Solo Mother

have you begun your holiday shopping yet?

by christina on May 19th, 2007

The most organized mothers I know have a Stash. They have some trunk or cupboard filled with gifts to go. Considering that I have only three tiny closets in my house, I don’t think I can dedicate the space to a full-fledged gift shop, but I could be a little more savvy when it comes to gift buying. It would save money, time and heartache when Giftmas rolls around again.

I see things, and think, “Oh, so and so would love that, I should get it for Christmas!” and then forget it. By the time December rolls around, I’m broke, I’m short of time, and I have no idea what to get anyone. So here’s what I’m suggesting: start now.

The summer and fall months are filled with craft shows. Support emerging artists. If you’re a Target kind of gal, keep an eye on sales and stock up–on wrapping paper and gift supplies as well as the presents themselves. Just after the major holidays, buy up wrapping paper and decorations at bargain prices… because some of the nicest Giftmas presents are related to the season. And one more word of advice: start saving now. Your child’s going to want something big for the holidays or a birthday, like a bike, or a video game, or an iPod. If you have handy friends, you can always get a second-hand bike and fix it up, and I’m sure you can find used iPods on eBay (cause let’s face it, as much as we’d love to be able to give our kids new things, it’s just not happening on a single mother budget), but it’s still going to cost you a bit. Don’t go into debt in December. Spread it out over the course of the year and don’t forget where you hid everything.

Wouldn’t it be nice to actually have the time to enjoy the season?

Tags: time saver, budget, shopping, gifts, presents, single mother, single mom, single mommy

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