This time of year stores compete with each other for our business. Some stores even compete with their own store prices by offering internet only deals. There are some spectacular deals available if you keep your eyes open. (last year we just got a 26" VIZIO LED TV for $198 at Walmart based on an online announcement of an "in store only" deal!) With all the great deals to be had, you might get carried away and start buying things just because they are a good deal. (yes, we were in the market for a 26" TV)
So, how do we control ourselves? (notice how I'm using "we"? LOL) Here are a few ideas I came up with for myself:
- Focus. What is your Holiday season focused on? Gifts, Family, Charity, Service, Friends, Amounts spent, Giving, Getting....? You need to decide what your focus is for your family, and spend your time and money to support that focus.
- Needs vs Wants. Your kids are asking for A,B,C,D.......X,Y,Z. How many letters do they actually need?....and how many can you realistically afford?
- Inventory. Check your closets, gift stashes to see what you have so you don't buy doubles. My husband and I did this today and we are announcing we are done buying for the kids.
- De clutter. Go through you kid's toys and donate gently used items. This would be a great activity to teach about charity, giving and not being selfish.
- Donate if you find an incredible deal on some toys, buy a few extra and add them to the Salvation Army boxes near the entrances of the store.
- If you have big purchases in mind (maybe Black Friday deals) do your research before
hand so you know if it is really a good deal and if it's a good brand. Amazon is a great place to check for reviews. You can also Google the item and the word "reviews" and read what others are saying.
- If Black Friday is something you like to do (I like it. It reminds me of New York City. Sometimes it reminds me of "Jingle All the Way" too ha ha) maybe you could split your list with a friend to be more efficient. Make sure you both have cell phones and she can grab your pillow pets at Walmart along with her own pillow pet needs....and you can grab you both a new tool box at Lowes. (be sure to check the limit per customer on the sale items)
This year I committed myself to pulling out all of the presents in my secret stash to see what I have for everyone already and I made lists for each person. Guess what? It's early November and my son is almost completely covered for Christmas and his birthday in February. Also, on Black Friday my husband and I split up and instead of trying to reach each other on our cell phones while we're standing around the stores we buy whatever we think we will probably want and then later in the day we make a huge pile and weed out the stuff we really want/need and return everything else. It works great as long as you can keep track of the receipts. Oh, and Black Friday is a great way to get amazing gifts for cheap that you can then donate to an organization for needy children. My dad (who as a child received Christmas presents through a similar organization) will usually buy a gift or two off of me that he can then donate.
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