Early Christmas Shopping

If you are one of those people who gets their Christmas shopping done early every year, you probably find yourself getting a great deal of mean looks from others around the holiday season. This is especially true if you make a habit of letting others know you have already finished your Christmas shopping. This happens because the vast majority of people do not get their Christmas shopping done early and may be envious of those who manage to finish their shopping early. The fact that most Christmas shoppers wait until the last minute is evident by the crowds who flock to malls and shopping centers in the final days before Christmas.

If you are one of these people who always finishes their Christmas shopping early you may already have a method to accomplishing this goal. However, if you are like the majority of people who spend every year last minute Christmas shopping this article will provide you with some tips for getting your Christmas shopping done early this year.

One of the best ways to get your Christmas shopping done early is to try to do a great deal of Christmas shopping for the next year in the first few days after Christmas. Although the stores are usually quite crowded on these days there is not the same sense of urgency which prevails in the days just before Christmas so the atmosphere is more relaxed. Additionally, many stores are holding sales so not only can you do a large portion of your shopping but you are also likely to save a great deal of money in the process. The first few days after Christmas are an excellent time to shop because you are likely still in the Christmas spirit.

Another way to get your Christmas shopping done early is to plan on doing all of your Christmas shopping online this year. This is an excellent idea because most retailers will wrap the item for you and ship it directly to the recipient. You will pay a little more for these services but the convenience of not having to do the wrapping yourself or stand in long lines at the post office is certainly worth the extra fee. Committing to Christmas shopping online really helps you to get you shopping done early because you know you have to make your purchases early in order for them to arrive on time.

Another way to get your Christmas shopping done early is plan on purchasing two gifts for each person on your list at the time of their birthday. You can give them the first gift for their birthday and store the other item away until Christmas. This is a great idea because it helps you to get your shopping done early so you can avoid the hassle of going to overcrowded malls and shopping centers and searching for last minute Christmas gifts. If you follow this simple strategy when the Christmas season arrives, you will already have most, if not all, of your Christmas gifts purchased already and you can spend your time relaxing and enjoying the holiday season instead of running around trying to find the perfect gift for each person on your list. While this strategy is effective it is important to note you could be destined to some last minute shopping if you have people on your list who have birthdays in late December. In this case you will have to plan ahead and purchase their birthday gift and their Christmas gift early.

Easing the Financial Burdens of Christmas Shopping

Although we would all prefer to not have to worry about finances when it comes to Christmas shopping, the truth is that most people do not have unlimited funds to spend on Christmas presents. Most of us have to set budgets for Christmas shopping and have to repay any debts which are incurred while shopping for Christmas presents. There are ways to ease the financial burden of Christmas shopping. Some of the most common ways to ease the financial burden include spreading out the Christmas shopping throughout the year, opening a Christmas savings account, and sticking to a strict budget when it comes to purchasing Christmas presents.

If you typically wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping, you probably understand the stress of last minute shopping all too well. Not only is it stressful to have to find appropriate gifts and purchase them, wrap them, and deliver them to the recipient in a short time period, but it also places a tremendous strain on the wallet. The problem with this type of Christmas shopping strategy, in addition to the stress of finding great gifts, is that you are faced with paying for all of these gifts at one time. This can be very difficult, especially if you are already on a tight budget and don’t have a great deal of money left over in your monthly budget. Without proper planning, you may be faced with the dilemma of either shortening your list of gift recipients or purchasing inexpensive gifts for each member on your list. If you plan to shop throughout the year, you may find you are able to purchase gifts for one or two individuals on your list each month. This strategy of spreading the Christmas shopping throughout the year makes the financial burden of Christmas shopping significantly less difficult.

Opening a Christmas savings account can also be very helpful in easing the financial burden of Christmas shopping. It is helpful because most Christmas savings accounts accrue interest and do not allow you to withdraw money from the account before a certain time. This allows you to gain a small amount of interest on your savings and ensures you won’t be tempted to use the money you are saving for Christmas shopping for other expenses throughout the year. You could always take an envelope and add a percentage of each one of your paychecks during the year, but if you save this way you will not be earning any interest on the money you are putting aside. Also, you may be tempted to use some of the money for small purchases or emergencies which arise during the year. A Christmas savings account is so convenient, you can even have money directly deposited into it from each paycheck, or you could simply transfer money into your Christmas savings account from another account each month.

The financial burden of Christmas shopping can be eased by setting a strict budget and sticking to it. This is important because it can help to keep you from spending more on shopping for Christmas gifts than you had intended. If you budget carefully and plan on only spending as much money as you already have saved, or as much as you can afford to spend, than you do not have to worry about going into debt to provide Christmas gifts for your loved ones. While it is important to set a budget, it is also important to track your purchases to make sure you are sticking to your budget. If you go over your spending limit on a few people on your list, you will have to consider either eliminating a few people or reducing the amount of money you can spend on a few people. This will help you to remain under your budget.

Christmas Shopping Year Round

There are a lot of great advantages to Christmas shopping year round. Some of these advantages include avoiding the stress of last minute shopping, not having to worry about accumulating exorbitant credit card bills during the Christmas season, and being able to enjoy the Christmas spirit all year.

One of the biggest benefits of Christmas shopping year round is having most of your Christmas shopping done before the last minute. It also means not having to do much Christmas shopping in the typically hectic time after Thanksgiving and before Christmas Eve, when malls and shopping centers are very crowded. Although there are some people who enjoy shopping during this hectic and chaotic time, most people find it stressful and only do it because they have procrastinated.

Making a conscious effort to Christmas shop all year round helps to eliminate a great deal of the stress which is typically associated with last minute Christmas shopping. It also helps you to purchase more meaningful gifts for everyone on your Christmas list because you are not rushing around to purchase gifts at the last minute. You may find a gift you think is absolutely perfect for your sister in the month of April. All you have to do is purchase the gift when you find it and then save it for the Christmas season.

People who do their Christmas shopping year round are not only less stressed around the holiday season, but they also have more free time to participate in other holiday activities. Those who like to bake may skip baking if they feel like they still have too much Christmas shopping to do, while those who did their shopping ahead of time can take some time to relax and bake wonderful cookies to enjoy during the Christmas season.

Another downside of last minute Christmas shopping is the amount of bills which accumulate. For those who rushed to get their Christmas shopping done in the month of December, the New Year can bring in a new set of financial problems because repaying the debts accrued while Christmas shopping can be quite daunting. Those who wisely did their Christmas shopping throughout the year do not have this problem. If you budget a certain amount of your monthly income for Christmas gifts, you may not have even noticed the financial strains typically associated with last minute Christmas shopping.

Although last minute shoppers may save up to do their Christmas shopping all at once by putting their money into a special savings account, it can be difficult to stick to a budget when you are shopping at the last minute. You may wind up spending more than anticipated on each person on your list because you cannot find anything else to buy. When this happens, and there is a shortage of time, it is common to just purchase the more expensive item rather than to keep looking.

Christmas shopping year round is a great idea because it helps people to stay in the Christmas spirit throughout the year. While many of us get caught up in the spirit of giving during the holidays, those who are always Christmas shopping may enjoy these feelings of generosity throughout the year. Giving is a wonderful experience and, although you may not actually be giving the gifts until Christmas, you are purchasing them at other times during the year and this can be very fulfilling. Sometimes simply finding a great gift for a loved one can put you in a good mood and make you feel as though you have really accomplished something wonderful.