Works For Me Wednesday: Christmas Edition

I don't know that I have that many, well...any, ground breaking tips, but I will share my shopping process with you and maybe it will help someone:)

Early in the year, we set a budget for what we plan to spend for the upcoming year, and budget early, accordingly, setting aside the money in our savings account. I make an Excel Spreadsheet (YES, I am OCD) and set up squares for each person's name with a column for gift name and price. I subtotal each person's amounts to make sure I don't go over. Then, I type in my ideas for each person under their name so I can keep an eye out for sales, early on.

When I buy something, I notate it with the amount paid, and highlight it with the color of my choice (shade of blue). If I buy it in the store and have it in my possession, it is dark blue. If I order it online, I make it light blue to indicate it is paid for, and change it to dark blue when it is in my possession.

At the bottom of the page, I list each company I purchase from, and order/confirmation numbers if applicable, and price paid, for my records. I place all receipts in a legal envelope and put it on top of the refrigerator for easy access, and so no one else will mess with it and misplace any of them. Then I keep the bottom square under total paid for my grand total. That way I know what I have spent, and what I have left.

Each year, just set up a new tab, and you will have the previous years' tabs for reference of what you have bought someone, so no repeats...unless it is a magazine or something that they enjoy! Not to mention, there is no forgetting what, if anything, you have purchased for someone, and no one gets forgotten.

Since most of my family is out of town, I order most of those gifts online, and have them shipped to my mom's house, where we all get together. Then I don't have to pay shipping twice (if at all), save myself a trip to the post office with three toddlers during the rush! AND I don't have to transport it, worry about it getting lost/broken, or worry about forgetting it!

If someone would like to see how my spreadsheet is set up, I am happy to email a sample, but I cannot post it here...family members read this! :-) There will be no spoilers:)

I would also share with you how Santa secretly decorated our tree overnight this year, but this post is getting long, so maybe another day. Suffice it to say that children were fighting over and destroying garland, so we stopped and left everything in the middle of the floor and everyone went to bed. And, like with all Christmas Magic, it was decorated the following morning and Santa even put the boxes away in the peace of the night. Mom was happy because all of the ornaments were in their "right" place on the tree, Dad was happy it was done, and the kids were in "awe" that this happened.

I could give a long explanation of why we had to break down and do it this way this year, but I will save that for the later post.

Thank You Santa!