Be Productive
Write a list of
everyone you need to buy for and the items you want to buy them. This
way you can know exactly which shops and which areas of shops you need
to head to. This way you are much less likely to be distracted wandering
around, looking at things for yourself and wasting time! Tut tut.
Work Out Your Budget
Set a budget, and
stick to it. If you are running low on money and you still have a few
people left to buy for you can alter your list slightly to fit this. For
example: does your second cousin twice removed really need headphones that expensive? Perhaps you could go for the next price level down and put the money you saved towards another, more important area.
Clothes
Wear comfortable
clothing. I'm talking flat shoes, warm coat and loose fitting jeans etc.
You don't want to be wandering around a ball of stress because your
shoes hurt and your jeans are too tight and you are cold or too hot.
Timing
Go early in the
morning *le gasp* I know, I know, its going to be painful. But trust me,
worth it in the long run. If you get to the shops as they are opening,
everything will be tidy, there will be smaller ques and less of a
nightmare maneuvering around the aisles.
Don't Forget The Essentials
If you need
scissors, sellotape, wrapping paper or cards, don't forget to buy these
on your shopping trip. There is nothing worse than realising you
remembered everything except gift tags!
Give Yourself A Break
If you can, give
yourself a whole day to get the Christmas shopping done and dusted, this
way if you begin to feel stressed you'll be able to go for a quiet sit
down in Starbucks (eggnog latte please!) to regain much needed energy.
Location
Choose wisely. Make
sure its within a distance you feel comfortable travelling too-
especially if you are going on the train or bus. Its also a good idea to
check what shops an area or center has online, before going there.
There is nothing worse than going shopping and realising the center
you've gone to doesn't have a shop to get that really, really specific
type of body lotion you need to bye your Nan.
I hope these ideas
have been helpful to you! I'm going to *try* to do blogmas this year-
blogging the 24 days in the run up to Christmas, but I'm not going to
promise anything. Here's to trying.
Nicol x
