Have you ever started wrapping your Christmas gifts and found out that you had way too many gifts for one person because you forgot about several gifts you purchased for them throughout the year? I haven't had that happen to me (yet), but one year my mom purchased some perfume as a gift for Christmas, and forgot to even wrap it, because she had hidden it so well.
One of my strategies for frugal gift giving is to purchase gifts for friends and family throughout the year to take advantage of great deals and clearances that I find. However, it's very easy to lose track of how much you've purchased for someone and go over budget or buy more than you were planning for that person.
I use a Christmas gift list to keep track of the presents that I have already purchased (with the item, the price, and who it's for), so I can plan what I still need to buy. I keep all the receipts for gifts in an envelope, so I can easily make any returns. I also create another list to keep track of the presents that I intend to make, so that I can get them finished before the last minute. There's nothing like creating scrapbooks for family members at the last minute (believe me...I've done it before!). Each year, my goal is to have the majority of my Christmas shopping and handmade gifts done by Thanksgiving so that I can relax and enjoy the Christmas season.
Here are some resources to help you with your Christmas gift list:
- Organized Christmas has a huge Christmas planner that you can print off and make. Here's the master gift list printable and the Gifts to Make list.
How do you keep track of what you've purchased each year? For more ideas, please visit Rocks in My Dryer.
heresthediehl
I do a variation of this, too, as I buy throughout the year. I just keep a Word document going all the time with each person's list on it, and if it's something I've already bought, I put how much it cost next to the item. I also indicate if I've given that item as a suggestion to someone, so that I don't forget!
Haydensmommy
Thanks for stopping at my blog. I have to been singing that song since I wrote the post!
Great idea for Christmas, my son's birthday is Christmas Day too, its really hard to keep track.
Kate
My mom used to this and I don't know why I haven't started doing it too. It really is a fantastic idea.
Felicia
These are some great tips!
Bianca
I have a spreadsheet that has name, gift ideas, 2008 gifts purchased, $ spent. Every year, I add a new column with the current year's gifts purchased, but leave previous years. That way, I don't duplicate gifts I bought last year. Also, I leave the ideas there. Sometimes an idea I jotted down two years ago might actually happen this year. (I can also quickly total the $ spent if I want to see how much I've spent for everyone.)