Do you research your holiday gift list, or do you go to the store and buy whatever looks good?
Black Friday is in two days, and holiday spending is expected to pick up from last year. Apparently, people are getting smarter about how they plan out their gift lists. Good finds include things being sold at a deep discount, and significant coupon savings.
I’m a big planner in real life — both digital and hard-copy calendars, to-do lists, goals, you name it — so I usually get a gift list going about this time of year with ideas for people as I think of them, or see potential gifts in the store. I start going through the ads in the Sunday and Thanksgiving papers, flipping through my many catalogs, and searching on Amazon.com, all to research what’s out there and in what price range.
When it’s time to buy, I try to order things from the same Website all at once, or buy everything I need from one store at one time, so I don’t have to make multiple trips or be charged twice for shipping. It makes for an interesting-looking list — usually I have several colors of highlighter going, blacking out someone’s name when they’re done and wrapped — but I haven’t forgotten anyone yet.
Another benefit to planning ahead — if you know you want to pick up this gadget or that toy, you can keep a closer eye on the sales and, hopefully, get one at a good price.
Whether you’ve already been planning your gift list or are last-minute shopper, here’s hoping you can get some good deals.