Sorry this has take a few days longer than I wanted but I had a lot going on personally. The least of it was Ants! I hate Ants! So for the last few days I was cleaning out cabinets, so naturally once I got every thing out of my cabinets I decided to purge and rearrange everything. Now I finally have time to write this last Christmas Fund article. But more importantly I have an organized, clean and ant free kitchen!
Sticking to your budget and shopping. This may sound easy but it is not for some people. Understand my methods work for my family. These are starting points or suggestions for you. Every family is not the same. Use what works for you.
After a few years or trial and error I feel we have a pretty good system down when it comes to gift buying. I first sit down with Mike and figure out our budget. I count all the extras I have made throughout the year. I include any gift cards I may have earned and put aside. I also include the money I earned from selling our old stuff. Then we look at how much more we want to spend if we need to. Once we decide on our budget of the total amount of money we are going to spend, I write a list of every person who needs a gift. I then look at that list and decide who I can make homemade gifts for. Does your child's teachers need a $15 gift each or will some baked goods work?(I will be making and baking a few items soon and will hopefully have some posts on them here.) I then take anyone I have decided a home made gift will work for off of my list. Next I write my final "to buy for" list and I write next to each name the amount I am going to spend on their gift. Each amount should not be the same. You will probably spend more on your children than anyone else. Make sure your amounts all add up to the amount you want to spend or less.
Once you have your list its time to start shopping. I shop early and often. I shop almost year round for Christmas and Birthdays. By shopping early I tend to spend less. I only purchase an item when its an amazing deal and I am almost sure it will not go on sale cheaper during the holiday shopping season. I also keep in mind if I have the space to store the items I am purchasing. I have a wall in our walk-in closet under our hanging clothes that I have dedicated to the gift pile. If the item does not fit in that location it does not get bought.
I also stay on budget by keeping track of what I have bought. When I buy an item I write it down and how much it was. I keep a list of every holiday purchase in a notebook. When It comes time to really get that list together its easier since I have it written down already. If I happen to buy a gift that is perfect for someone other than my children while shopping early I make sure to write down what I have bought, who it is for, and how much I spent. This way when I make my list during holiday shopping time and I write that name down on my to buy for list I can immediately cross them off the list. And I don't forget I already got them a gift and buy a second for them.
Don't be afraid to spend less on a person than you planned to. Just because you find an item you want to buy for a specific person and you find it on sale does not mean you need to spend more. What I do is write down how much I spent and move on. Frequently I will add up our totals and see where I am at and if any adjustments are needed.
When I am done shopping I double check my list with my items to make sure I did not miss anyone or any item. I then add up my total to make sure I did not mis calculate anything. If I have money left over it goes into my savings for next years spending. If I am over I take a look at what I have and see if I can return anything or if there is another way I can make up that money easily. I usually end up trying to sell a few items or spend some extra time on swagbucks to make up the extra.
Hope these tips make for a less stressful holiday shopping experience for you!
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