This post is by our regular contributor, Erin.
November is here, and that means most people are gearing up to do their annual holiday shopping.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t get very excited at the prospect of spending hundreds of dollars on gifts at the end of every year (which is why I don’t).
While having a budget and a set spending amount for each person on your list can help, that doesn’t stop holiday shopping from seeming like a chore.
There’s no reason to feel overwhelmed. The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, not a stressful one! If you want to end the year on a more peaceful note, here are six ways you can simplify your holiday shopping.
1) Avoid Going to the Store
Who really enjoys going shopping during the holidays? I can’t even stand shopping at the grocery store, let alone going out on Black Friday. Trying to compete against hundreds of people for a parking spot and a chance at a doorbuster isn’t my idea of a fun time.
Instead, I prefer shopping online, and I suspect most of you do, too. There are tons of deals to be had on Cyber Monday and Amazon is constantly having lightning deals in the days leading up to Christmas. With lots of promo codes floating around, you’ll be hard pressed to pay full price on anything.
There’s really no reason to set foot in a store during the holiday rush unless you like the crazy atmosphere and non-stop holiday music!
2) Use an In-Store Pickup Option
Okay, maybe you can’t completely avoid going to the store. Using the in-store pickup option places like Target, Walmart, and other major retailers offer is your next best bet. This allows you to skip the worst of the lines and guarantees what you’re looking for is in stock.
This simplifies shopping because you can still buy online, and you avoid the temptation of buying a bunch of things that weren’t on your list.
All you have to do is go online, select the things you want to buy, purchase them, and pick them up. No getting annoyed at people blocking aisles, or having to wander through the store to find exactly what you’re looking for.
As a bonus, you might find better prices online. The past few times I’ve visited Target, I’ve looked up prices of items online and found it was cheaper because of an online-exclusive sale. You won’t have to worry about missing out!
3) Don’t Buy Presents – Period
Did you think I was joking with that one? Nope, not joking at all. My parents told me the one thing they want for Christmas, and besides my grandma, that’s all I’m buying.
I’m not a huge gift-giving or gift-receiving person. Gifts aren’t my “love language.” I’d much rather focus on creating memories with my loved ones for the holidays. I find people are more appreciative of me giving my time, and I’m happy to make their lives a bit easier.
An example I’ve shared before is helping my grandma out with baking, and I do the same for my mom with cooking. If your family gets together to celebrate the holidays, why not try extending help to the person hosting? Cooking and baking for a whole family can be exhausting, not to mention expensive. You can either offer to help them prepare, or buy and make a few of the meals yourself.
This is a win-win all around. You get to be charitable without spending a ton of money, you don’t have to make a trip to the store, and you know you’ll be making their day so you don’t have to agonize over what gift to get them.
4) Buy Throughout the Year
It’s a bit too late now, but try picking up presents throughout the year as you come across sales. Black Friday isn’t the end-all be-all when it comes to scoring the best prices.
This simplifies the process of buying for the holidays because you won’t get caught up in the last-minute shopping everyone else is doing. Instead, you can shop at your own pace and as your budget allows it. You’ll be much more likely to avoid holiday-related debt, too.
5) Use What You Already Have
You can go a few ways with this. It helps to have a creative hobby so you have supplies on hand, but if you have to go out and buy them, you’re still avoiding the major holiday crunch at the typical stores.
So, how can you use what you already have to give gifts? One of the first things that comes to mind is baking. If you love to bake, most people are going to be perfectly happy receiving treats for the holidays. This is especially true for those that have special dietary needs. Making a tray of gluten-free brownies for your coworkers who can’t eat regular sweets will make them feel included in the festivities, and others can eat them, too!
Another idea would be to re-gift anything you have lying around from last year. I know a few people don’t agree with this, but in the spirit of decluttering and getting rid of things you don’t want or use, it can’t hurt as long as you do it tactfully. If any of your family members have commented on a certain thing you have that you don’t use, give it away! You can also repurpose items you have that you don’t intend on using.
Lastly, if you have a creative hobby like knitting, crafting, or even writing, you can make something special for your loved ones. My aunt has knitted almost all my family members a blanket, and my other aunt is crafty and makes ornaments and decorations for people.
If you love writing, create your own personalized holiday cards. If you can’t afford to buy presents, give from your heart instead. Not many people receive letters or personal cards anymore, which makes this gift feel special. It always makes my day to receive a handwritten note in the mail because of the extra effort it takes.
6) Minimize the Gift-Giving
One last solution you can try proposing to your family is to minimize the amount of gifts given to each person. This is great if your family is known for going completely overboard and buying each other tons of gifts.
Doing Secret Santa within your family can help lessen your holiday budget. Sure, it might result in less presents around the tree, but is that what the holidays are really about?
You can also suggest that presents only be purchased for the kids in your family. I know unwrapping presents was the highlight of my Christmas back when I was 8, but once I grew out of the toy phase, I cared more about getting to dessert. ;)
_________________
You don’t have to follow the path of going crazy with buying gifts for everyone you know this year. Forge your own path by simplifying and spending less money. Heartfelt presents tend to win out over expensive gifts anyway (unless your family is extremely materialistic).
Are you a fan of simplifying your holiday shopping, or do you go all-in with tradition? How have you simplified holiday shopping in your family? Do you like going shopping in the stores or on Black Friday?
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
We shop with a list and gift ideas for each person on that list. We also set sending limits. This helps prevent over spending and impulse purchases. No reason to go out on Black Friday, you can find similar deal online usually with free shipping.
In the past, I’ve purchased gifts throughout the year. I’ve been procrastinating this year. I may order the majority of my gifts for people online. There is no way I will ever be caught in Black Friday traffic.
We buy very few gifts. Just one toy for our son and “experience gifts” like theater tickets, restaurant gift cards or house cleaning certificates for everyone else. Thankfully, our list of people to buy for is super short. The only thing we might buy in stores is a gas stove for ourselves (and only if we find a screaming deal).
Honestly, # 5 can be a game changer. Most likely we already have several things at home that can be used. Recently I started simplifying and decluttering my own home as well, and I love it. What comes to the gifts, then I do love to shop for gifts, especially for kids. However, I always plan ahead and side hustle months before. Using this “extra” earned money helps to keep my holidays stress free.
We’ve moved much more towards the minimalist Christmas over the past few years. We buy a few things for the kids, usually throughout the year, and throw the rest of what we budget for them in their 529 accounts as our parents usually buy them a fair amount. We didn’t exchange last year, between my wife & I, and we used the money towards a vacation – we’ll likely do something similar this year. It makes thing much less stressful and we put the money towards something that holds more value for us.
My goal is to make presents for everyone so that we can continue paying off our debt, instead of racking up more bills. This is my list of DIY presents: http://creatingmykaleidoscope.com/2015/09/14/over-25-cheap-easy-diy-christmas-gifts-for-everyone-on-your-list/
Although, Goofball does keep talking about this Transformer that he wants. Maybe we can use a lightening deal on Amazon to get it for him.
I’m pretty lucky that #3 and #6 work for us. I know it may be a lot tougher for some families that have a long tradition of exchanging gifts, but we don’t really have that. And also, luckily, my son is still too young to really ask for any gifts. I’m sure it’ll get tougher as he gets older.
DebtDiscipline Exactly, Brian. There’s pretty much no need to go out on Black Friday with so many deals happening online!
Jason @ The Butler Journal Ha, seriously! I did it once back when I was in college because a few other family members were going, but I honestly didn’t find much. Online is the way to go.
Hannah UnplannedFinance I hope you’re able to find something! I like experience gifts. I know people go against gift cards, but I enjoy receiving them because I normally don’t go out to eat or anything like that. When I have a gift card, I do!
Reelika @Financially Wise On Heels If gift-giving is your thing, that’s definitely the way to do it! Having a little “holiday savings” account can do wonders for making your shopping less stressful.
FrugalRules I love that, John! It makes so much more sense to put the money toward something you’ll enjoy and look forward to. I also like the idea of putting the money in 529s with everyone else buying so many presents. Kids don’t need a lot to be happy!
Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope Thanks for sharing! It’s great that you’re so focused on paying off your debt, especially during the holidays. That’s when it’s easiest to fall off the bandwagon.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Yes, it’s definitely harder to convince your family to do something different when there’s been such a tradition around it. You never know – if your son gets used to it, or grows up knowing that’s how the holidays are, he might not ask for much!
Over the years, I’ve decided to ONLY give gifts to people I will see on Christmas. Also with a family of 7 we pick names so that we don’t purchase gifts for everyone. I also purchase gifts throughout the year and use coupons to purchase “care packages” for little ones. They really appreciate receiving body washes and deodorants.
LovetteMacc Yes, that’s a good point, and one I follow. Since I moved away from home last year, no one goes out of their way to send me presents, and I’ve followed suit. I prefer it that way! Love the idea of care packages, too – I’m a big fan of practical gifts people will use.
Normally, buying early is next to impossible for my husband. (Yay, ADD.) But this year he got interested in several things that I could pounce on. So other than officially ordering a couple of books from Amazon, I’m done shopping for him. Now for the other 3 people in my life. Sigh.
We are fans of minimizing gift giving or just not giving anything at all. For years, we just ended up wasting money swapping around gifts that none of us really needed or wanted. Now my family just buys gifts for the kids and since my son now knows about Santa we are employing the 4 gift plan to Christmas.
AbigailP I love when that happens. Most people in my family decide what they want like, a month beforehand. I’d rather order earlier, too. I try and keep a running Amazon wish list for when I’m pressured for an answer, otherwise I’m guilty of being impossible to shop for (which is why I don’t want to do gifts!).
blonde_finance Nice! It’s so sad to see how many gifts go to waste. It’s silly to perpetuate that in the name of tradition.
I love buying throughout the year. Not only do I find better deals, but I find that I’m able to get more personal, thoughtful gifts without the pressure of an upcoming deadline.
Great post Erin. I like your suggestion to help with the cooking. It is exhausting and a whole lot more fun if you have others do it with you. Holiday memories are rarely about the gifts.
Thanks!
SimplySave Not being under pressure is certainly a nice change of pace around the holidays!
Laura Beth @ How To Get Rich Slowly Thanks, Laura! I’ve never had to host a family gathering, but when my mom did, I always tried to help with something as she was always tired by the end. Cooking, cleaning, and hosting is a lot of work!