Some More Holiday Shopping Blues: Saving Stress
t’s October, and as we all know, the holiday stuff is going to start coming out soon. On Wednesday, we talked about some money saving tips for the holiday season. The stress that holiday shopping can bring is also an important thing to think about as this season comes into full swing. Today, I’m going to share some tips that will hopefully help you reduce all that potential holiday stress.
- Starting early is never a bad thing. Yes, as I shared on Wednesday, it drove me crazy that my mom would ask me over the summer about what I wanted for Christmas. I had no idea! But, the fact that my mom would start shopping before all of the holiday craziness started greatly reduced her stress as time went on. By mid-November, she was normally done for the most part, and didn’t have to deal with the stores being swamped with stressed people.
- Afraid of large groups? Shop online. I’m not a huge fan of busy stores and cramped spaces, and I’d imagine that some of you out there feel the same way. That’s okay! Thankfully, many brick-and-mortar stores now have websites so that you can browse online. It’s much easier to compare prices while glancing through a couple tabs in your internet browser than trying to do so while rushing through large crowds and dragging along a grumpy child/spouse/friend/whoever was unfortunate enough to be stuck shopping with you that day. You can buy online, or you can make a list and know exactly what your trip is going to look like for the day you shop.
- Black Friday is called Black Friday for a reason. It’s quite a mess out there, lots of stress, crying kids, and just general misery for a time of year that’s supposed to be happy and cheerful. You can go out if you want to, but as I mentioned in the above tip, make sure that you prepare yourself and know exactly where you’re going and at what time. Game plans are important for the craziness that can ensue.
- Make sure to treat yourself. Go out and eat a nice, relaxing lunch in the middle of your shopping day. Go to the spa and get a pedicure or manicure the next day. Get something you like to drink while walking around the mall, do something to bring your spirits up a bit, especially if you hate shopping.
- Don’t make yourself feel rushed. Take your time. Starting early helps you to spread your time out so that you don’t feel like you have to buy gifts for the 25 people on your list all on the same day. Take a couple days to do so, go for a couple hours, and call it.
So, let’s reduce that stress so we can concentrate on what the holiday season is truly for. Enjoying our family and friends, celebrating together, and just being happy and cheerful and relaxing with those that we love.
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