Do any of you start your Christmas shopping very early in the year? I just started mine this last week and already have 3 out of 15 people out of the way. There are a couple stores going out of business in my town and I was able to take advantage of sweet deals, what about you?
I've been looking on a few sites already for Christmas gift ideas because I like to take advantage of sales throughout the year so I don't have to spend as much. If I can get things at a reduced price and the recipient is sure to love them then I'd rather take advantage of the deals now than wait and spend whatever it costs at full price later for the same thing. I don't usually start to think about Christmas until August, but this year I've been looking already!
I always start my Christmas shopping earlier than any one. January I start buying gifts. And I continue doing that all through the year. By Christmas time, I'll have bought everything I need for Christmas and don't have to shop with the crowds. But that doesn't mean I miss out on Christmas deals. There are better earlier in the year on some items when no one is buying Christmas-themed stuff.
I too think you get better deals when you shop throughout the year as opposed to waiting until the Christmas rush begins. I do not like shopping crowds and I don't like to be tricked into buying things when the stores start to advertise their bargains. In February and March you can start to get some amazing sales on winter items and then just store them away until next Christmas rolls around.
I've been trying to get my Christmas shopping done early, but it is a feat I have yet to accomplish. Even if I do buy something, I usually end up giving it to the intended person for their birthday or for some other occasion that falls before Christmas. A lot of my friends and family members have birthdays in the fall and it's hard for me to hoard gifts for some reason. Maybe I'll try to get some shopping done this summer so that I won't be stressing out about it when the Christmas season arrives.
I too like early shopping for Christmas gifts for I don't like crowds too when we did get together for our holidays. Our holiday party giver passed and we just send each other Christmas cards now or go on facebook to wish each other if we live in different States our best wishes. Sad when the party giver passes in the family.
If I found any deals that I thought were exceptionally great I'd maybe buy a few items here and there to knock off some of the work from my Christmas list but usually I just wait until the end of the year when the prices are way down because that's when usually a lot of the items are highly discounted. Also I tend to want to save up my budget throughout the year so I know exactly how much I'm spending though like I said I'm not entirely against buying a few gifts mid year if the discounts were really that good.
Usually I start buying only a small part of the Christmas gifts before December. I like planning ahead so I don't run out of time, however during the Christmas period there are a lot of big sales in local stores and even in bigger chains or in shopping centers. This means that buying at the last moment is way cheaper. Of course waiting for these sales means that you have less choices and less time, so I start buying a few gifts earlier, as I said, but only if I find a special item at a convenient price.
This is a timely idea which I have mulled in the past. Christmas is a period of resting on your laurels and take time off the cares of daily life both physically and spiritually and a constrained budget should be the last thing on one's mind. The best strategy is not to strain your finances by buying one item at a time over a period of time. This would enable one to reflect and take advantage of offers.
I don't like to do that because there might be some things that come out later that one of my family or friends might like. It's better for me to wait and see what they desire in the end than to buy early and regret the gift. I would love to take advantage of prices but that is just how I feel.
There is a nearby furniture store that may be the largest in the city. They usually hold a sale by December. That's one of our favorites. Another mall in the adjacent city is holding a Halloween sale which can be availed by early Christmas shoppers. The Halloween is just used for a label but the items on sale are mostly Christmas decorations and gifts as well. Whenever I have time to spare, I always roam those malls to relax by listening to the Christmas songs being played and at the same time buy some gift items for Christmas. It's too difficult to shop for all the gifts at the same time so what I do is to buy gifts little by little.
Honestly, we don't celebrate Christmas at home. We mainly celebrate the birth of Christ same day as the New Year's Day but you know, I still do part time jobs for Christmas and use the money to share with people.
I already did my Christmas shopping to avoid paying more for speed shipping since I did my shopping online. I just do in store pick up to not pay for shipping. If the item is too large then I do prefer shipping. I hate doing last minute shopping because then it takes forever to get my items prepared to be able to pick them up.