holiday considerations

The holiday season is right around the corner. If you've been in any major department store or discount retailer lately, you'll notice their holiday shops are already set up with ornaments, tree decorations and everything you need to wrap a present.

Gift shopping can create a lot of unnecessary, totally understandable, stress. Who's getting gifts this year? What am I going to buy them? How much money is this going to cost me? Where am I going to find the time to shop?

Diva to the rescue. Here are some guidelines I use so I can enjoy the holiday time spent with my friends and family.

Decide who gets presents. You won’t forget anyone important.

Decide what you’re going to spend on each person. I know you can’t put a price tag on Aunt Sally, cousin Joey or best friend Emily. Do it anyways. If it’s $20 or $2,000, decide how much you want to spend on each person on you list. This will help you see the overall picture. You’re less inclined to overspend on presents when you know that you’ve budgeted $1,000. The key to this rule is actually sticking to your budget and not feeling guilty about what you are or aren't buying. It's a gift, they'll appreciate it. (If they don't, don't buy them one next year.)

IF YOU FOLLOW ONLY ONE RULE, FOLLOW THIS: SHOP EARLY. Especially for the most important person/people on your list. You don't want to wait to buy that something special for your best friend/child/significant other/sibling/parent/grandparent/favorite uncle only to find every store sold out 2 days ago.
I can't emphasize this rule enough. During my 17 years (yikes) in Retail, those who shopped late always ended up spending too much or couldn't find the items they wanted. They also seemed frustrated and unsure of their decisions.

Avoid the crowds, shop online. This should also make shopping early easier.

Create a “wish list” at Amazon.com. Then have all your friends and family do the same. Seriously. Amazon.com offers free shipping (on most items) if you spend over $25; they also gift wrap for a fee. Amazon.com is especially helpful if you live in a small town and don't have great shopping options in your area. And you avoid duplicate gifts because once someone purchases something from your wish list that item is removed from your list.

If you are travelling, ship presents. You don't want to risk getting your luggage, that had all your presents in it, lost on Christmas Eve. You can also ship gifts directly to your final holiday destination with online shopping.

Happy Shopping!!