Christmas Gift Ideas
When is the Right Time to Start Shopping for Christmas Gifts?
If you’ve ever waited until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping, you know how stressful it can be.
The stores are packed, things are sold out online, or you have to pay a ton of money to get fast enough shipping.
There’s no time to enjoy the season when you are rushing around like that!
On the opposite side of the spectrum, is there such a thing as getting started too early? When actually is the right time to start shopping for Christmas gifts?
While there is no magical date to mark down on your calendar, there are some great guidelines to follow that will have you prepared in plenty of time for the holidays!
Here are our best tips and suggestions:
1. It really never is too early
Truthfully, it is never too early to start shopping if you are trying to save as much money as possible (and we don’t blame you on that one!)
There are always amazing sales that happen right after Christmas, so technically you could start your shopping for the following year right then!
This tip is especially important if you have a specific, big-ticket item in mind. It may be in your best interest to get it a year early and keep it hidden for the big surprise next Christmas. However, keep in mind that a year is a pretty long time.
Things can change a lot in that time frame, especially when it comes to technology. If you are absolutely certain of a certain item, go for it.
If not, don’t feel like you need to head out December 26th and get all your shopping done for the following year.
2. Think off-season
If you are shopping for a winter-specific gift, shop for it in the summer. Alternatively, if there is a summer item on your list, shop for it in winter!
You can save a lot of money by shopping at an off time for seasonal gifts. To take the most advantage of this, we recommend having a running list of ideas on hand.
Whenever you see something that you think a family member or friend would like, write it down!
Similarly, if you happen to have a conversation with a friend or family member and they mention something, write it down!
Even if it is the middle of the summer, keep up with your Christmas list and write down any and every idea that comes up. Be sure to check in with your list periodically and see if you might be doing some shopping early.
3. Don’t rule out holiday shopping events
If you haven’t found great deals throughout the year, don’t feel like you will be forced to spend a lot of money last minute to get all the gifts you need.
In truth, sale days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great times to do some shopping.
Stores need to stay competitive and usually anticipate a nice sales bump around the holidays, so they are willing to give great deals to get customers in the door (as well as online).
We recommend having the majority of your shopping done by this point, as it is getting very close to Christmas by the time of these sales!
4. Spread your shopping out
This isn’t as much a timing issue as it is a tip to save money. Don’t feel like you have to do all of your shopping at once!
Whether someone decides to go right after Christmas, over the summer, or on Black Friday, they tend to pick one time and do all the shopping they have to do.
The result? Even with taking advantage of great discounts, that is a lot of money you have to spend all at once! Instead, we recommend spreading your shopping out over the course of the year.
Purchase some items right after Christmas (hint, see our next tip for the item you need to shop for now), some summer items up next during winter, winter items a few months later during summer, and finish up with whatever items you have leftover Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
5. Shop for wrapping paper early
A big expense that we tend to forget about when shopping for Christmas gifts is all the wrapping paper, labels, bows, and gift bags that you’ll need to wrap up all the gifts you purchase!
Truthfully, this can be a major added expense, especially if you wait until the height of the holiday season to purchase it.
For this item group specifically, we recommend shopping right after Christmas. Most retailers will have huge sales as they try to clear out all of their holiday inventory. Get everything you need and store it away for the next season!
