Share your Christmas shopping tips - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Christmas can be a hectic time with lots to prepare and organise, so we’d love to know your strategies for getting the gift shopping done. Whether you spread it throughout the year, you set aside a weekend and order everything in one go, or you set budgets to avoid overspending, share your tips and tricks in the thread below.

• Post your tips/hacks in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Here’s what Klarna has to say:

"With our new app features, you can spend less time searching for Christmas gifts and more time enjoying the holiday season. Whether you're shopping for kids' gifts, holiday decorations, or everyday essentials, our range of tools such as price comparison, price drop alerts, and delivery tracking ensures that you get great value for the money and time you spend on your Christmas shopping. Shop smarter and make the most out of the festive season with our app."

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ
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Do research for ideas and buy little and often.

Listen to people throughout the year when they love or mention something they love, then write it down (or put it in your phone notes) that way you dont have to wrack you brains for ideas, and you buy something you know they want.

Set an overall budget and stick to it. This includes presents, food, days out and activities, Christmas decor etc.

Buy throughout the year to spread cost or save per month into a little pot.

DONT BUY TAT! 😂 I only buy gifts i know people with actually like/ use. No tatty bath sets etc.

Come up with as many free/cheap activities as possible like baking gingerbread men, driving round to look at the decorated houses, making Christmas cards, Christmas movie nights. Sometimes the free activities are the most special and memorable 🎅🏼

This is a really good one! My partner is so hard to buy for and I actually kept a list this year of ideas which made shopping for him so much easier😂

thank you !

Buy things throughout the year if I see something the children would like that is on sale.

We have four children so try and keep close track of all the gifts to ensure they are all getting similar amounts.
I also try and ensure each child has a gift that is something to "do" over Christmas

And my best tip is if they say they don't want anything go for a wander round some shops with them. I tend to avoid shops usually as I'm disabled. DD said she had zero ideas but after a wander round some shops had loads

Secret Santa across large families! Vinted for as much as possible. Experiences rather than Things, which can be redeemed at a later date thus spreading out the cost. No stockings for adults!

Keep a wish list for people, especially those who are hard to buy for. Any hints of something the would like write it down and assess in November if they would still like it. Get the kids to write a list then a few weeks later repeat it and see if they are the same! Join some Facebook groups for discounts Bargain Buys FOr Busy Mums and HDUK are good. Don't rule out second hand.

Make a budget and stick to it. Don't get into debt for Christmas.

I spread my purchases over the year.

Do as much as possible online - with a cup of tea or glass of wine in hand - rather than wandering round busy shops getting stressed.

Make a list and stick to it - so as not to be tempted by other things and overspend.

Have a few 'generic' presents wrapped up ready to go - incase someone surprises you with an unexpected gift.

Speak to family about who to buy for. It can get ridiculously expensive buying for lots of adults and kids so DH & I have an agreement with our siblings and their partners that we only buy for the (6) kids we have between us. Saves us buying 8 adult presents as well.

If buying for a group of adults, suggest a secret Santa so instead of everybody in a group of 6 getting a crap £10 present they get one decent £50 one instead.

Consider buying pre- loved stuff- especially for kids! I've just got teen DS a fab (looks hardly worn) urban outfitters sweatshirt on Vinted for 1/4 of the price of a new one and he won't know the difference!

I use my notes app on my phone all year round to note down when firends or family mention that they like something, I keep my eye out to see if these items go down in the sale or have special offers on.

Park Xmas Savings, ask everyone what they want, make a list and stick to it.

I think to checkout the boxing day and January sales - and put 1/2 price things away for next year - do this going forward and with generic male and female gifts you can sort out who gets what nearer the time.

I have opted to make gifts this year, cakes fudge and biscuits, I also bought some hamper boxes and made afternoon tea hampers for my grandparents - i've saved so much money and feel I have got my gifting right this year.

Once summer holidays are over, I start thinking about Christmas and start ordering and buying gifts so that the cost is spread over several months. I do the same for the Christmas food - start buying this gradually over the preceding 6 weeks.

I keep a list in the notes section of my phone of things people have mentioned (at any time in the year) and start there.

Nearer the time, I ask for lists (November time), so that I can include the most recent ideas.

Tips for budget - shopping around and snap things up during Black Friday (but only if you were going to buy them anyway).

I also use the Christmas forum on MN for ideas, particularly stocking ideas, so that I'm not just buying toot that won't get used.

I'd look for BNWT items on gumtree and Ebay for some items, make gifts for grandparents - they love to keep personalised things made for them, look for 3 for 2's on gift sets, look at Amazon for daily deals

It’s a simple one but with my daughter’s birthday as well as Christmas in December, I save £50 a month throughout the year to spend on her presents and a party. Eases the pressure of the very pricey month.

Buy gift experiences - there are huge discounts before Christmas with BuyaGift and Virgin Experiences - and if you buy though TopCashBack you get extra off too

This year has been tough - a teen who doesn’t really want anything, parents who don’t really want anything and a sibling who out earns by an insane amount, so just treats themselves pretty much weekly to what they want! added to that I’m trying not to buy things for the sake of it, so avoiding the generic gifts that may be popular but may end up in a cupboard for a year or two before being charity shopped.

my best tip is if you have a dp, even if it’s “your job” to do the Christmas shopping, talk about ideas, it’s ok to say “I’m struggling to think of Ideas.”

Also for the possible people, have a look at experiences - there is a small theatre in our town then two larger theatres in towns within half an hour drive from here, looking at what they have on this year meant I found tickets for a comedian my MIL would enjoy at one and tickets to a show my ds would enjoy at another. it doesn’t always have to be stuff.

So it often ends up with purchases at the last minute but I try to reduce the pain by:

• Notes on phone when I get ideas or people mention things
• Pick up (new) stocking fillers in the charity shop all year - lots of fun/kitsch stuff (who doesn’t like a fancy dress costume?)
• Reduce the amount of people you buy for: agree to go out instead, or do a secret Santa with a group of you. Much easier and more fun.

Don’t get suckered in by the sales and storing for Christmas. You end up buying a load of junk that nobody asked for. Instead I start shopping for around Sept looking out for discounts or bargains on the shopping list.

I’ve been using the round up feature that my bank offers. I genuinely haven’t noticed the odd pennies going into my savings account but I’ve saved around £600 this year. It’s ideal!

Spread the cost and shop every month from September onwards