Until next time,
AJ
Friday, December 14, 2012
Great Giveaway at Pinkpeonies.com
Head on over to pinkpeonies.com for a great giveaway to J.Crew factory.
Until next time,
AJ
Until next time,
AJ
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Christmas Shopping and the Stress That Comes With It
So since it's officially December that means many will be starting their Christmas shopping if they haven't already. Me? I had all but one of the gifts purchased a few weeks ago. What can I say, I'm an overachiever like that. And the last person I have to shop for has an extremely straight forward wish list so that will be easy. I've been really lucky this year in that everyone on my list had either really specific things they wanted (my mom and my aunt) or they are just extremely easy to shop for (my sister, my dad, and my godson). Over the past few years, since I've been actually buying the presents and not pawning that off on my mom, I've developed some plans for how to approach things.
1. Set a limit and stick to it.
Now I know this can be extremely difficult when you see that one thing you know they would absolutely love but it's out of your budget. But knowing your limits is important. As a recent college graduate, I don't have lots of disposable income to spend. But I do have a good eye for sales and an interest in finding what they want at a price I like. Take my mom's gift for instance. I wandered into a Macy's and found out they were having a promotion on what my mom wanted. So I ended up getting her a bigger version of what she wanted, plus the matching lotion, champagne glasses (that I was going to buy for my roommates so that was done), and two free bags which will be used by me and my mom. All this just because I walked into the store on the right day. That's a little bit of luck but also knowing when to take advantage of a sale or promo.
2. Start early.
I hate shopping in big crowds. I would rather go to the mall on a weekday morning than be there on a Saturday. Knowing this, I like to get started on my Christmas shopping in mid November. Many wait longer thinking they will get better deals, but there are deals all the time if you know where to look. Case and point, I got my godson two outfits and a pair of Nike sneakers for under $50. I just knew where to shop that led to great finds. Plus, the sooner I start, the more variety I seem to find.
3. Unique
Make sure you plan on getting people things you know that no one else will get them. There's not really much fun in someone opening a gift and sadly having to say, "Thanks but someone already got me this." Don't be afraid to think outside the box and don't just go with that person's list. I usually do this with my dad. He likes pretty much anything I get him and will use or wear it no matter what. Gotta love him for that.
4. Use different wrapping paper.
Now this doesn't have to do with shopping but more the actual gift giving part. I like to pick wrapping paper for each different person, or if that is too much, I will use different colors or types of ribbon for each gift. This allows me to remember which gift goes to which person so much more easily. Also, it makes for a prettier visual under the Christmas tree.
So those are my four tips for holiday shopping. Here's hoping someone out there finds this useful.
Until next time,
AJ
1. Set a limit and stick to it.
Now I know this can be extremely difficult when you see that one thing you know they would absolutely love but it's out of your budget. But knowing your limits is important. As a recent college graduate, I don't have lots of disposable income to spend. But I do have a good eye for sales and an interest in finding what they want at a price I like. Take my mom's gift for instance. I wandered into a Macy's and found out they were having a promotion on what my mom wanted. So I ended up getting her a bigger version of what she wanted, plus the matching lotion, champagne glasses (that I was going to buy for my roommates so that was done), and two free bags which will be used by me and my mom. All this just because I walked into the store on the right day. That's a little bit of luck but also knowing when to take advantage of a sale or promo.
2. Start early.
I hate shopping in big crowds. I would rather go to the mall on a weekday morning than be there on a Saturday. Knowing this, I like to get started on my Christmas shopping in mid November. Many wait longer thinking they will get better deals, but there are deals all the time if you know where to look. Case and point, I got my godson two outfits and a pair of Nike sneakers for under $50. I just knew where to shop that led to great finds. Plus, the sooner I start, the more variety I seem to find.
3. Unique
Make sure you plan on getting people things you know that no one else will get them. There's not really much fun in someone opening a gift and sadly having to say, "Thanks but someone already got me this." Don't be afraid to think outside the box and don't just go with that person's list. I usually do this with my dad. He likes pretty much anything I get him and will use or wear it no matter what. Gotta love him for that.
4. Use different wrapping paper.
Now this doesn't have to do with shopping but more the actual gift giving part. I like to pick wrapping paper for each different person, or if that is too much, I will use different colors or types of ribbon for each gift. This allows me to remember which gift goes to which person so much more easily. Also, it makes for a prettier visual under the Christmas tree.
So those are my four tips for holiday shopping. Here's hoping someone out there finds this useful.
Until next time,
AJ
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