Holiday Gifting

Since the holidays are upon us, many people are sharing their gift guides. Well, I’m not going to do a gift guide exactly, but I am going to give you my gift giving advice.

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 I often end up being the main gift giving counselor when it comes to the men in my life (my dad, my bro, my hubs). They are getting better and do have ideas of their own, but when they get stuck, I’m the go-to.

Choosing gifts for any occasion can be a daunting task. Especially when you’re giving gifts to people who already ‘have everything’ (aka my parents). I can't solve all your gift giving dilemmas in one post, but hopefully these tips will help.

Tip #1: Don’t just go to the mall and look around. 

This is unproductive and stressful. Don’t go shopping until you’ve narrowed down your idea to a few things, or a category. That will give you some direction and make finding a gift easier.

Tip #2: Make a budget. 

If you don’t have an amount that you’re prepared to spend, you can end up getting carried away and buying something that’s way too expensive, or multiple items because you’re not satisfied with the gift.

Tip #3: Stick to the budget. 

If you purchase a quality gift that comes in below budget, don’t go out and buy more items just to spend the money. The idea is about the gift, not the cost (although my dad would say 'of course it's about the money'). Think about it, if you got all the groceries you needed for a week and came in under budget, you wouldn’t just add more food to your cart to use up your extra money, would you?

Tip #4: Shop online. 

Online shopping is so easy now. You can find anything and everything there, without the stress of battling other shoppers, traffic, parking lots, line ups, etc.

Sites like Amazon.com carry everything from housewares to books to electronics. Etsy.com is great for those one-of-a-kind gifts. Plus almost every store that you would find in a mall has an online store.

Tip #5: Get creative. 

Home-made gifts are really thoughtful. Use your talents, whether it be baking, cooking, or simply assembling a basket of great products. Websites like Pinterest also have great DIY gift ideas.

Tip #6: Shop local. 

Check out the small businesses in your city. They often carry interesting/unique items that you wouldn’t find at the mall. Plus you support local businesses, which is always a good thing. 

I hope you'll find these tips helpful!

xx E.

Ps. I'm also pretty good at choosing gifts for people, so if you have a tricky person on your list, feel free to ask for advice :)