6 Tips For Easy Winter Holidays

Start Shopping and Saving For Holidays Now

It is something that many people say they will do every year, but as the winter is fast approaching, I would definitely recommend starting your holiday shopping early. Even early october is a great time to start stocking up on stocking stuffers, small gifts, and even non-perishable food items to ensure that your money is getting the biggest bang for the buck as possible. This means that there will be money available for the rest of your gifts when the inevitable panic shopping happens as you get close to the big day.

Budget In Advance

Many people when they shop for the holidays forget that it is like other expenses and must be budgeted for. Unless you are amazing with your credit cards, when you go on your shopping spree, skip the plastic. This will make sure you avoid those unseemly interest charges and also the pain of potentially losing it when you are shopping. You might even consider setting aside cash-only as a means of paying for your gifts.

Dont Lose Your Gifts

Holidays are one of the most stressful times of year for me. During these big-day shopping-sprees, consider a couple of the following ideas to avoid losing any gifts at the mall:

1. Make frequent trips to the car and place the gifts in the trunk or well hidden if they are expensive.

2. Recall the gifts purchased when moving from store to store and check that you have them when you leave to avoid a loss.

3. Make sure that you are not carrying too many bags - holding on to 8 sets of bag handles is a dropped-bag-disaster waiting to happen.

Speaking as someone who has had to replace 50 dollar gifts at the last minute, this might be one of the best tips for your shopping season.

Shop Online
Shopping online can be a great way to get good deals and also make sure that your gifts are not lost (if you choose a good retailer). Furthermore, there is something to be said about getting the shopping out of the way early if you choose this method to avoid shipping issues. Although I’ve never had an issue with shipping (I read reviews of sellers whenever possible), this will make sure that you are able to get the gifts in time to wrap them for the special occasion. You can read about HelpYourMoney.com’s top 5 recommened online Price Comparison Search Engines here.

Reduce Stress and Get Sleep
One of the major components to the holidays can be stress. People coming to visit, getting the cards written, making the desserts. All of these tasks can take time, but many of them (not just the shopping) can be done in advance to reduce stress. Cooking and Writing Cards are great examples of items that can be done in advance to reduce holiday stress. Furthermore, getting these done ahead of time will ensure you get enough sleep. Both of these factors will keep you healthier and happier through the holidays. So take care of it now, and you will be glad during November and December when the holiday and regular work-load doesn’t overwhelm you by making you sick.

Ask For Used
If you are comfortable about it, consider asking for used stuff when it comes to books, cds, and dvds. If they are bought online from a reputable seller, they are often much cheaper than new and you can either save your family some money or get more than what you would have gotten otherwise. I do this frequently because I know that used is “just as good” for those items and I would rather not see the money wasted.