Have an Organized Christmas

Written by Corrie Petersen

The Christmas season can be very stressful. You may have Christmas parties to attend, gifts to buy, treats to make, and meals to prepare. With all the other normal things we have to do in a day, adding these things can cause an overload.

If you prepare yourself in advance and organize your thoughts and things you need to do, you will have a lot less stress and feel good about yourself.

The first thing you need to do is write out a list of people you need to buy gifts for. In one column put their name and in the next column put the dollar amount you are spending. Once you have this, you need to collect lists of things they would like.

Once you get a list of items each person wants look through them and make note of two or three things you would like to get that are in your price range. Add another column to your list and add these items to each name. Make note of the price and if it must be purchased at a certain store and add that to your list as well.

If you have time and you are able to get it before Christmas, consider ordering your gifts online. Sometimes you can get things cheaper online even though you have to pay for shipping. Look on Ebay, store websites, and others to see if you can find the items you need. Walmart.com offers site to store delivery and you don’t pay for shipping. This will save you time even though you have to go to the store. You won’t have to look for the item and fight the crowds.

If you can’t do your shopping online or you must go to the stores, prepare ahead of time. Take your list, a calculator, and only the amount of money you plan to spend. If it’s possible, take cash only. Leave the credit cards and checks at home. Studies show people spend more money when they use a credit card, debit card, or checks.

Don’t let yourself go overboard. Purchase only the items you intend to purchase and for the people you need to buy for. The more money you spend that you were not planning on spending the more stress you will have. You will feel better about yourself when you spend only what you have to spend.

Once your shopping is done, plan for an hour or so to wrap your gifts. Make sure you remember to purchase your wrapping paper, tape, bows, and gift tags ahead of time so you have them when you set the time aside. Put all your gifts on the table or floor and have all your items ready to wrap them.

When you plan ahead and you are organized, Christmas will be a wonderful time. You will be able to enjoy the time you have with your family, you will be able to get your purchases done without the stress, and you will have more time to spend with your family and friends.

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