It doesn’t feel like it, but the holidays are lurking around the corner now. What does that mean? Holiday shopping – an activity that most people tend to do last minute.
Why? For several reasons, workload may tend to increase during the last quarter of the year – depending on what industry you are in. You may be too busy to shop. Or you just don’t want to battle it out in the malls. No one can blame you though, there are more people crowding the stores during this time of the year.
However, you have to check off holiday shopping in your to-do list sooner or later. So, what can you do? How can you accomplish holiday shopping efficiently?
It’s not really a good idea to pick-up your holiday shopping until the last minute. When you do it later, you have already wasted precious time. You’ll be left with the more expensive options, because your first choice is probably taken already. These are the perils of last-minute shopping.
You could be very busy but find time to do this.Set a realistic deadline in your calendar and adhere to it. By this date, you should have finished your shopping already.
You may want to push back the holiday shopping as much as you can but do realize that the more you delay it, the more time you would be wasting, the more money you would be spending.
One of the downsides of the holidays is overspending. Before you know it, you have spent way too much on presents.
Holiday bargains can be sneaky. You will see several items up on sale. There would be dealscoaxing you to buy in bulk because of the savings you will be having. Actually, when you have computed your total spend, you would see that you didn’t save money at all.
You would even have some extra items you wouldn’t know who to give it too. Those “deals” didn’t really serve your purpose.
So, be a smart shopper. Make a list of the people or groups you are giving gifts to.Set a limit on your spending as well. Be wary of the deals you encounter.
It may be tempting because of the promised “savings” but ask yourself: Does it fit your list? Do you have people to give it to? Will you go over your budget if you buy it? If it’s not right for your budget and list, move on.
Online shopping is the rage these days and there’s a reason why it’s popular. It’s convenient and with justa few clicks, you’re done with your shopping. You can do it after work and there are no “store hours”.
This is perfect for busy people during the holidays. You can even do your shopping from your mobile phones.
This may be a convenient option, but we go back to the first point. Do not delay holiday shopping, even if it’s done online. One disadvantage of online shopping is receiving a product that is different from your expectations.Doing your transactions early on will give you enough time to return or exchange an item that’s not up to your standards.
About gift choices, these days you can buy all sorts of things in online stores. From big items such as mattress in a box, adjustable bed frames to smaller ones like jewelry.
Shop also from reputable online stores and those who have a good track record. If a website looks sketchy, avoid it at all cost. Just look for stores that have good reviews.
If you haven’t planned your holiday shopping yet, it’s a great time to start now. You don’t want to waste time and money during the holidays. So, stop postponing your shopping, set your budget, and go online shopping to save time. It’s a busy time of the year but you can handle it if you’ll plan ahead of time.
