Coming to Town

If I tell you that I suddenly and unexpectedly feel behind on blogging because I was too busy Holiday Shopping, would you believe me? In fact I thought I was way ahead of the game the week before Halloween when I started my planning. Little did I know however, that November 1st the radio stations here start the Christmas Music, that by November 2nd the stores would be stocking their shelves with Christmas Gift ideas and decorations, and that on November 8th the snow would start. Looks like instead of being early to the game, I showed up right on time.

I've taken a whole new approach to Holiday Shopping this year, that I hope will be positive. As I have learned with my Financial Budgeting, planning is the best way to get what you need, and get it for the best deal. I have a small pocket size notebook that I purchased specifically for gift organization this year. Each person I need to buy for is given their own page. On the top half of that page I have left a space for Gift Ideas, and on the bottom half I fill in with any gifts that I purchase. Now that I have different ideas listed for each person, I can search the Internet for upcoming sales, coupons and codes that can help me make those gift ideas reality, and to do it the most cost effectively. Also, now that I have a constant list of what gifts I already have purchased, I won't forget about the small gifts that are hidden in the bottom of the box, and in theory I will over buy less. The biggest regulation this notebook brings is that I've even included a list for myself in this notebook. I often find than when it comes to Christmas sales, I find just as much to gift myself with, as I do to gift everyone else with. This year I'm keeping a list to help keep my personal shopping down to a minimum. I've heard via a few different sources that many companies will be giving some of their best sales prior to Black Friday, to help boost their total numbers for the season. With the amount of coupons arriving to my inbox each day, it seems the rumors are true, and I'm doing my best to keep up with the deals. I knew before I started the notebook that there were 10 people that I needed to shop for this season. Once I started writing down all of the names however, I realized that my number was a bit off. With so many of the smaller family gifts that I seemed to have forgotten, the number is actually 25. Each year I typically realize the week before Christmas that I've missed someone and am forced to spend more on a last minute gift than I would have liked. Looks like this year I could have easily forgotten 15 gifts had it not been for my little Holiday Planning. Have you started your Holiday Shopping? What advice do you have to keep everything straight during this crazy season?

Sweater: Micheal Khors via Goodwill $3
Pink Skirt: Target $4
Brown Belt: Hand-me-Up from a Friend
Brown Tights: Peter Harris $1.50
Brown Heels: Walmart $5