The Bargain Hunters Guide to Christmas Shopping by Kristen Math

It's only March 1st, and I’m almost done with next year’s Christmas shopping. I have sweaters for my husband, and a new Christmas serving set for my mom. Hidden away in my treasures are shirts for my dad and step-mom and a beautiful leather-bound Texas Hold’em poker chips set for my brother. I have already picked up some games and books for the children. I even have many stocking stuffers tucked away for St. Nick .It’s almost embarrassing that I’m such a penny pincher. Getting through residency required a certain level of creativity in matters financial and even though we are now six years out of training, I find myself sticking to a tight shopping budget.

Preparing for the birthdays and holidays in advance is a great way to save money and reduce gift-giving stress. Instead of hemorrhaging dollars in December and paying back the credit cards all year, or looking for that last minute birthday gift, it is satisfying to find items on sale early in the year and not have to rush.

Here are my top 5 Holiday Money Saving Tips:

1. Invest in several sturdy Rubbermaid containers large enough to hold your gifts, but small enough to store inside in a closet or utility room. If you celebrate Christmas, purchase large Ziploc freezer bags and label them with the name of each person and place them all in one of the storage boxes. Label the boxes to suit your needs. You might have a box for each member of the house, or a box or two for gifts and one for stocking stuffers. If you are like me, you might want to separate the boxes by event. I have two Christmas boxes and two birthday boxes. Decide what will work the best for you and your family. Each time you make a purchase throughout the year, place it neatly in the appropriate box. Stocking stuffers should be placed in the pre-labeled freezer bag for the individual it is intended.

2. Shop Department Store Clearance aisles from January through March to find holiday merchandise at deeply discounted prices. I am particularly fond of Kohl’s, though there are many bargains to be found at JCPenney’s, Sears, Herbergers and the other big name stores. I have found cute Holiday Sweaters for 60-80% off the regular price. I purchased a holiday dishware set for 90% off of the retail price. In addition, seasonal clothing items like corduroy slacks, warm sweaters and coats can be found for a fraction of their original cost. These items will keep nicely if they are stored properly.

3. Dollar Stores are great for finding small gifts as well as stocking stuffers throughout the year. Check back immediately after holidays to find their already rock-bottom prices 50% off. You can get table decorations, lights, children’s books, and crayons for next-to-nothing. Replenish your supply of birthday, anniversary or even baby shower cards by snapping up the 2 for $1 deal. Our dollar store stocks mittens, hats, scarves, purses, make-up, books, puzzles, games, candy and decorations. Last Christmas, our 3 year old got his Clifford the Dog puzzles from the dollar store. We purchased a set of KimPossible books for our daughter there and saved 80% off the cost of buying from Amazon or Barnes and Nobles.

4. Browse the ends of the aisles in toy stores and department stores like Target and Wal-Mart. Many of the good deals are often hidden away in order to lure you in to look at the more expensive non-sale items. Most of our children’s birthday gifts come from the end of the aisle. We have found Playmobil, Bratz and Legos for 50% off. My most pleasurable discovery was a Disney MixMax that was 30% reduced. Recently, I purchased two MixMax videos for my daughter for her upcoming birthday at 50% off.

5. Purchase wrapping paper, tape and cards when they are on sale and keep them in a wrapping paper storage center with a scissors and pen. If you have a good supply of wrapping paper, you will avoid running to the store at the last minute to pay full price for a gift bag, card or wrapping paper. I recently bought Christmas wrapping paper for $.25/roll at our local grocery store.

Preparing in advance for the holidays is a fun way to save time, money and stress throughout the year. It’s not too late to get your Christmas shopping for 2007 started!