Another Green Suggestion to Holiday Shopping

This weekend's crazy sales have got me thinking a good deal about holiday shopping.  While everyone else is out raiding the sales, I started to think about some ways I could handle my own holiday commitment without, well, ending up committed!  Yesterday I talked about the benefit of home made gifts.  Today I want to think about those family members that simply aren't...well...the right match for hand-made crafts.  Let's face it, not everyone in our lives is willing to accept something that isn't store bought with excitement and joy.  Some will just shove it to the bottom of the closet and only pull it out when they know you're coming to visit.  To keep everyone happy, I've decided there are some people I just won't do crafts for.

Of course, handling the holiday crazies are bad enough when you've got people on your list to shop for, but I don't believe in going out of my way to shop for presents.  With the crowds and traffic of the holiday shopping weekend, often times it isn't worth it to go out just to hit up the sales.  There are plenty of alternatives to hitting the big sale weekend shopping and they'll save you on effort and gas.

Here's a few of my suggestions for getting all of that holiday shopping out of the way:  Some of these will definitely help you save some money during the holidays too!

1. Plan ahead.  Know what you're going to buy everyone in advance and where you can buy it.  If you don't know what to get someone, search around online for some ideas.
2. Stick to your list.  I know it's really tempting to change plans when you see that perfect gift for Aunt Mary, but you'll likely go through that about ten times during this holiday season.  Changing plans is a great way to get off budget or overbuy for your family because you simply "can't resist".  However, this is the perfect time to pull out a notebook and start getting ideas for next year!
3. Calculate your holiday budget.  Come the holiday season I can't count how many people I've known who stress about how they're going to afford everything they need to get their family for Christmas.  I know many families that put themselves into a great deal of debt, sometimes so much it takes the whole next year to pull themselves out of it.  Other families are choosing which bills not to pay so they have a little more for the holidays.  Instead of going broke for the holidays, just sit down with your family budget, calculate your expenses (if you haven't done this already) to see how much you have left over for holiday spending, including big family meals, something to bring to the potluck, whatever engagements you'll have.  You can also see where you can cut the budget for the month if you don't think you'll have enough to comfortably cover all your gifts, such as eating on the cheap for a while.  Once you've got that, calculate how much you can budget for each holiday need, decorations, cards, a tree (if you buy one each year), and shopping.  This should help you stay on track throughout the holiday season without going broke (unless you choose to!)
4. Keep within your budget.  If something you had planned to purchase turns out to be more expensive than you thought it was, take a moment to consider whether you can really afford to put out the extra money.  Also keep track of any items you get on sale or otherwise manage to save on.  If you've managed to hit great sales and stay well under budget, it's a lot easier to justify spending a little bit more on something that cost more than you estimated.
5. Plan holiday shopping trips with your other errands.  If you know that quirky little parenting shop you plan to get those cute diaper covers for your expecting sister is right near the grocery store, plan to go on your grocery shopping day.  If the book store is right near the post office, stop in while mailing out your Christmas cards, picking up packages, or buying stamps.  If you've got a bunch of locations that aren't near any of your scheduled errands, set them up in localized groups to save on gas and traveling.  Remember, the less you have to drive, the more you save on time and the less pollution you produce to damage the environment!
6. Check for sales and see if you can work your errands to coincide.  For example, if there's a great weekend sale where the toy you're buying for your niece is going to be 50% off, perhaps you could get up early to hit the post office's Saturday hours.  Sometimes these sales don't always hit, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
7. Don't wait until last minute!  Last minute shopping leaves you prone to panicking.  This doesn't do anyone any good.  You'll also be less likely to find the item you're looking for if it's a hot ticket item that year.  Shopping early allows you time to find the gift, even if you can't find it at the first locations you check, and if all else fails, you can always order online with plenty of time for the package to arrive.

These are just a few of the things that help me get through the holiday season without too much trauma.  I know many of these sound like they're obvious, but you wouldn't believe how many people don't know how to use these simple tactics to make the holidays as little stress as they can be.  With all of the plans for travel, arranging for big dinners, and everything else, there's plenty of stress to the holiday season.  Why add to the problem?  Just take your time, plan it out.  Budget, and enjoy the holiday season.  Isn't that what it's all about?