Wednesday 9 May 2012

The Gift Closet... How To Stay Sane

     Gift giving is a big thing in our families.  It’s something that we love to do, and put a lot of time and effort into.  But when you have large families like us, and when you have to consider birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, wedding and baby showers as well as Christmas (or other holidays), it can make your head spin!  So how can we ensure that everyone gets a thoughtful, beautiful gift for each pertinent occasion without breaking the bank or looking like a scrooge?  It’s actually a lot easier than you think!

     The first step is to make a list of each and every person that you need to purchase gifts for for the entire year, and write down each gift giving occasion that is pertinent to them beside their name, along with dates of the events.  This makes it easy to keep track of who you need to buy for, and when you need to have the gift by.  Next, put the list in an easy to find place.  A notebook, your purse, on your computer, etc.  This way, you can write down the gift you purchased for the person beside their name when you bought it – no confusion or double buying.  I post mine in the inside of my Gift Closet.



     The Gift Closet may be one of your biggest money savers, period.  It can be a closet, a shelf in a closet, the space under your bed, wherever.  It just needs to be a space that is completely dedicated to putting gifts that have been purchased.  This is where you will store all the gifts you buy – no more hunting, or running out last minute to buy a second gift because you can’t find the first!  Another way I utilize my gift closet is that I put potential gifts in there.  When I am out and about and I see a great deal on something I know someone will love, or that I think would go great in a gift basket, etc.  and it is a great price, I will buy it and put it in my gift closet.  I have gotten many amazing gifts for people this way ($30.00 wooden recipe boxes for $5.00, $25.00 reading slippers for $3.00, $18.50 porcelain vases for $2.75, $34.50 recipe binders for $1.75 – just to name a few).  Then I shop the gift closet before an event, because I very well may already have something in there! 

   As you can see, I’ve gotten some incredible deals on beautiful, and expensive, gifts and have gotten them for pennies on the dollar in some cases.  And the people who received them absolutely loved them!  It doesn’t matter how much you spend, but the thought that goes into it.  It always helps when it’s worth much more than you paid for it! Haha..

     Using this method keeps holidays and events stress free.  You always have the perfect present, you don’t have to break the bank by running out and buying a last minute gift, and you always know what you need to buy and for when.  I cannot believe the amount of time I tortured myself by using any other method than this.  Give it a try – I promise you will never turn back!

 Until next time,

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