Frugal LA Living

Me in October: “I’m already finished with my Christmas shopping!”

Everyone I know: (eye roll)

Nothing stresses me out more than the idea of having to come up with a thoughtful, meaningful gift on the drop of a hat. My mom is the ultimate gift giver, and my real life version of Martha Stewart. Each item is carefully selected months in advanced, hidden in various places around the house until Christmas, then meticulously wrapped and placed under the beautifully decorated tree.

I am truly lucky to have so many fond memories of my childhood and the holiday season. The smells of cinnamon and nutmeg, Christmas music on the radio, a glistening tree that we cut down ourselves and decorated with love. And the presents. One year, my sister and I found a Barbie Jeep under the tree. I will never forget that Christmas.

Now that I’m an adult and live 3,000 miles away from my family, the holidays are different and gifts feel even more important. Now that I’m an adult, I also know how stressful it can be to find the perfect gift for everyone in my life without spending $1,000s.

At first I thought I would be able to easily get gifts for everyone on my list within a few shopping trips, ship it out within a week or so of the holidays, and everyone would be so impressed with my amazing and timely gifts.

But how often do things work out as planned? It’s much harder and much more expense to get gifts last minute, a huge pain in the a** to wait in line at the Post Office to ship everything out, and at least one package will get lost and won’t turn up until after the holidays.

Without even really thinking about it, I naturally started picking things up throughout the year while shopping and thinking “this would be a great stocking stuffer”, buying them, and hiding them in my closet. I am slowly becoming my mother.

Then I realized that the little gifts weren’t really what were stressing me out. It was 1) the cost and 2) the amount of people I felt I had to get gifts for.

The best way to minimize stress and spending is to write down everyone you think you should get a gift for, then seriously consider each person and if a personal gift is really necessary. I often find myself thinking of gifts for co-workers that would be great, but, is it really necessary? What if I get them something and they feel uncomfortable or obligated to reciprocate? Pairing down your list and bringing homemade cookies for everyone else is a great way to share the holiday experience with everyone without breaking the bank.

Now, on to the shopping. This will definitely take some planning, but will be well worth it. For those still left on your list, go person by person and think about things that they enjoy doing, eating, listening to, etc. What gifts might be related to their hobbies? You can do a simple search for things like “unique gifts for foodies” or “top Christmas 2019 gifts for planter lovers”.

Another great resource that is often overlooked is consulting with the staff at local specialty stores. For example: I love to hike. Because it is something I’m passionate about, I’ve bought myself pretty much everything I could ever want or need. My boyfriend had no idea what to get me so he went to a local outdoors store and talked to the folks there. They made some really great suggestions for things that I didn’t already have and was quite excited to receive! Specialty retailers are often extensively trained and are a wealth of knowledge if you don’t know much about a hobby or interest.

Getting the shopping list done is by far the hardest part. Once that’s over, the fun part can begin. And by fun, I mean bargain hunting. DO YOUR RESEARCH. Keep an eye out for Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday as well, it is often totally worth it to hold out and wait for a sale on an expensive gift you want to get for someone. Websites like Blackfriday.com and Bestblackfriday.com can be helpful as they have links to ads for a multitude of stores in one place, making it easier to compare.

SHOPPING. YES! I like to start by looking for gifts at bargain stores like Ross, T.J. MAXX, Marshall’s, etc. I often find really nice name brand clothes and accessories at these stores for great prices. My favorite things to get there are clothes and toys for my nieces and nephews, gym clothes for my dad, dress shirts, shoes, and other accessories for my boyfriend, and gift sets/stocking stuffers. Stores tend to start putting out cooler weather clothing in August/September in Southern California, so I can start buying gifts even for my North East family well in advance and take the time to actually look around and find pieces they’ll love.

IF YOU MUST GO TO A MALL DO IT ASAP. Do not wait until December to go to the mall. You WILL regret it. It might seem like a fun idea. It’s not. The lines will be long, items will be sold out, people will be in bad moods, etc. I’m not much of a mall go-er in general, but I have a rule that I will no longer do any mall shopping after Halloween. Stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, etc. constantly have sales, so really, you’re bound to find good deals any time you go. Do yourself a favor and get it over with as early as possible.

There may be some items you can’t find locally, which is also why I find it ‘s important to start holiday shopping so far in advance. As we all know, Amazon can deliver just about anything, but not every item is Prime or shipping from the USA. You might find a great deal on the perfect gift only to learn that it’s coming from China and will take 3-5 weeks to get to your house. Planning ahead allows you to take advantage of good deals without having to worry about the item arriving on time.

I’ve also learned over the years that the closer you order/ship a package to the holidays, the longer it’s going to take and the more likely it is that it’s going to get lost. If you’re ordering and shipping packages well before the holidays, there is much less concern about the packages actually arriving to their intended destination.

Amazon is great and all, but there are plenty of fantastic original items on handmade websites like Etsy that can make a gift feel even more special and personal.

My most favorite perk of getting an early start on my holiday shopping is that I have time to make gifts and decorations as well. There are SO many easy, inexpensive, and lovely gifts you can make pretty easily with minimal special equipment. Check out my Cute DIY Gifts board on Pinterest for over 450 ideas!

I’ll leave you with this thought- in all the madness, don’t forget the spirit of the holiday season!