Tag Archives: holiday shopping with kids

Tips

A Busy Parent’s Guide to Holiday Shopping

Posted on by lantan

As a parent with a little one, I now understand why people get so stressed during the holiday season. My son just turned four and is in the 3 yr. old program at our public school and his December schedule is jam-packed. I can only imagine how insane the holiday season is for those of you with more than one child! Therefore, I thought I’d write a blog post sharing a few tips for how you can get your holiday shopping done without stressing out.

Get a Sitter and Go Late. Nowadays, the majority of stores have extended holiday hours. If you have little ones at home and/or want to avoid the Christmas crowds, then take advantage of these hours. Shop Online. Yes, you’ve probably heard us mention shopping online a few times, but this is seriously one of the best ways to Christmas shop for those who hate fighting the crowds. You can do it at any time, from the comfort of your home and the gifts come right to your door. You can even have them gift wrapped if you wish! Buy Gift Cards or Give Cash. Many people hate giving gift cards or cash for Christmas because they feel like it isn’t personal. However, if you have a tight schedule and are having a tough time deciding what to get people…give them a gift card or cash! This will save you a ton of time and the recipient will be delighted because they can purchase something they really want with the money. Eliminate Gift Recipients. Go through your Christmas gift list and look over the people on it. If you have a few people who you buy for year after year, but haven’t gotten you anything back in return for a few years, then cross them off…
Tips

Shopping with Kids

Posted on by lantan

So, did you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday? Did you get out with the millions today to snag any great deals on Black Friday? Black Friday brings out the best and worst in people as it’s the first “official” first day of Christmas shopping. While you most likely have noticed some crazy “go-getters,” you probably also have noticed over the years that on Black Friday (early morning) there are very few children present. Wouldn’t it be awesome if it could be like this all the time (minus the crazy store hours)? Sadly, it can’t, but the shopping tips below will help you get your Christmas shopping done WITH your kids in a relatively sane manner!

Refrain from shopping when you should be eating. The worst thing parents do when taking their kids shopping is continue to shop through meal times. Cranky children often get that way when they are being forced to run on empty stomachs. Therefore, make sure you and your family leave with full stomachs and if you happen to still be out at lunchtime, stop and break for a quick meal…you can even bring snacks if you’d like! Break out the allowance. It is important to teach children about responsibility and money from the time they are little. Shopping helps do both. When you take your children shopping with you on the weekend, have them bring their allowance money…and go ahead and pay them for the present week. If they choose to spend their allowance, let them do it first thing – you’ll be surprised at how well they behave when they’re able to spend their money at the beginning of the trip. Save time-consuming stores for last. It may seem smart to do the time-consuming stores first, like shopping for kids’ formalwear, but…