how to shop for gifts without getting overwhelmed
Feeling overwhelmed about shopping for Christmas gifts? Stumped trying to come up with gift ideas? This time of year often feels like a frantic frenzy trying to figure out all the gifts for all the people – and I don’t know about you, but I usually end up frazzled & panic-purchasing things at the last minute 😬🙋🏼♀️
Here are some easy gifting strategies you can try out as you begin the gift-giving season 🎁
Start by making a list of all the people you need to get a gift for. Then write down any ideas you have by their name, along with a $ amount you’re willing/able to spend. 📝
Set some boundaries to help narrow your shopping search so you don’t end up wasting hours on the computer or at the mall with endless options 😵💫To avoid analysis paralysis, choose 3-5 stores/locations total where you’ll shop at for everyone. For example: My plan is to shop my favorite local shops one afternoon (all in one location/area of town), then shop a couple of more small businesses online, then I will fill in any gaps at the end shopping on Amazon or Target. 🛒
Try a gifting method like “something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read.” This can be so helpful in giving you direction in your gifting, as well as setting limits for your search. You can spice it up however you like by adding or taking away any categories. Other categories you could try: something used, something made, something to do, something to play, something to eat, a special treat, etc. 🎁
Utilize a “Favorite Treat Cheat Sheet” This is a great tool to use if you’re stumped trying to come up with a gift idea for someone – it’s a just a simple list to text to your friends, family, significant other, roommate, etc. so you can spontaneously surprise delight them throughout the year (or when it’s a gift-giving time of year 😉)
Pick a theme for all your gifts. Maybe try buying something consumable for everyone on your list (aka their favorite tea, basket of snacks, or a gift card to a restaurant they would love), or maybe a book for each person on your list catered to their interests, or socks that speak to each person’s personality (because everyone always needs socks, right? 😜)
Lastly, keep a record of the gifts you’ve purchased! Use a note in your phone or an excel doc, whatever you fancy. I love having an excel document so that I can reference it year after year so I can look back and see what gifts I gave previous years, this sometimes gives me ideas for the current year or at least prevents me from buying the same thing for someone two years in a row 😂 Here’s a Gift Tracker template you can use – simply open the Google sheet, then look for “File” in the menu bar and select “Make a Copy” to have your own Gift Tracker to customize 🎉
I hope that this list is helpful to you this Christmas season! Do you have any tips for making gift-giving/shopping easier? I’d love to hear ‘em!! 🤓
