I know I'm not the only mama out there thinking about Christmas already! July 25th marked five months until the big day! I've always been a really ridiculous Christmas person. Like I rock out to Christmas songs, we go to tree farms and get our trees, we decorate the tree with Christmas music, the house gets decorated. Like ... it's a big overboard. I grew up in a family where Christmas was the biggest deal of the year. My mom and grandma are HUGE Christmas fans. Christmas was always such a special day for us, the holidays were always such a miraculous thing. We went to Christmas Eve service at church, when we got home we got to open ONE present :) We do the same thing with the girls when we have them for Christmas Eve. I try to make the entire Christmas season a really magical thing for them, including sprinkling the reindeer dust on the front yard! We go take pictures with Santa, we dress up the dog, the whole bit. Now that Ashley's a bit older I'll be doing a cookie decorating day with the girls (Kinda of stoked about it I can't lie). I'm just really excited that were getting to the holiday season :) So I did some Christmas shopping for the kids yesterday and were always on a tighter budget. I try to make it a big thing for the girls so layaway is my THING. So here's some tips on how to be a savvy shopper for Christmas!
1. Start Early!!!!!!
Seriously. I have a crazy amount of people to buy for. I usually start making lists in June and by July I'm in full purchase mode. Between the kids, Mike, Family, it gets expensive. If you start early enough you can buy a few things away and just put them in a "Christmas box" so you don't lose them or forget where you hid them (which is how I still have Lincoln logs in my closet). Then at Christmas you have a crazy good amount of gifts for everyone and you kept on budget!
2. Layaway like cray
So layaway can be iffy so you have to kind of figure out where to get the best deals. I'm almost always using Kmart layaway, that's how we got Ashley her big power wheels convertible last year. Kmart is great, you can shop online and start your layaway that way. The only problem with Kmart is if they don't sell it directly you can't usually put it on layaway. Which is a super big pain in the butt. I just put a crap load of stuff on there for the kids yesterday and just paid for the others separate. It's convenient to shop online but again make sure Kmart sells it. Toys R Us also does layaway but you have to purchase in store. You also have to put 10 percent down of the purchase but sometimes it's better that way. They also have 90 day layaway so you have a good amount of time to pay on things!
3. Make a list
Seriously, I'm the QUEEN of lists. With all the kids and family I have to write down what I'm getting everyone and put a check mark when it's purchased (In Christmas colors OBVIOUSLY). I had the girls lists started in June and I add and subtract as I go. Usually add ;) then I add the other family members. Keeping track of what you purchased keeps you from going over your budget that you've made and keeps your living room from looking like the toy store on Christmas day :) Side note: I also make a list for distribution of my Christmas Cards so I know how many to buy, saves you money from buying too many!
4. Try to avoid credit purchases
Credit is so easy to use and you can get everything you need instantly. I'm probably still paying for Christmas's on my credit cards I swear. If you can stash money away during the year that's your best bet. My kids were all born at different times of the year so I have to try and stash when I'm not planning birthday parties LOL! or purchasing birthday presents! Ashley's a Christmas eve baby so we try to separate those, again just avoid the credit. Try to pay cash so you don't have the shock after the holidays of those payments!
5. Really just enjoy shopping!
Before I took on the step mom role I had a dog, a cat and a boyfriend to buy for. It was super easy! I was so into what I was going to get and that was awesome. Now that I'm a mom I'm so less concerned with what I'm getting and I just want to drink my coffee and watch my kids open their presents! Being a kid on Christmas is such an awesome feeling and I never knew why my mom never cared about opening her presents until the last few years. The looks on their faces is completely priceless and melts your heart. Enjoy shopping for those kids and take in all the Christmas cheer while you can!
I hope some of this helps! It's almost August so I'll be finishing up my Christmas shopping and prepping for the holidays! If you have any suggestions or advice on layaway let me know! Happy Christmas in July!
Kristen
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