“Next year I am starting my Christmas planning early.”

Do you find yourself saying that every year? But, then December 1st rolls around and, once again, you find yourself scrambling to come up with affordable gift ideas, or making sure you don’t spend $50 on your nephew and $25 on your niece. Then the stress builds and decision paralysis kicks in, and then… It’s December 23rd and you’re stuck picking out the first cute stuffed animal and blanket set you can find at the grocery store. 

Here are FIVE things that you can do starting NOW for your Christmas or Holiday Shopping.

Tip #1 - Secret Santa

One of the best ways to save money and reduce stress is to make a plan with your family, friends or coworkers to do a Secret Santa gift exchange. Everyone picks a name out of a hat, a budget is set and you buy for that ONE person. Are there fewer gifts? Yes. Is that really a bad thing? Maybe not. For your family, you could do $100 or $50 per gift. There is almost always going to be a massive disparity in what different people can afford, so try to find a limit that works well for everyone.

For those of you who feel like you need to buy gifts for everyone -you know who you are- let’s look at some other ideas!

Tip #2 - Single Price Point 

Set a price point that works for your budget. This can be as simple as only wanting to spend a total of $500 on gifts, and then divvying that out per person. Or, you can choose a certain price point for everyone. It could be like $50 per person, or it could look something like this… 

• Spouse/Partner: $200 

• Kids: $100 

• Grandkid:- $50 

• Siblings: $75 

• Co-Workers: $25 

• Parents: $150 

• Close Friends: $75 

• Other Friends: $25 

Obviously, these numbers need to work within your budget- and don’t forget to multiply. If you have 14 grandkids, you may need to do $10 per child instead. If you sit down and do this as early as August or September, or even earlier, it makes it easier to set that money aside. One of the best ways to make sure you don’t go over budget, is to grab some envelopes and write names on them. Then get cash and put the right amount in each envelope.

Bonus Tip - It’s also great to give couples gifts. It lowers your price per person, but you can give a nicer gift. So, instead of $100 for your brother and $100 for his wife, you can spend $150 on one nice gift that will work for both of them. Less money spent, less time shopping and less time wrapping.

Tip #3 - ONE Gift Type 

This one at first glance seems like it could be boring, but it actually can be a lot of fun. Find one item that you can buy in bulk to give to everyone. It could be something as small as socks, or blankets, or it could be something like a pocket multi-tool or cool flashlight. You could even have items customized with individual names. Like getting hoodies for everyone with the family name on the back, and their first name on the front.

Bonus Tip - If you want to simplify even more and not have to shop as much, get one big gift for the family. Maybe a TV, a yard game, a camping kit, or a trampoline!

Tip #4 - Crafts for Christmas 

This one requires time but it is definitely the biggest money saver. One year I bought a bunch of sweet loaf cake mixes from Trader Joe’s. I baked them myself, and packaged them up really nicely in shrink wrap for gifts for my family. It was individualized and special for each of them. Another idea is to find a craft that you can make for everyone. Pinterest is full of great ideas. If you can do basic woodwork, sewing, or painting there are thousands of fun, and relatively simple, ideas out there. Making fleece blankets, or charcuterie boards, or watercolor winter scene wall art. I find that using my creative side of my brain helps to alleviate stress too, double bonus!

Tip #5 - Gift and Size Lists 

Send a text message out to your loved ones asking for gift ideas and sizes. Write everyone’s name down and get ideas from them. If you have their sizes you can place that custom sweatshirt order, and be done with your Christmas shopping. Whatever gift route you decide to go, having a list that you can check off is essential. Nothing is worse than getting in the car to go to Aunt Sally’s house and realizing you forgot to get a gift for Uncle Tom. I have a great resource that can help with tracking all the gifts and cards that you send out.

Any of these tips can help alleviate some of that annual holiday stress we all feel. So, get out a notepad and a pen, or use my gift tracker, and start writing the names of everyone you feel like you want to buy gifts for, then get a handful of envelopes out. Now you are ready to send a text to your family or friends, asking what their plans are and maybe send this blog to them, so everyone is on the same page.

If you find yourself going over budget on your list, make adjustments so you don’t find yourself reaching for your emergency credit card on December 24th to buy a tin of butter cookies and a giant teddy bear for anyone you may have forgotten to buy for.

Whatever you choose to do, remember to take a minute to slow down, enjoy and remember the time you get to spend with loved ones. Whether, it’s just two of you on the couch watching Elf on Christmas Eve, or if it’s a family gathering of 52 playing Charades. Have fun. Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!