Secret Santa gifts, a large group of people, or just one or two special family or friends; see The Christmas Cart gifting gurus’ top tips on how to stay on task and on your Christmas gifting budget this year.
A Christmas gifting budget may sound like a phrase written by The Grinch, but truth is, a budget at this time of the year can help to alleviate an overspend aftermath. Whether gifting for plenty or surprising only a few with gifts this Christmas, our gifting gurus have shared some of their top tips to help plan a Christmas gifting budget.
Christmas Gifting Budget – Planning Tips
Precisely like Santa and his budding team of elf experts, the most important place to start a Christmas gifting budget is by making a list! And yes, it is true, you really do need to check it twice. Following are some tips to help plan a list for your Christmas gifting budget.
#1 Write and Revise
The first step is to write down all of the people who you would like to give Christmas gifts to this year. Then, once you have that list down, check over it to see if there is anyone that perhaps really doesn’t need to be on that list. A great example is the friend of the friend who is attending your house as a Christmas Day guest of a guest, who really won’t mind being left off your list of giftees.
#2 Plan the Gifts
Once you have your Christmas giftees sorted, brainstorm some gift ideas appropriate for each of them and write those ideas beside each of your gift recipients’ names. Keep in mind their likes and their interests, as well as their age. And for any of those really hard-to-buy-for recipients; try to put yourself into their position and think about some potential gifts that you could use, and which you never really buy for yourself.
Image source: Beauty’s Bad Habit, Gifts and Keepsakes, The Christmas Cart
For these sorts of gifts, I generally opt for a few items such as relaxation or pamper products, a hair brush or styling tools, decorative candles and room diffusers, a personalised Christmas bauble or decoration, cosmetics, and gourmet treats.
#3 Allocate Your Spend
With all your gifts in mind, you now need to set a realistic Christmas gifting budget for each person. Are you going to spend more on direct family members, the kids, the adults, etc.?
Place a dollar amount beside each of your gift recipients’ names then look at the gifts you have brainstormed and tweak them accordingly. You might need to cut back on one or two, add more, or just swap an idea with something more cost effective; for e.g., change for a name brand item with a lesser-known brand alternative, or replace purchased treats with some beautifully-curated homemade versions instead.
* Tip: see plenty of budget friendly Christmas gift ideas in our Christmas gifts and wrap articles.
#4 Research
Save yourself plenty of time and effort by researching the gift ideas on your Christmas gifting budget list before heading out to buy them. Go online, find the gifts you have brainstormed and work out exactly where to get them. To save you having to go anywhere, you might be able to arrange some of the gifts delivered straight to your door, like all our wonderful Christmas gifts!
Researching the gift ideas on your Christmas gifting budget list also ensures you remain on-task and not influenced by impulse decisions that could blow your budget out.
* Tip: you can find plenty of original Christmas gift ideas online at The Christmas Cart – we cater for people of all ages.
Christmas Gifting Budget – Bonus Spending Hacks
When you have a plan on hand, be sure to look for sales and special discounts as part of your Christmas gifting budget research. You can be really savvy and use accumulated membership points, like Flybuys dollars, to purchase gifts. Some companies, like electricity providers, insurance agencies, and phone service providers, also offer shopping benefits to their members and customers. Remember to check your memberships and providers to see what benefits you have available.
If you are really tight on cash, don’t disregard online marketplaces like Facebook and Gumtree too. You can often pick up some brand-new items that are great for Christmas gifting.
With your recipients planned out, your gift ideas brainstormed, and your shopping plan arranged, you’ll be able to nail your Christmas gifting budget, just like one of Santa’s savvy elves.
Find plenty of Christmas gift ideas for your Christmas gifting budget, decoration tips and hacks, and tasty Christmas recipes, on our online blog and Inspiration Gallery at The Christmas Cart.