I was perusing Pinterest one morning in the pre-dawn hours because I couldn’t sleep. Although I knew better than to enter the time void more commonly known as Pinterest, I couldn’t help but to mindlessly scroll hoping to get tired out. Magically, I scrolled upon the holy grail of pins — a pin so mind-blowing that it changed my whole attitude on holiday shopping. I know, what are the odds of discovering life-altering info a) from a pin on Pinterest and b) at 3am in the morning! As the cool kids would say, I was ‘woke’ in more ways than one.
START YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING NOW!
Now before you get totally disgusted, there is a lot of evidence in support of starting now. Starting your holiday shopping now makes perfect sense! SAVE TIME, MONEY and SANITY!
Save Money: This issue clearly grabbed my attention, because the holidays get expensive, and if you can offer me ideas to help, I’m listening. The underlying theme was spreading the cost over a longer period. Socking money away in a saving account throughout the year vs. spending like crazy for two months and paying off the credit card after the holidays is totally doable, it just requires forethought. One idea suggested that you buy a gift card with every paycheck (or once a month) so that when the holiday season arrives your shopping is non-traceable, and it doesn’t feel like such a big hit to your finances. Genius! I cant tell you how many gifts have been spoiled because my husband is forever in the bank’s mobile app for one reason or another. Plus, you’re more likely to stick to your buget when you’re paying with a set limit on a gift card. If the idea of gift cards with fees or leftover balances turns you off, open a savings account and pull it out in cash when you’re ready to shop.
Save Time & Sanity: These two go hand-in-hand for me. Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to find the ultimate gift? There are times throughout the year that I’ll run across something and think, “so-and-so would probably love this”. Our instincts are good, why not act on it, and buy that gift to hold on to till the holidays? If you have a “stash place” you’re golden. It’s easier than all those wasted trips to packed stores around the holidays. I usually go home empty handed, wondering how I can wander through countless stores and still have no idea what to buy anyone. If you’re thinking that you’d rather wait for Black Friday and all the great holiday sales, there’s nothing stopping you for continuing your shopping, this is just motivation to start early so that you can relax and enjoy more of the holiday season. Isn’t that that the most important part of the holiday? To enjoy the company of those who mean the most to us? When you get your Christmas shopping done early you’ll have more time to appreciate the season! And I just saved you a 3am Pinterest revelation. Will I see you out Christmas shopping this weekend?
