Lets talk about how I keep track of gift giving for my kids’ birthdays and Christmas. We have birthdays spread out all across the year. Add in Easter, Christmas, all the special holidays, and we are always celebrating something! We try to keep gifts to a minimum for reasons of space and not overspending, but I do enjoy shopping for my kids and selecting just the right things. How do I keep track of it all?
1) Amazon wishlists – I keep a separate running wishlist on Amazon for each person in our household. When I hear a child mention something he or she is interested in, I add it to the Amazon list in their name. When Grandma asks for gift ideas I can quickly reference the child’s list and make some suggestions. I also take a look at the lists every now and then and check for price drops. Occasionally I am able to snag something special at a lower price. Putting things on the wishlist also gives me time to knock them off the list if the child decides she is no longer interested in that item or I realize it’s something we should really do without.
2) Storage – I have medium size plastic boxes in storage with each child’s name on them. Whenever I make a purchase I immediately put it into the box for that child. This helps me easily see what I have. I also keep a running list on my phone so that I can check my purchases without going into the storage room. I keep track of what each gift costs so that I can stay within budget. The larger box in the photo contains items for giving others outside of our family whenever the need arises – new baby gifts, birthday gifts, etc. Sometimes I will put a sticky note with a name on a gift if it is for my niece or nephews.
3) Smart Shopping – I will often buy things ahead of time when I see them on sale, an Amazon price drop, or if I need to purchase a certain amount to get free shipping I will go ahead and get something I know one of the kids wants and stash it away. In March I was ordering an astronaut costume for Isaac’s birthday and saw this adorable dinosaur cape but I didn’t have any more money left to spend for him. They only had a few in stock and we needed more boy dress up stuff and it was adorable so I went ahead and bought it for Colin’s birthday (which is in October, yes I am that crazy). Other times I will maximize my spending and make a large order. For example, hosting an Usborne party, the more you buy at once the more free books you get. Buying ahead like this saves money, but thats also why I need to keep track carefully of what I already have.
4) Minimizing – At Christmas we have been giving each child three gifts (reminiscent of the three gifts mentioned in the Bible that the wise men gave Jesus). We also do stockings and we celebrate the twelve days after Christmas with fun outings as a family, special desserts, and so on. The three gifts are not always toys. We gift books, new pajamas, religious items, etc. Grandparents also spoil the kids with plenty of gifts and toys. Last year it all seemed like too much so we may cut it down even more. Siblings draw names and have one sister or brother to shop and wrap up a gift for. (Last year I assigned names and secretly gave the children each the sibling that I felt they needed to work on loving the most!)
5) Streamline – For holidays aside from birthdays where the children are all getting gifts I make them fairly similar. For Easter they all got a nice coloring book, the girls got flip flops, and the boys got small toy boats. Last Christmas each child got some books, a Playmobil toy, and the icon of their patron saint. Their gifts are not always exactly the same but it helps me to think in categories like that and get each child one toy, one book, and so on.
When a birthday rolls around all I have to do is check the list of things I have, show Grandparents the Amazon wishlist, and then pull out my box of stored gifts and wrap them up. Phew! That seems like a lot while I am trying to explain it, but it works for me! Any other gift giving tips or tricks you would like to add?
Humbled by the Honor 