I think many of you will roll your eyes and skim past this post because the last thing on your mind in this 100 degree + heat is Christmas! You are also dealing with camps, vacations, back to school and the list goes on and on. BUT AS OF TODAY YOU ONLY HAVE 4 MONTHS TO CHRISTMAS! Fish Mama at Life as Mom has a fabulous post about budgeting, making lists and getting things in order and Corrie at “Cents”able Momma shares how she shops year round. I am a lot like Corrie in that I shop all year for gifts — both Christmas and Birthday’s — but the hard core shopping begins in July for me, generally starting with the 75% off Target Toy Clearance that started TODAY in most areas.
Since Corrie and Fish Mama have covered the basics of budgeting I will stick more to strategy.
Keep it Simple - Once you have made your list keep it handy and update it as you go. Shopping and not having a plan is a sure way to over buy.
Know Your Stores- I have always had an odd knack for remembering store clearance cycles in my regular stores, but you don’t have to have that kind of memory. There is a ton of information online! I can tell you that the Target stores in my area reset nearly every department starting in July and going through most of August to have everything ready for the 4th Quarter by the first week in September and that means MANY 75% off clearance opportunities! Want to follow Target clearance sales? Fishing For Deals has a fabulous Target thread. You have to register to see it but the information you can find there is worth it! They have many other store threads in their Surf the Turf threads.
Follow Deal Sites- Slick Deals is a great place to watch for excellent deals. Check out the home page a couple times a week to see if you see anything that would fit your list needs. The Hot and Up & Coming thread are must checks for me in addition to the front page deals. Don’t get sucked into buying things just because they are a good deal however. If it isn’t on the list or won’t fit a gift need – pass it up!
Wrap As You Go- This was such a stress reliever for me when I started doing this a few years ago! No more wrapping until 3am! It also keeps peeking eyes at bay!
I hope you can take something helpful away from this post. Even if it is just one of the steps! I hit the Target sale and now have 90% of my toy shopping completed for Christmas! That feels really good! For more Frugal Friday visit Life As Mom!
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