Plan your Christmas present shopping

The idea of Christmas present shopping and buying gifts for friends and family may seem overwhelming, but with some methodical planning, it can be done efficiently. MOLLY MAID, the professional domestic cleaning experts, can lend a helping hand with planning your Christmas present shopping this festive season. Here’s how:

1. Decide whether you are just buying presents for family, or whether you need to include friends and work colleagues potentially.
2. Set up a list detailing ever person you plan to buy a present for and when you need to have the present for (this is especially important if you need to post it).
3. Set a budget, be realistic. There is only so much that can have to go round.
4. If there are children in the family, ask their parents if they have any ideas of what they make like and perhaps for older children, suggest that they may like to set up Amazon wish lists – this will help a great deal when planning your Christmas present shopping.
5. Set as aside 2 evenings in the first week of December to start planning what types of presents your recipients may like whether it is books, vouchers for a cleaning service by MOLLY MAID for instance to help someone who doesn’t have much time or isn’t well enough to clean their home, a lovely food orientated present, an item of clothing, a board game, special beauty products or a token for a beauty treatment. Try and match these up with the person you are buying for.
6. Then, set aside some uninterrupted time in an evening in the first week of December and go through the list and see what you would be able to purchase online. This will ultimately save you so much time, hassle and expense in parking and petrol if you complete one order for Amazon or another internet retailer. If you don’t plan and shop in one go, you will incur potentially unnecessary packaging and postage costs. However, there will always be presents that need to be bought in a shop or a department store.
7. Now that you have bought the majority of your presents, set aside a ‘Christmas present shopping day’ and plan logically where you may be able to buy the individual items. Weekdays tend to be more effective in early to mid-December as people are still working. Buying Christmas presents at the week-end tends to be more of an effort and more time consuming simply because more people are out and about doing the same thing! Think ahead and plan where the bulkiest item may be found and plan to buy that last to save you carrying it around all day. Think Operation Christmas present shopping and be strategic and focussed! Break up the day with a pleasant lunch or a hot drink and replenish those energy levels to complete all your shopping. You will be delighted to have that task complete and to be able to enjoy the Christmas period.

Good luck and remember that it is all about planning your Christmas present shopping!

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