Wow! Can you believe we’re halfway through this Christmas challenge already? The last two weeks sure have gone fast!
Over the last few days, we’ve talked A LOT about gifts. You’ve finalised your gift list, you’ve come up with ways to spend money on experiences instead of things and you’ve created a stockpile of last-minute emergency gifts. There’s now just one more thing left to do. Can you guess what it is?!
That’s right!
It’s time to get started on your Christmas shopping – nice and early. It’s time to start buying those Christmas presents!
But before you start racing off to the shops, there’s something I want you to do first…I want you to take a few moments to go through your Christmas gift list and work out what you need to buy where – as well as how and when you’re going to do it. Which brings me onto today’s challenge…
Challenge #15: Create Your Christmas Shopping Battle Plan…
You need a Christmas shopping battle plan…
Now I know it’s tempting to just head straight to the shops. To want to get started on your Christmas shopping as early as possible and to just start buying your gifts. But try to resist the urge! I don’t want you to go anywhere near the shops (or your PC for that matter!) until you’ve created a Christmas shopping battle plan.
Why?
Because if you want to get your Christmas shopping done with minimal stress and fuss, you need to have a battle plan!
We all know that when it comes to Christmas, shopping for gifts takes up more time than anything else. But having a battle plan makes the process a whole lot easier. And so for today’s challenge, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. I’m going to show you how to create your Christmas shopping battle plan.
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Creating your Christmas shopping battle plan…
Step #1: Work out what you need to buy where.
Go through your finalised gift list and figure out which gifts you can order online and which you need to physically go out and buy. If it helps, highlight those to order online in one colour and those you need to go to the shops for in another. That way you can see at a glance what you need to get where.
Try to order as many online as you can. It’s such a huge time saver and the amount you save on fuel and parking makes it a no-brainer. It helps you stick to your list too because you’re less likely to get distracted by things in store. I’m talking from experience here…I buy most of my gifts online now for that very reason!
Step #2: Make a list of all the stores you need to visit.
For those where you need to go into town, what will you buy where? Make a hit list of all the stores you need to visit and what you’re going to buy in each. Not only will this make the process easier, having a list to work through will help you to stay focused as you battle the busy crowds. You’ll be a lot more productive, it’ll all get done quicker and the whole experience will be a LOT less stressful!
Step #3: Start ordering your online gifts ASAP.
For those you’re ordering online, get them ordered as soon as possible. Go through your finalised list and order a few each evening once the kids are in bed. Ordering them in advance saves you the risk of the item going out of stock. It also gives you plenty of time to get it wrapped and you may even save yourself money too.
It’s a well- known fact that prices increase the closer to Christmas it gets. So order as much as you can as soon as you can. Try to have as many packages delivered at the same time as you can too. Not only will you save on postage but you’ll be spending less time waiting for deliveries too.
Step #4: Take advantage of pre-Christmas sales.
What gifts can you buy during Black Friday and Cyber Monday? If there’s something in the sales that you have on your list, go for it and save yourself some money. It’ll make your Christmas budget stretch further too!
Step #5: Decide when to go shopping.
Finally, take a look at your diary and see what days you have free to go shopping. When is best? Can you do it when the kids are at school? Will you be able to do it during your lunch break or will you need to take a day off? Can you go with a friend or will you need to do it on the weekend with your spouse? Work out when is best for you to go shopping and get it in the diary.
Not a fan of Christmas shopping? You’re not alone!
As much as online shopping is my preferred choice, there are always a few gifts I have to go to the shops for. And if I’m honest it’s not my favourite thing.
Being in crowded spaces makes me anxious, I can’t bear it when there are too many people. And being pushed and shoved is no fun at all. On the plus side, it’s a good excuse for a coffee!
If like me you’re not that keen on visiting the mall either, here are a few things you can do to make your Christmas shopping LESS stressful and MORE enjoyable:
- Split the workload with your spouse and go shopping together. Have a list each, split up and meet back a couple of hours later for lunch or coffee.
- Turn it into a girly day by going shopping with your best friend. Meet for a coffee, split up and shop, meet for lunch, split up for a couple more hours, then meet for dinner before heading home.
- Use the opportunity to have a bit of ‘you time’. Do some shopping and put it in the car. Head off for a coffee and half an hour with your favourite book, before carrying on with the rest of your shopping
And if you want a few more tips on how to get your Christmas shopping done, check out this post from Real Simple. In it, you’ll find some great strategies for getting all of your Christmas shopping done in just one day – which, with the help of a battle plan is totally possible!
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That’s it for today!
I’ll be back tomorrow with challenge #16 of 30 Days to a Stress-Free Christmas challenge. In the meantime, have fun creating your Christmas shopping battle planning and getting started on your shopping early! And don’t forget to check out the rest of the posts for this challenge if you haven’t done so already too!
That’s it for this post! What’s your Christmas shopping battle plan? Have any top tips? Share them in the comments!
Until next time…
P.S. Get all of the Christmas challenges by email!
Want a little more accountability? Don’t forget that you can sign up to receive each challenge by email! Every day for the next 30 days I’ll land in your inbox with the next Christmas challenge. A great way to remind you to take action, you’ll also receive my FREE Ultimate Christmas Planning Checklist too!
In it, you’ll find checklists for your Christmas budget, Christmas shopping, meal planning and prepping, family traditions, planning your travel and so much more. With every Christmas planning step you can possibly think of listed, no stone will be left unturned and nothing will be forgotten!
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