How do you plan/save/shop, etc.? I start shopping in August usually (although I'm late this year), and I do about 95% of my shopping online. I can't stand the stores and how mobbed they get during the holidays. I start saving money for presents probably around June or so. I still end up putting a boatload of stuff on plastic though.

What's your strategy?

Well, no matter the time of year, if I see something that I know will work as a gift for someone and I can afford the expense, I'll go ahead and get it and stash it away for birthdays, christmas, whatever.

Even still, I never have it all done by december.

Well first off, I make a point not to do too much. I feel that the true meaning of the holiday is lost when gift giving and spending gets out of control.

That said, I start in the summer and I'm usually done by December 1st or shortly after. Except for maybe a few stocking stuffers. I make many gifts and buy other things if I find good deals. I refuse to go broke every year.

I make jams and pickles in the summer and give those. I also crochet ornaments.

We pick names in DH's family, since there are only adults at this point. I still give small homemade things to most everyone, but we usually don't know who we're getting for the gift exchange until around Thanksgiving. I like to buy things ahead of time that'll work for multiple people. For example, I bought a few nice silk scarves in June that will work for either my sister, my MIL, my SIL, my best friend, or me (if it doesn't get given.)

I refuse to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and I prefer to not go into any stores in December, except for groceries. Also, December is a big baking month for me, so I like to have my time free for that and all the parties.

I feel Christmas should be fun, not stressful, so I make sure and plan ahead.

I try to save all through the year (not just for xmas though of course) and try to do my shopping early-ish (its hard when you're early, because no one has thought about what they want yet!). I also set a budget for each person, depending on how close i am to them, and what they request. If they want something cheap, i'll get them that and maybe a little something extra. If they want something more expensive, they either get that or something more in my budget that i think they want. Sometimes i'll bake and add that to the gift. My sister and i always go halves on my parent's gift- they love bubbles so every year we get them a bottle or 2 of Moet

I also try to make my own cards for my close friends, its always exciting for them to see what mess is in their envelope this year!

I budget a little bit every week for Christmas shopping, and that's that - no using credit cards! (I learned my lesson about that years ago...) I used to start shopping the day after for the next year, but then I found that I was buying way too much, because whatever I found out later that people wanted had to be added to what I'd already bought.

Now I still might buy some generic multi-use gifts ahead of time, but the bulk of the shopping happens on Black Friday and throughout that weekend. I know it's a little nutty to be out then, but I go with my sister and a couple friends, and we make a whole production out of it. It's only once a year that we all get together like that, so it makes it fun.

The holidays stress me out so much, that a few years ago I made a suggestion to my family that we quit exchanging gifts and just spend time together. As it turned out everyone else was relieved. We send my inlaws some money and buy a gift or two for my nephew, who's the only kid. My husband and I take a vacation in early December so that's our gift to us. Then on Christmas Eve my parents, my sister and her family and my husband and I get together for dinner. But even that has changed over the years. Last year it was just my husband, my mom and I and it was lovely. My mom had dinner catered!

This really works for us and I'm able to enjoy the holidays and not feel frazzled by them.

I uh... don't budget or plan for Christmas at all. I do most of my shopping around the holidays, maybe during the first week of December, and I do my shopping in the stores, not online, as I don't like paying with my credit card if I can help it.

I usually go into the store with some idea of what I want to get each person on my list, or at least how much I want to spend. Obviously, I spend the most on my close family and friends, but a lot of people get smaller gifts too and I honestly try to select things for people I think they will like based on other things I've seen them wear (like other pieces of jewelry I know they have and like) or what they're interest in, etc.

thanks for the reminder. i hate shopping for chistmas in nov and dec. I want to have it all done by mid oct.

I just put in the budget for November that I am going to spend X amount of dollars on Christmas presents. I usually don't start shopping until then. The past few years, I have gone out on Black Friday with a friend. He shops for electronics, etc. I usually go to keep him company and for the few deals that I want. This year I think we will be going purely for "tradition", although I need to look for some deals for myself (such as a new camera and a digital camcorder).

I do make a list though of what I'd like to get people, and I usually stick to it. It helps with staying under budget. I also make a lot of presents. I will buy tea, candles, etc and put that in a basket with some homemade cookies and bread. That is something I give to a few friends and my aunts every year.

Through out the year I pick up things that I know someone in the family will like or can use. If it's small or generic things, then I can usually still afford to get them something they specifically ask for (if they do - my family rarely does).

This year I'm giving mostly hand made gifts - depending on what you make & where you buy your materials, you can save a lot of money & not have to worry about crazy shopping days. Assortments of cookies & bars make good gifts, as do bread or muffin baskets w/ a homemade spread. Attach the recipes & use some festive wrapping & you're good to go I also like making soap sets & this year I'm making scrapbooks for a couple people.

I also like to take advantage of the leftover holiday goods - you don't have to go shopping during the crazy sales, but there's always leftover wrapping paper, bows, bags, etc. marked wayy down after christmas.

Speaking of markdowns - I love giving books as gifts as well, & there are lots of cheap places to buy them either new or like new.

& I try to ask people early on what they want, so I don't have to try to find whatever it is they asked for in the middle of december.

suha
I have always did most of my shopping through out the year. I am done by Oct 4th and this year I am already done. lol Once my kids stopped believing in santa the piles of gifts stopped too. It was one thing they really wanted, a few things they really needed and any other money went to hand made gifts such as bread or fire starters ( great gifts for the campers in your life ). From the time santa was a memory they really started learning the reason for the season ( we of course always taught them this ). We work soup kitchen all year long, we volunteer at nursing homes and shelters. The season doesn't only happen on one day and it isn't about how much money a present costs it is about love and caring. I make hook rugs because everyone seems to love them. Once again, they are great for campers and inside large tents. My little hands are tired this year lol. I have made twenty sets of santa bathroom hook rugs. One covers the toilet seat and one is the toilet rug. I think gifts that are special and personal and just what someone wants are far better than an expensive gift.

christmas has sort of become a miserable obligation to me since my family is overseas & my husbands family is a - well- miserable obligation. lol. i let him take the reigns on this. they draw names so we always just get something for whoever we drew the name for and then something for the 3 kids that are in the family. last year we changed it up a bit and did a white elephant party instead it was a bit more fun i think.
if we can afford to we'll ship some stuff to my family, but it hasn't happened in the last couple of years. shipping costs more then the gifts! and then hubby and i do xmas stockings for each other & either just give ourselves some cash or tell each other what we want. not very exciting.
the magic is gone for me. :C maybe if we ever have a kid i can get it back.

You guys are so well-organized and prepared.

I fly by the seat of my pants, it seems. But I think Christmas is a great holiday, not just because of the presents of course, but bc I think it's genuinely a fun holiday.

We have an allotted amount we spend on each family member. We buy for our parents, our kids (4 of them), and our grandkids (7 by Christmas). We don't have any grandparents around to buy for anymore. We save all year and then some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas we manage to shop for all, wrap, and put under the tree. What's good about the young adults is all they want is cash. Easy for me... money cards is all they get. I love buying for the grandkids. We often can be found in the evenings playing with the toys before we wrap them You can never be too old to play!

Ugh, I didn't think about the budgeting/saving thing until now... just started grad school, and I get paid at the beginning of each semester, so I'll be doing my Christmas shopping shortly before my next check arrives. Hopefully my husband will find a job soon and will save up some money by then. Otherwise, I guess I'll be putting a bunch on credit cards and paying it off in January when the check goes through.

As you might imagine, nearly everyone will be getting items from the college bookstore, lol. Maybe I should start shopping soon, so I can beat all the undergrads to the good stuff.