To follow my plan, you must abandon the idea for a “Perfect Christmas.”  In the past, Christmas for the Dettra household became broken….we were broke before Christmas, during Christmas and long after Christmas.  It became a worry, a fear, and well…..the joy was only for a few minutes as the kids tore through their boxes and had the “what’s next” attitude.  And no matter how hard we tried to save specifically for Christmas, there was always a broken car to fix or an unexpected doctor’s bill that drained the fund.

So we started a plan to strategically get our shopping done in like one day.  Of course, I am always on the look out throughout the year on marked down merchandise that would make the perfect gift for someone.  I have a cabinet in the laundry room that is stocked with gifts that I had picked up for pennies. And that is where I begin…. I take inventory of  what I have already purchased.

Then I do the following.

1. Make a list of recipients.  Every aunt, uncle and cousin has been counted for….. and I check it twice!!  I match the inventoried list to a name.

2. I have my spending limit already in mind.  I use my budget to determine how much money I can spend.  We try not to solely depend on a bonus check.  I try to set an amount within my $120 weekly spending allowance to cover the Christmas buying.  I done one of two ways to get that money…..a) take it out each week and put it into a cookie jar  or b) borrow against the future weeks and only allow myself to spend the “x” amount less each week.

3.  I sit down with my list of recipients.  I set a dollar amount for each person’s gift.  Now remember, I have already matched the inventory of purchased gifts to some on my list.  Most of the work has already been done. YIPPIE!!

Now,  I get the Sunday ads from  local stores.  Here is where the fun begins.  It is based on the way I shop for groceries every week.  I look through the ads and find gifts that match the prices  set.  Example:  Uncle Joe will receive a $3 gift.  Target has Christmas flavored coffee for $2.  Circle it, mark it Uncle Joe and buy it.

Now, you are saying, “How cold… How distant…. Regina, you are putting a price on a person’s gift.”  Yep, but here’s the best part…. as you and your family are doing this together, you can discuss what Uncle Joe would like.  Your son suggests Uncle Joe drinks coffee at church every Sunday…. boom, it is a personal gift…….

3.  Go shopping and be done with it.  Once I  have everyone on my list matched with a gift found in the circulars, I go shopping.  I try to stay on track with my list and calculator.  I know the total I must reach.  And we can do it as a family…..armed with our cell phones, we can divide the list and circular pages between us and conquer the store.

Then something catches my eye,  ”Oh Auntie Mary would love this….”, I think.   Oh how many times, I struggled with that!!  I must stay focused…. we don’t want to stress over this!!  The trickiest will be looking at ads that are printed later….I have to remind myself that I am done … it is time to stop shopping…. and my  wallet will thank me later.

I know planning your shopping trip may be a difficult concept to learn…..  Trust me when I said, “If I went grocery shopping with out a plan, I would be setting myself up to spend more than we have.”  It is the same concept.  Planning takes time but it won’t take away from the fun of Christmas.

Check back tomorrow when I talk about Frugal Ideas for Christmas!

See you tomorrow and God bless…….

Related posts:

1. Merry Christmas
2. Going Homemade for Christmas
3. Weekly vs. Monthly Shopping