Christmas shopping. Love it or hate it?
One of the most stressful things about Christmas shopping is the thought of fighting your way through crowds of people. One psychologist has even claimed this experience is so painful that it triggers the primal ‘fight or flight’ mechanism, causing people either to become aggressive in their attempt to survive, or to turn tail and run.
But does Christmas shopping really have to be like that? What if you could get it all done in one day. Avoid all the crowds and the last minute panic. Christmas sorted!
This year why not do just that? You really can do your shopping in one day. Here’s how.
This sounds obvious, but really is the key to nailing your Christmas shopping. There is no point heading off to the shops – whether in person or online – with no idea of what you are looking for. Doing that is a recipe for wasted time and frustration.
So before you even go near a shop or a website, make a list of who to buy for and what kind of thing to buy for each person. Taking time to do this will save you so much time on your shopping day.
And if this works well for you this year, you can get even better at it next year by keeping an ongoing list of present ideas for everyone. So when someone mentions something they like, or you suddenly have a brilliant idea for a gift for them, make sure you add it to the list so you will actually remember it nearer Christmas.
Now you know what to buy, the next step is to plan your shopping strategy. Are you going to visit shops or shop online, or perhaps a bit of both? If you are physically going shopping, plan which shops you are going to visit and what you expect to be able to buy there. If they are in a large shopping centre, find a map of it and plan your route. This will save you wandering unnecessarily from one end to the other and back again.
If you are visiting a large shopping centre, time your visit carefully too. Try going when things will be quieter, for example either very early in the morning or on a weekday. You will be able to zip around much more quickly and feel less hassled by it all.
If you are doing some of your shopping online, plan which websites to visit, and whether to do this after or before you do any physical shopping. Remember the idea is to get everything done in one day so don’t leave any items for “later”. Do it now.
We can waste a huge amount of time trying to find the perfect gift. The problem is, in most cases it probably doesn’t exist. So let go of your perfectionism. Let good enough be good enough. When you find something nice that is on your list for someone, just get it. Don’t dither.
In the unlikely event of you spotting something much better later in the day, you can either take the original purchase back, or buy both and use one of them for the recipient’s next birthday or even Christmas 2023.
Stay focused. It’s only one day after all. You have got this! So don’t start browsing for things for yourself, stand chatting to everyone you bump into, or decide to go off for extended coffee or lunch or drinks. Just get your shopping done.
Once your Christmas shopping is finished, there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy yourself. So be disciplined and get it out of the way in a day.
There are always people on your list who are difficult to buy for. And, however carefully you plan, there may be set backs with some items not being available or being way over budget. So have a few fall back options to help you fill any unexpected gaps.
For example:
One idea that always seems to work is to create a Christmas hamper in a pretty box with a few of the above items in it. No big ticket items, but a few things that will be much appreciated.
If you are serious about doing this in a day, you will need to keep reminding yourself that you have finished. Otherwise you are likely to start fretting about whether or not you really do have enough shopping, and the danger is you will then start doing more! If you are used to your Christmas shopping either dragging on for weeks or it all being a last minute panic, it will feel weird to have done it all so quickly. But hold your nerve : when it’s over, it’s over.
We hope that this article helps you to plan your Christmas shopping and get it all done quickly. Good luck! And if you need some extra funds to spread the cost of Christmas, remember that Munzee offers 24 month loans that may be able to help.
Good luck in making your decision! And do check back here soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Munzee Loans.
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