How to Plan and Make Lists for Holiday Shopping

How to Plan and Make Lists for Holiday Shopping - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. I am Kristl Story from TheBudgetDiet.com. Planning ahead saves you a lot of time, and remember time is money. One of your best tools for planning ahead is a list. I love lists, lists for everything. But especially during this really hectic time of the year. If you go into stores with a list you will be better prepared, you would not make impulse purchases, and you will come home with everything you intended to get, rather than having to run out multiple times, make multiple errands. Do not trust your memory during this crazy time of the year. Everybody needs a list. You will feel more in control, you will feel more confident that you got everything. It is just a chance to double-check. The most important list - if there is one list you make this holiday season – I had make a spreadsheet. And it simply should include the person's name you are shopping for, the budget, how much you are going to spend on them or you had like to spend on them. And jot down any ideas you might already have of what you are trying to find for them. Of course there may be some blanks for the hard to shop for people. After you have actually purchased the item, put the amount there so you will know if you are running a little ahead or behind on your budget. And the little notes out to the side, important notes that you might want to make. If there is gifts that you need to ship, make a note of that because you will want to keep that in mind when you are shopping. You certainly do not want to buy a $25 gift and when you get to the Post Office go, 'goodness, this is going to cost me $30 to mail!' So those are the types of lists you need to get started with. If you are having a lot of company, a meal planning list may be very helpful. A Christmas card list. Now is the time to start. Make those lists now. Your shopping trips will be much more pleasurable and cost effective later.