Plan Out Your Christmas Shopping
One of the best things you can do is to plan ahead. If you decide you are going Christmas shopping or you want to get your shopping done with this week, make a list and stick to it. Planning ahead and writing down specific items you are looking for is the best way to stay on track and on budget. It can be quite stressful if you simply walk into a store and have direction or plan of attack. Take the stress away and plan ahead.
If your children are old enough to write, then have them write out a list of gifts they want this Christmas. You don't necessarily have to buy all the items on their list, but maybe choosing one or two off the list will give you a good base for buying Christmas gifts. If your child is younger, you can help them write out a list or even take them to the store and see what attracts them the most.
Set a Christmas Shopping Budget
Make a budget and stick with it. One of the most stressful things about Christmas shopping is realizing that you spent way too much on gifts. By making a budget for each child, you can eliminate the guilt and stress after the holidays when the credit card bills come in the mail. Decide how much money you have to spend on gifts this year and then divide that money up into the number of people you have to buy for.
Stick to Popular Toys and Gifts for Kids
Most kids aren't that hard to buy for as they will let you know what they want or you can simply take a look at a site like Amazon.com and look for the bestselling toys to get ideas. Or check out the list of the hottest toys and gadgets for the year. For example, this year Ever After High Dolls are going to be really popular for girls under the age of 12 and young girls are going to love Cheerin' Minnie. While for boys, you may want to check out the best board games for boys to see which one your son may love to play.
Have Fun with Your Christmas Shopping
Lastly, try to have fun with your holiday shopping instead of making it more stressful. Most kids are grateful for just about any present you get them so don't worry if you can't afford the best of the best toys. I know that I enjoy shopping for toys and kids a lot more than shopping for other adults. Whenever I buy a Christmas gift for one of my kids I think about how their face is going to light up as they unwrap the gift on Christmas morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment