Hello there, how’s your week going? Last year I did a 10 week series on holiday organization tips. If you’d like to recap it, I’ve listed all the posts in that series HERE. You should definitely check it out. Today I’m going to be talking about organized gift buying.
Today’s simple box tip is one I’ve shared with you before but since it really does make all the difference in my organized world, I’m going to share it again just in case you missed it. It’s the simplest of tips but sometimes that’s all it takes to keep us from completely losing our marbles. Because let’s face it, the holidays have a special way of collecting those marbles we so desperately try to hang on to day to day. It can be overwhelming trying to keep it all straight with what needs to be done, bought, wrapped, baked, PLUS keeping track of who needs to be where and when. Whew! Today’s tip is all about how I keep track of the presents I buy. It involves one awesome app and some simple cardboard boxes to help you containerize and consolidate!!!
Organized Gift Buying Guide
One of the biggest stress relievers I do to get ready for Christmas is I strive to have all my Christmas shopping done by the end of November. I’m about 90% done right now (including stocking stuffers) with just have my husband left. He’s the hardest so he takes me longer. In preparation of all the gifts coming in I head out to my local grocery store at the beginning of November and pick up quite a few empty boxes that I can use for gift consolidation. Three of those boxes that are similar in size are for my kid’s gifts. Each kid gets assigned a box and and I line them up in my gift closet.
This gives me a dedicated spot for all of the gifts that I buy for them. I have used this system for years and it works really well for me. As I bring gifts home, I log them into the app that I use (more about this below) and then put the gifts into the applicable box. So rather than a jumble of store bags piled up in a corner of the room or stuffed into a closet, I make it a little easier on myself and have all the gifts put into the right box. I don’t take any tags off anything either just in case I find something I like better and want to make a return. This is also why I wait to wrap my gifts, plus I just like to wrap in December when the tree is up and I’m feeling festive 🙂
You’ll notice I also have designated bins for my Christmas cards (along with the supplies I need for that) and a special craft project I’m doing this year. Makes it so much easier to find what I need when I need it. The teacher bins I use are from the dollar store and will go to them as part of their gift. Who doesn’t love a great bin in their life? 🙂
More about my gift storage closet HERE.
You can create a gift space in any closet or if you need to you can stack some boxes neatly in a corner of the room. Just remember to “fake” label them to throw off prying eyes. Use the word tampons or household cleaners, they’ll never touch that, ha!
In addition to my storage gift cabinet that you see above, I keep more boxes in my office for gifts that need to be mailed out. I line them up either on a desk or the floor, which makes it really easy to toss things in. Here’s an example of that. I have a box assigned to my son for his November care package and a beautiful bin that is collecting awesome gifts for my annual Christmas blog giveaway. I love love love doing this for my blog readers so watch for that coming up in December.
The Christmas List App:
The app I highly recommend for organized gift buying is called The Christmas List. It is a paid app and I’m not affiliated in any way but it is worth every penny to me. I would seriously be lost without it. It keeps track of the gifts I buy and my budget for each person as well. Plus I always have it with me when shopping for easy reference. Oh and you can archive your gift list from year to year which is pretty sweet too. I wrote all about it last year which you can read right HERE for more information.
So like I said, this holiday organized gift buying process isn’t complicated or expensive, it’s just a simple tip to help you hang on to some sanity when purchasing gifts. Everything has a home, containerizing for the win!!
Also if you haven’t had a chance to download my FREE Holiday Planner yet, what are you waiting for? You are going to be so organized this year!!!
Hope it helps someone out there. Be on the look out for my 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Her, coming soon!
Jane @ Modern Housewives says
Thanks for the awesome tips! Organising Christmas is a big deal every year. It’s also time consuming, difficult and frustrating. It’s good to know that there are ways to make this easier for everyone, especially when it comes to gift picking.
Chrissy at Organise My House says
Love this idea! – I tend to hide things away wherever I can – so that my daughter doesn’t find them – but having a specific place for her items sounds like the perfect solution – thanks for sharing!
Linda says
I have an empty drawer dresser in my guest room. Anything I purchase for my grandsons goes in the top drawer, their parents in the second drawer, my son and daughter-in-law in the third drawer and my husband in the fourth. It’s easy to check what I have without having to pull down boxes or emptying things from bags and boxes. There are also two half size drawers on top that I use for gifts to be mailed or given to friends.
Margot says
When we moved into our home we discovered that one of our basement closets had a lock on it. That was where our important papers, filing cabinet, and – Christmas gifts were kept. The kids were never curious because they knew we kept pretty boring stuff in there. I would recommend everyone have at least one closet in their home like this!
Laura Wittmann says
Sweet!!
Kristen Boe says
I have a storage bin downstairs that I stash presents in throughout the year as well. Problem is, I buy all year and my spreadsheet always forgot to update itself. 😉 I just bought that app you mentioned and now am SO EXCITED at how awesome it is. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!!!
Laura Wittmann says
Yay, hope you love it!!