The shop early and start now chorus is growing louder by the minute. And I must agree, it is a good idea to shop early this year, for a multitude of reasons. But first, take a breath. Don’t stress over it. In fact, getting organized, shopping early, and shopping online, will make preparations more peaceful.
So, let’s make a plan on how you can get your holiday shopping done by November 21st. For those of you shopping mostly for Hanukkah, this is the date to shoot for anyway. And if for Christmas or Kwanzaa, you’ll be able to sail through December with less stress. I will give weekly updates for this now through November 21st to help you stay on target.
Overview:
Step 1: Make your list
This article from PC Magazine lists apps to help: 9 Apps to Help Organize Your Holiday Gift Lists.
Download this pdf to print or use this Microsoft Xcel spreadsheet to work with. When you download the spreadsheet, save it with a new name.
Step 2: Brainstorm ideas and get some of those ideas on paper or recorded. Start collecting wrapping supplies.
Step 3: Shop the easiest ones first. Why? As you start shopping, you will start getting ideas. Are you making any gifts this year? Gather supplies for your craft.
Step 4: Do the bulk of your shopping. Dedicate time to just working through your list. Try to finish. This is a little push to finish, but don’t stress over it if there are some you are struggling with. Start making any hand-made items.
Step 5: Ok, now, really finish it up. Tackle the hard-to-find or hard-to-buy-for picks. If you are nearly done, you will be able to spend more time on these. And the purpose of a deadline is also to set a goal and let go of perfection. Hope for the best, do what you can and know that it will be OK. For hand-made items, keep it coming, love.
Step 6: Tie up loose ends. Anything left to wrap? To mail? Pack?
And next… just enjoy.
Come on and join me for my Done-by-Thanksgiving challenge. Yup. That’s right. For some inspiration and motivation. Also, if you spend at least $50 at EcoPetites before Thanksgiving, post about it on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook and use the hashtag #donebyNov21, I’ll send you an e-gift card for $25 on November 24th . It’s the perfect way to do a little shop-for-you, shop-for-me kinda thing.
Click here to go to the next blog post in this series: Step 1
