Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year’s Day. These are just some of the famous holidays we have all over the world. And when holidays are coming, gifts and presents are always into the scene. Gift giving is one tradition that many people still do and will probably do as long as it takes. However, budget is always an issue since people tend to spend a lot for wanting to give the best gift to their loved ones. To help you become practical and thrifty, here are some simple tips and strategies that you may want to try:
1. Shop outside of season. Many people have a mentality that it’s best to buy some items during its season. For example, nice Christmas decors can only be bought during Christmas season. People don’t realize that malls still sell decors even after Christmas. During this time, items are discounted or even at their lowest price. Why not take advantage of this for you can keep the items for next Christmas.
2. Take advantage of the sale and discounted items. Before the holidays, you may find several sale in malls and department stores. Make sure to visit the mall during sale dates for you may already find good stuff. Items such as clothes, toys and house wares are just some of the gifts that you can store for a period of time. During Christmas season, these items are sold double the price, so you saved not only money but a lot of waiting time.
3. Do not go with the Christmas rush. A lot of people think that it’s still best to shop during the rush for many reasons. Some think that items being sold are newer, in wide variety and that malls have better offers and promotions during this time. In fact, a lot of time and effort are being wasted in this situation, so it’s best to shop even before the holiday rush happen.
4. Prepare in advance. Three to six months before Christmas, you can already start making your shopping list. First tip: write down all the names of the people whom you are planning to give a gift to. Once completed, write the kind of present you want to buy for every person on your list. When you go to the mall for your regular shopping, you may want to buy an item or two so you can already cross out some names on your list. In this case, you can save a lot of time, money and effort on your shopping day since you may have completed the list by then. Remember, time is precious, so when you are able to save some, it’s like saving money, too.
