Started your holiday shopping yet? Get busy!

While your calendar and décor right now are all about pumpkins and fall harvest, your focus should be a little further off in the distance- say towards the looming holiday season.

You know that the minute (almost literally) that the last Halloween treat is handed out, the holiday displays will magically appear in your local mall. Use this time as a reminder to get your holiday shopping underway if you haven’t already.

 
Give yourself a present

Picture your holiday season from the last few years, scrambling around with last minute shopping.  Now imagine what this year might look like if you started now.

Might the result be a calm and serene December? A January without obscene credit card bills filtering into your mailbox and inbox? This is the gift you should give yourself this holiday season.

Guaranteed- it’s better than anything you’ve got on your list.

List it

Your best bet to getting really, truly organized is to have an awesome list- which includes not only all of the recipients, but gift ideas, as well as what you should be thinking of spending.

Make your list comprehensive. Don’t forget all of those “extras” like teacher gifts, hostess gifts and other gifts that often get forgotten- which means last minute rushing, pushing your budget aside.

Time is money

You’ve heard this before, but when it comes to shopping, time is money. You can search out better deals. You can source coupons and be patient in seeking best prices.

Even if you’re not motivated to hit the mall at the moment, at least put the money aside. By earmarking a little bit of each pay leading up to holidays, you’ll reduce (or remove) the need to dip into credit to fund your holiday shopping.

Negotiate

Maybe this is the year that you elect to make some of your gifts, or even swap out gift exchange altogether. Deciding now means less stress (and less spending) as the season marches on.