Staying organized during holiday gift shopping
It's that time again! Some of us are over the moon, and some of us are inwardly groaning, but the holiday season is inescapable. Whatever your chosen celebration, life is full and you're anticipating the stress of it all. Allow us to suggest a few ways to stay organized when buying gifts this year.
start early
Budgeting is hard, especially for those whose love language is giving gifts. You're out on any given Tuesday, just picking up some groceries when you cut down a random aisle and spot something you know your nephew would just love. Jackpot. While we highly support your buying gifts early, we suggest one step further: creating a savings account specifically for the holidays (and it can double for birthdays/anniversaries!).
Start saving in the spring. Start looking and purchasing in the summer. Take advantage of semi-annual and weekend-holiday sales.
keep a list
Gift-giving can be a fun practice in being attentive. At any family or friend function, keep your ears open to what your loved ones are saying about their current hobbies or wishes or obsessions. Don't be afraid to ask questions about their aspirations or dreams.
Take quick notes on your phone so you don't forget anything that you gleaned. Start a private wish list in a planner or on Amazon. Make a digital spreadsheet or find a printable template online if that sort of thing lights you up! (And don't forget to include a budget column to track your spending for each person.)
If you want to take the nerding-out a step further, take inventory of your gift wrap supplies. Compare your current stash to the gifts you have purchased or expect to purchase and note if you are in need of a particular size of bag or box. List what needs to be replenished, and take advantage of any sales to stock up.
organize by family member
My mother-in-law is a pro at this. We have 20 immediate family members on that side, half of whom are under 15 years old, and holidays sure get hectic. Around mid-year, she'll buy something like these bags, one per family member, and write one name on each bag. Then she'll hang them in her closet by these hooks. Whenever she makes a gift purchase or receives a package in the mail, she'll immediately place the contents in the corresponding person's bag. (Key word here is immediately.) Done and done. If she has a large item that doesn't fit in the bag, she'll write a note to herself of where she stored it instead, and put that reminder in the bag.
pick a spot to store
Pick one or two spots in the house to hold all your goodies, and stick to your chosen locations. This could be a linen closet, a super high shelf in the laundry room, a coat closet, etc. If you have kiddos, you might need to get creative. At a young age, I found one hidey spot where my mom hid our presents (sorry, Mom), but she was clever enough to have a second secret stash, and the magic and surprise of Christmas morning was preserved.
checkin’ it twice
Whenever you make a purchase and check something off your list, do a once-over of the rest of the list to make sure you're on a good trajectory or to make as-needed changes to your plans.
save receipts
Receipts are your friend. Wherever you keep your gift list, also keep a set of envelopes or an accordion folder, organized by family member, to hold your receipts until the season is complete. When you unload your shopping bags into the gift-holding bags in your chosen gift-saving location, immediately put your receipt in the corresponding envelope. (Again, key word is immediately. We're stacking habits here!)
keep stockings simple
Stockings have always been my favorite part of Christmas morning. I view my stocking as its own little secondary tree, with a whole new hoard of goodies. I personally love brainstorming and shopping for stockings. I realize others might have different feelings.
Especially if you have a large family, stocking stuffing can be a real challenge. Here's another lesson I learned from my mom-in-law: everyone gets the same things in their stocking, allowing for slight variations. She even has a formula: a list of 6-8 broad categories that both work for everyone and can be manipulated depending on the person. Categories include sweet treats, hygiene/beauty items, kitchen tools, small toys, and socks.
Here's a sock example. She knows I love thick fuzzy winter socks, and that my brother-in-law loves to go camping. I get fluffy pink things in my stocking, and he gets a new pair of wool thermal ones. One category fulfilled, while still remaining personalized.
Feel free to create your own formula, and create columns for your categories in your gift spreadsheet. And check them off when you buy them. And put them directly in the corresponding person's gift bag. And slot the receipt in the correct envelope. (Do you see the pattern?)
systemize your wrapping
You've made your purchases and kept them organized by person. You can keep the organizational momentum going while you wrap, too!
One way to go about it is to wrap by person/bag. Simply dump one person's bag, wrap everything, and stuff his/her stocking completely before moving on to the next person's bag. Some crafty folks even have a separate wrapping paper pattern for each person. That's nifty, and it removes the need for gift tags (as long as you remember which pattern corresponds to which person!).
Gift giving (and shopping and tracking) can take a lot of brain power. Use these guidelines to create systems that will give you back the capacity to have fun with the process.
Need to take something else off your plate this season? We'd be happy to help you with your gift wrapping! We also offer gift certificates if you are interested in gifting our services to a loved one. If you're in the greater Austin, Texas area, DM or email us for a free consultation or more details.