5 Tips For Christmas Shopping At The Last Minute
Don't Feel Stressed & Overwhelmed, You Have More Than Enough Time
It’s the most wonderful time of year! No need to spend your time stressing about all the gifts you didn't get. A lot of people start preparing for the holiday season, early November. Most stores even put out their holiday display, before Thanksgiving. Every year, I say, I’m going to do better and get all my gifts out of the way early, but somehow I end up waiting until the week before. Now it's a few days before Christmas and I had to figure out what I was going to gift everyone. It was too late to order some gifts, because I didn’t want to chance them getting here too late. I sat down and planned all my gifts, and ran to the stores. I’m happy to say everyone’s gift is now purchased, and just needs to either be picked up or getting delivered Friday. As I was going through this process, I thought, "There has to be other last-minute shoppers like me.'' Have no fear, I have you covered with the last minute gift ideas that everyone in your life will love. Some people try to make me feel bad for being a last-minute shopper, but I get everything done just in time. We are almost at the finish line, but you can still find some amazing gifts for any and everyone. Don’t get anxious and overwhelmed. I have some tips that are going to help you. Relax, I wouldn't leave you hanging like that, we're in this together. The best part is, I'm not judging.
1.Make A List, Check It Twice
Before you run to the stores, sit down and write a list of everyone you need to get a gift for. Having a clear list of who needs a gift will help you not overspend. Once I got my list together, I then went through each name and thought about something that either they said they wanted, have asked for, or I know that they would need. By thinking back to old conversations I was able to pick some gifts quickly. I even keep notes in my phone from when people say they like something of mine, so I can gift it to them.
2. Shop Online, Pickup In Store
For the people I had no idea what to get, I ran to see what stores had order pick up. Nordstrom, and Target were my go to’s. I’m not a big mall person, I like to online shop, and I knew that the stores will be crowded. Most, if not all, stores have buy online pick up in store options. Wherever you are thinking about shopping, head to their website and just order it. I love how some places even bring it out to my car, that way, I don’t even have to go inside. A bonus with this option is that most stores have gift guides fo different people. For example, Nordstrom has a gift guide section on their website, which I can filter to items near me.
3. The Gift That Keeps On Giving
This year, I got heavily wrapped into subscriptions. I feel like everything is a subscription now. Think about it: TV is no longer cable, we now have subscriptions like Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, etc. I have a beauty subscription that gives me five full sized products every month, Boxycharm. Whether you’re gifting, your favorite aunt a fragrance subscription for a year, or maybe your grandpa an ESPN+ subscription for a year. You can not go wrong gifting someone a subscription. A plus with subscriptions is, when you pay for the full year, you typically get a discount. Hop on Google, and find the perfect subscription for your loved one, they won’t be disappointed.
4. What’s Better Than A Physical Thing
Some of the best gifts I’ve given or even received have been experiences. Gifting an experience is possible with any and every budget. If you’re looking to spend a little more, give someone a flight or even a hotel for a couple of nights. Who wouldn't love a trip?! You can even give someone a spa experience with massages, facials, etc. If you’re not trying to break the bank, look on Groupon for different experiences. You could gift someone a cooking class, a theater ticket, the possibilities are honestly endless.
5. Gift Cards
Once you’ve browsed the websites and still came up short with gift ideas, now it’s time to think about the a "basic" gift for anyone. Gift cards are perfect for any, and everybody, no matter how old or how young. The key with picking the perfect gift card, is thinking about what matters most to that person. For example, maybe it’s a coworker who you always see drinking Starbucks, a Starbucks gift card would be perfect for them. Maybe it’s your nephew who loves the video game, you can’t go wrong with getting him or her a PlayStation gift card. If it’s for someone, not as close to you, get them a Visa gift card that they can use on anything. Some people feel like gift cards are a copout, but that's not always the case. Giving gift cards are better than gifting money, because they're more thoughtful if done right!
