gifts because you can use of any cards you don’t give away.
If you still need to go, get moving, get it done and have a wonderful Christmas.