3 Steps To Reduce Time Spent Shopping During The Holidays
I am type A. I like to plan and get things done early, including Christmas shopping. I am done shopping, presents wrapped before Thanksgiving. I love being done early to avoid the crowds and “hustle and bustle” of the season. Although I always get Christmas shopping done early, this year was different. I minimized my time shopping by following a plan of attack and reframing my mindset around gift giving.
First, I set a budget, without an item limit.
In the past, I bought three items for every person. Why? No idea. Most likely because that is the message I see the most, “one to wear, one to read, one they need'', or a saying similar to that. Instead of falling into the marketing trap, I removed the item limit and simply made a budget. This freed up my time and finances to be used more effectively for each person.
After the budget was set, I focused on giving an experience or a need.
I didn’t scour garage sales all summer for deals like I usually do. I changed my focus from stuff to experiences. I have been talking about doing this every year, but ultimately end up with impulse buys for gifts that end up back in a garage sale. Gifting experiences cut my shopping time in half, but the best part, I get to enjoy the gift with the ones I gifted it to! If I didn’t give an experience I focused on gifting a need.
For the items left to buy, I developed a system for shopping
Instead of spending hours searching stores with a toddler and an infant, no thank you, I started with Facebook Marketplace. In the words of Rocky from Paw Patrol “Don’t lose it, reuse it!” If I couldn’t get the item used I shopped during my weekly grocery outing. Finally, if I didn’t find what I was looking for, I ordered it online. By following this system I wasn’t influenced by sale ads and avoided extra trips to the store.
I was able to meet my goal of reducing time shopping by following a plan. Your goal may be to buy local and support small businesses, which will require more time and in person buying. Before you shop this year, set your goal and develop a plan to avoid overconsumption and stay out of debt.