Thursday, October 3, 2013

Welcom to Christmas 2013!!!!

I'm back (by demand actually) to help you all save on retail for Christmas!.

Here are some points to remember, and get you in the shopping spirit! 

1.       List your people you need to buy for. 

2.       List possible categories for each person (clothes, books, toy…)

3.       Decide right here, right now that you ARE NOT going to be picky!  Your Aunt Helen that you always fight with will NOT turn into a better person because you nailed it on the present.  Your brother is NOT going to halt Christmas and announce to the world how wonderful you are.  It is a gift, the only time it is more than a gift is when you weren’t going to give it in the first place. (Like a neighbor that touched your heart, or an helpful friend you just met).

4.       Separate the “already-know”s.  Example: you’re getting your dad a new grill that you already discussed with your family, so this gift is in a different category. 

5.       Think outside the box:  fill a laundry basket with household cleaners (using coupons), fill a clutch purse with make-up (using coupons).  Fill a Homer bucket with potting soil, a trowel and seed packets from the clearance rack. Don’t get one series of books for your mom and one series for your sister, get them each 1 book from the same series and let them share.

6.       Because of the down economy, I find it completely acceptable that ‘needful’ things can be gifts.  For example new towels or sheets, new shoes, seeds & planters, pajamas, a selection of nice food treats (like roasted nuts, etc.) This is more appropriate now than it has been in the past.

7.       Can you make a gift out of summer clearance items.  Example:  Is someone going on a cruise or trip to a warm location in the winter you know about…get them flip flops and sunglasses on clearance now.  Did someone move into a new home, get them lawn and garden tools on clearance now. Does someone LOOOOOVE to play dress-up, get them Halloween costumes on clearance November 1st. 

8.       Find Saving blogs and follow them.  Visit several, visit often be ready to buy because deals posted often sell out quickly. 

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