Early Christmas Shopping Tips

Right now, I know a lot of people are thinking about shopping for back to school. Since I don't have children nor am I in college, I have been focused on figuring out my Holiday gift budget. I also know that some people are trying to find deals for gift ideas. So if you're one of those who like me, you're trying to come up with a came plan that won't break the bank.

1. Get a Christmas wishlist early. Getting your children to make a wishlist early may seem a little weird, but as toys go on sale before the Holidays, you can buy them and check them off the list.
2. Figure out how many gifts each person gets. Last year, everyone got about 2 gifts each, plus 2 stocking stuffers each. This year, I am hoping to move up to at least 3 gifts each, plus 2 of 3 stocking stuffers. If you figure out how many gifts each person gets, you can get then sort of figure out a rough price for each gift.
3. Put a price limit on each gift. Creating a price limit for each gift allows you to buy more gifts for each person. But it also allows you to create a more well-rounded gift budget with room to allow for surprise guests or last-minute hostess gifts. We usually have a price limit of $20 or $30 per gift.
4. Look for sales or clearances! Now that Summer is almost over with, stores are going to putting toys and other fun things on sale so they can push them out for back-to-school inventory. Prices are going to be their lowest just before the Holidays. So buy when you can!
5. Use Ebates.com.  If you're shopping online, be sure to check Ebates.com for coupon codes and cash back.
6. Keep an eye on deal blogs and websites. Sometimes, stores won't advertise their toy deals so you are forced to shop website to website, looking for a deal.. So be sure to keep your eye on deal blogs (like us!) or websites for deals.

How early do you start shopping for the Holidays?