Let's drop the C-Bomb...

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I'm going to drop the dreaded C-bomb right about now...

...no, not that one! I'm talking about Christmas of course! I know, I know, it's still five months away (anyone else counting?) but it's honestly time to start preparing- trust me! 

At Christmas, I go big. I mean, really big. I spent nearly £1,000 on presents last year, and given that at that time I was working an eight hour contract with some Christmas over time and had only just started freelancing, that was a big deal for me. I suppose it doesn't help that both of my sisters, my mum and my dad's girlfriend all have birthday's around Christmas too, so I have a lot to fork out for! It honestly doesn't phase me though because I absolutely adore buying people gifts. I get so excited about giving them out and seeing the look on people's faces. I'm a bit of a pro at buying perfect presents, if I do say so myself. 

So this year, I've done myself a favour. Rather than do all of my shopping from October/November and end up totally broke and desperate for pennies, I've started my shopping early. I've made an exact list of things I want to buy and who for so that I don't end up buying tonnes of gifts willy nilly, and by doing this, I hope I'm going to make my life easier, and maybe even save some money. 

So, want some tips on how you can manage your Christmas shopping? Then read on...

Make lists.
Like I said, make exact lists of everything you want to buy each person. Find out how much it will cost, where you can get it from etc. and then add up all the prices. Break the total cost of presents down so it can be spread evenly over the months up to Christmas, and this should make your life easier! 

Summer Sales.
Round about now, the summer sales have begun. Take advantage of these and pick up some goodies as stocking fillers or smaller gifts for secret Santas! There's some really good deals around at the moment.

Black Friday.
If you're looking to buy something pretty expensive for someone, e.g. a camera, hold out until Black Friday. I did this for the first time last year and don't know why I'd never thought of it before! I saved so much money by taking advantage of some of the great deals that were available. 

Online stores are the way forward.
I was searching for a particular gift the other day and ended up stumbling across an online store I'd never heard of that had so many things I needed to buy, all for under £5! I was amazed, and it has cleared a huge bulk of things that I want to buy people. My advice? Always do in depth research online as to where you can buy what you're looking for. 

Save.
If you find it difficult to make ends meet around Christmas, try to put aside some money each month so that you have a nice little stash towards the end of the year! 


Do you have any tips to help with Christmas gift shopping? Share them in the comments below and help a pal out!

Love from,
Florence Grace

Comments

  1. Chichi14 July 2016 at 14:01

    Great tips. I don't buy Christmas presents but I like to by Christmas cards for close friends only. However I have another tip: buy Christmassy stuff in January because the retailers reduce those items to clear.

    Chichi
    chichi-writes.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete

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