Christmas is really close now, meaning that if you're still not done with your holiday shopping... you're not alone! But now it's time to wrap it up (no pun intended) because waiting any longer could mean trouble.
Traffic is pretty rough around these times, but even if you decide to do your Christmas gift shopping online, you need to order soon otherwise they may not be delivered on time.
Worry not – let's get this done!
“People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." – John C. Maxwell
1. Fish for coupons
Most websites will gladly give you coupons to secure a sale, especially around this time of the year. Sometimes they might be coy about it though, so here are a few tips to try and fish for coupons that they are glad to give you.
Add items in your shopping cart and then leave. Most big retailers will send you an email offering a discount if you add a bunch of stuff to the cart and then close the website without finishing the sale.
Subscribe to their newsletter. Simply subscribing usually gets you a nice 5% or 10% off coupon, which is super valuable on big purchases. Remember that you can unsubscribe later if you don't want your inbox full of spam, but do get your discount first.
Create an account. Creating an account is obligatory for completing the purchase, but most retailers will offer you a "first purchase" bonus.
2. Try to get everything from one place
This is far from required, but it does offer a few great advantages.
For one, getting everything in the same place means you will likely be offered better discounts and bonuses, including free delivery. It also makes it easier to control your budget, since you can see the full cost of the gifts all in one page -- which also facilitates checking if you're missing something.
Even better though, it means that all your gifts will likely arrive at the same time, saving you the trouble of worrying about individual delivery packages getting lost before Christmas.
3. Make a list of names
If you have a big list of people you want to gift, it might be wise to make a list. Just pretend you're Santa and write down all the names in a big list, then add a check mark to the people you've bought gifts for.
Sounds silly, but if you have a long list of names, it's better to be safe than to forget someone simply because you didn’t write their name down.
4. Prepare for gift wrapping
Most places will offer a "gift" option when completing the purchase, but not only will this add to the price, but it may look really silly to have all your gifts under the tree with the default Amazon gift wrap, for example.
So instead, I recommend you get yourself some gift wrapping tools and do it yourself once they arrive. They will look much nicer under the tree and you can use different gift wraps to make sure it looks varied and interesting.
If you’re feeling fancy you can also do your own DIY gift wrapping!
5. Get out with a plan
If you're doing your Christmas shopping in person, the only major tip I can give you is to go out with a plan. Don't get me wrong, it's super fun to just browse around stores, but assuming you have a lot of gifts to buy and very little time... having a plan helps!
What do I mean by "having a plan"? Well, that list of names is a good start. Perhaps add the list to an app in your phone so you can check on-the-go, and also it might be wise to decide on the gifts themselves beforehand. Of course, that's not always possible because for some people you don't really know until you find it, but at least have some idea -- that already goes a long way.
Another helpful tip is to plan your route. If you're going to a shopping mall and getting everything there then it's no problem. But if you're driving around the city, you might want to ensure which routes to take and where to go beforehand, otherwise you might be driving forever.
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