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11.22.2019

How I Shop on Black Friday to Get 90% of my Christmas Shopping done (+save MONEY)

Yes, yet again another system I have in place for being efficient with life. Holiday shopping starts off fun but somehow, year after year, I found myself the week before Christmas stressed and scrambling to find a gift for him and another for her. I’ve fine tuned my system for doing 90% of Christmas shopping on Black Friday. I get the bulk of my buying done, save so much money money and then can enjoy shopping in stores over the next month or so.


A few notes:

  • I shop for everything online; you may be able to find deeper discounts on big ticket items in store but my goal is to get the majority of my shopping done and done quickly
  • keep a lookout… many stores have been rolling out their Black Friday deals the week of Thanksgiving and often times the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals are nearly identical so don’t feel you can’t start early or have to wait for a specific date

 
Let’s dive right in as to exactly what I do, so you too can be efficient and save a ton of money this holiday season…
 
1. LIST #1 – WRITE DOWN EVERYONE YOU GIVE GIFTS TO
This list should include everyone from your husband to your best friends and even teachers, co-workers and the stylist who does your hair. Everyone you give a gift to – big or small – goes on this list. 
TIP: I try to group this list by price points. For example, I may lump my family in one group, friends in another, neighbors in a certain price-point category, and so on.
TIP: leave space underneath each person so you can go back and fill it in with items
 
2. LIST #2 – WRITE DOWN A LIST OF ITEMS YOU LOVE
My favorite step. I love to gift things I love, especially to friends, neighbors, employees, etc. On a separate piece of paper, make a list of items of all price points: $5 and up. I actually go back into my Amazon acount and other stores I regularly by from and jot down things I’ve purchased and loved. To me, this adds an extra layer of love to gifts. It’s like I personally like this so much that I wanted you to have one too. I think people feel this love when you give a gift.
 
3. ADD IN WISH LIST ITEMS
There are a few people who have wish lists to fulfill, so I add these items under each person’s name. This is especially the case for kids, and if you have a husband like Anthony… there’s a wishlist with links and specifics.
 
4. MATCH UP PEOPLE TO ITEMS
Go back to your name list and begin filling in the blank spaces with gift ideas. One reason I like to list gifts at different price points is because you can combine items. So, for instance, you may be giving a $50 gift but you have 2 $25ish items you could combine for one stellar gift… it all comes together flawlessly. 
TIP: because we don’t yet know how great the Black Friday deals will be, I’ll occasionally list a few potential items under each person.
 
4. MAKE A LIST OF STORES + WHICH ONES HAVE EACH ITEMS
Now, let’s make sure we are ready for the deals. Look at your gift item list and find stores that carry these items. These are the stores/websites we will be checking on Black Friday.
You may be checking multiple retailers for 1 item. For example, one year, I was crazy over a BaubleBar earings. I wrote down to be sure to check the retailer’s website as well as Nordstroms to see where I would find the best deal. Sometimes the original retailer offers the deepest discount and other times the big box retailer does, so it doesn’t hurt to check both.
 
5. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL LISTS
Always get on the email list! This is where you may have early access or exclusive discounts for shopping. I use the list of stores I just generated to be sure I’m on all the correct email lists.
 
6. SHOP SHOP SHOP (ONLINE)
Once the deals get going, start shopping. I suggest being flexible here. This is why I create a huge gift item list as well as provide multiple gift options under each person. One item I love may be 50% off whereas another is just offering free shipping, so I can start selecting the items based on the offered savings. 
Also, have fun with this! I’m not a serious Black Friday shopper. I don’t cry if I miss a deal. I just enjoy getting the majority of my holiday shopping done and feeling extra thoughtful about gifts
 
EXTRA TIP: PERSONALIZATION
Another reason I enjoy ordering so early is that it allows for personalization, which I feel goes such a long way with gift giving. Add a monogram where you can. Select an item to initial. When you order too close to Christmas, the extra days it takes for personalization can sometimes cut the timeline too close, but I love starting all of this early to add a touch of personalization. AND, sometimes the Black Friday deals include free personalization!
 

GIFT GUIDES

I’ve put together a few gift guide that might help you come up with your gift item list

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: COMFY + COZY here

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: a little something for everyone here

8 WORKOUT CLOTHING ITEMS I’M OBSESSED WITH here

 

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