Giveaway: ListPlanIt Membership & Holiday ePlanner

I started a spreadsheet at the beginning of the year with who we buy for, budgeted amount per person and ideas for gifts as we think of them. I update the spreadsheet as I purchase gifts. Besides keeping us on track for spending, it also helps me remember what I’ve already bought…sometimes once it goes into the gift closet it is out of sight, out of mind!

Keep it simple! Less often IS more!

First, I make a master gift list of all the gift ideas I have for everyone in my family I need to buy/make for. I try to list prices with the ideas so I stay on budget.

To deal with the calls from grandparents about what to get our children, I make up a list of everyone’s sizes, plus a few suggestions of things I’ve heard the kids mention. I either write these on a 4×6 index card or a sheet of paper, and hand them out to grandparents when they ask for gift ideas. No more phone calls from the mall while I try to hunt down clothing sizes or gift suggestions. This way I can also make sure we don’t receive duplicate gifts.

I choose 1 homemade craft to make for everyone and have great fun finding all the elements then making them unique in some way for each person. It makes me think of them while I’m crafting.

I have a Christmas planner that I use. I actually downloaded it from Family Fun a couple of years ago. I keep it from year to year to remember what we did, who we bought for and how much we spent.

I have found that purching items throuhout the year, rather than during the holiday season saves SO much stress and you can enjoy the holiday season. Plus, it helps you manage your money so you arn’t just shelling out a bunch of money the month before Christmas.

I am usually going batty by the end of November trying to get everything bought for everyone on our list. I have learned that writting down everyone I have to buy for and putting an idea of their present by their name always helps. This way I hopefully do not forget anyone. I also try to buy similar items for my daughters friends so that there will be no confusion and/or “issues” between the girls.

I like to buy for the next Christmas throughout the year when I find good deals. I keep a notebook on what I have and I try to keep things seperate in totes.

This year I am trying something new.
I will be making homemade gifts such as baked goods for my inlaws and friends. I plan to just bake a few different kinds of cookies and/or candies and put them together in a little tin. My kids should enjoy the leftovers too.

Homemade gifts, especially from the grandchildren to their grandparents, are the gifts they cherish the most. I know because my mom cries everytime the kids make her something or if it’s something about them.

We use over the door shoe holders to organize toys and samples and anything too small for a place of it’s own.

Lists are definitely the best way for me to stay organized for the holidays. I learned this from my mom. It’s so much easier to track who I’ve bought gifts for and who needs a gift when it’s on a spreadsheet than having to dig through bags of presents to find out who’s been forgotten.

being organized keeps me sane. anything that will help me keep the family on track is a winner!!!

I use a day runner for all my business work. This would be ideal for holidays and parties!!!

Start early! I shop for Christmas year round. That makes it easier for me to concentrate on get-togethers and food. I’ve got more time to enjoy if I’m not out at Wal-Mart shopping for last minute gifts. Plus, this way helps you get better deals, as you can shop sales all year long.

This might sound crazy, but I take out my calendar and plan specific shopping days to specific locaions. Otherwise, things are so busy during the holdays, it will be December 24th and I’ll be one gift short!

Weeeeeeeeeee…. I love doing stuff like this.. Use excel for just about everything…This would be gr8….

My local HEB grocery store always has some quick tips for meal preparation and they are good and fast and most important healty meals.
I save lots of time and that gives me more time to concentrate on other things.

Wrap gifts as you buy them, and then so you remember what it is mark it with a post-it note.

Starting early is the best way to go…I start buying right after Christmas, and usually end during the summer. You can’t beat the post-Christmas sales!

If you give holiday gratuities keep a list of how much you gave to which person with your regular card list. It makes it easier the next year when you are in a rush to stuff envelopes and makes sure you don’t forget anybody.

I write out my Christmas cards early. I do a few each night, so that way they don’t seem overwhelming.

pizza boxes are great storage boxes for kids school papers.

Organization. I am trying to organize my life right now. That has always been a hard thing for me. If I had some type of planner which I could understand I could plan things out for my boss at work, help my bf organize his present business and help myself spread out my finances per month. The holidays are always tough everyone needs some sense of serenity.. I think this would be the perfect thing for me..

I have a spreadsheet of who we are buying for, the budgeted amount per person, the actual amount spent, and the gift bought. It helps a ton!

I make a spreadsheet where I list all the presents I’ve bought, who they are for, what they cost and where I bought them. That way if I find a better deal, I’ll know where to return presents and I’ll also be able to better plan what goes in stockings and what goes under the tree.

I have a binder that I use and decorated with holiday stickers. I have everyone listed in it and what I either plan to buy them or already have. Our family is so big this is the only thing that I can do to keep it all some what organized.

I have a Holiday Saving with my bank and I create a budget on MS Money to help me manage it at the end of the year.

Hollie had a great idea. I also like to make a list of the events that we have planned on a month-at-a-glance calendar sheet so that I can get a big picture view of the activities and then I can plan ahead on a week-at-a-glance calendar the details of where, when, what I need to make/bring ect.
Keeps it from getting too busy if I see the month as a whole, right Beth A.?

Start everything in October. Don’t wait til the last minute or you deserve the consequences.

Your CHOICES determine YOUR life!

Shop the sales in advance (i.e. throughout the year) to save a lot of money on holiday gifts. Then, you aren’t franticallly scrambling in the end.

The hardest thing for my husband and I has been to get Christmas cards out in time. We decided to look at our list a month early and update addresses, marriages, and children. We set up our list on Microsoft Outlook and bought stickers to put in our computer to print out each address so we can just stick them on the envelope. Also as a young married couple in this economy we decided to cut back quite a bit with gifts this year. We are keeping a list of our immediate family and picked a few small things to put in a gift bag for each person that is unique to that person. We have already put almost all of the gift bags together and now we can just enjoy spending time with our families this holiday season!!

I am in the process of trying to get my life organized! I can’t stand not finding things or buying things that I already have. Help!

We keep a gift list that helps us know what people want, what we’ve given, and how much we spent. We are trying to stay on budget this year, and this is really helping!

For a tip to be organized for the holidays is to plan your meals ahead of time. Write out what you plan on baking (when) and what you plan for each meal. Once you have your meals planned out and know what to buy, you have a better chance of buying things on sale (with coupon) instead of buying all of it at once.

I’m making lists and a budget and sticking to them. Also, I’m paying cash so I don’t have to cry when the bills come in January!

My tip is to keep a running list during the year of gift ideas. That way if you don’t buy things all year long, you still have the ideas of good gifts to buy. Using sites like Wishpot and Kaboodle make it so easy to do.

Hmmm, one tip. Start early shopping and keep track of what is for who. So many times, I hear of people who ‘lost’ gifts they bought and have to buy more.

Thankfully I don’t have a huge list of people to buy things for but I always carry around a notebook in my purse and have my list of people and write down things that they want and/or what I have bought them so I can keep up with the gifts for the year.

Spread your holiday to-do list over the Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s time period and don’t try to do too much. Do a little here and a little there and by all means, when it gets to the actual holidays, sit back, relax and enjoy yourself!

I start organizing right after Christmas the year before. I make list of everything I am putting in tubs, list of all cards I received the year before, and list for what I am going to get people for next year.

Don’t wait until the last minute. If you find something on clearance during the year purchase it can store it until the holidays, I’ve also purchased many items at the after Christmas sales and kept them for birthdays and other holidays as well!

I have an old wallet I no longer use and keep it in my purse and I put all the receipts for gifts in that one wallet along with any tags attached to them, and I also keep gift cards I purchase to be given as gifts in there so I keep them separate from my own.

I’m organizing the toys before we get new ones this Christmas! They are either going into storage, being donated, or taken to our favorite resale shop.

wrap gifts as soon as you buy them. that way no one ‘accidentally’ sees anything, and you don’t have to spend an entire day wrapping everything all at once!

Each year after xmas, I create a wish list for each member of our family. As the year progresses, I add gifts to the list as they mention or show interest in something. That way when xmas rolls around, I already have an idea of what I should get for that person!

For years I have kept a list going on throughout the year - each person, and what I have purchased for them. That way, when December rolls around, I usually have little left to buy, and have gotten some pretty good deals throughout the year. Plus, this way I get to *Christmas shop* all year!!

start early-get your address lists together for sending out cards, figure out your decorations, figure out gifts and get the shopping done. just getting an early start on everything really makes a difference! thanks

keep lists of who to buy for and what has already been bought. list birthdays, anniversaries, gift-giving holidays so you won’t forget a thing! (and then shop clearance sales to save money!!)

What an awesome idea!!

I keep a list on my phone of gift ideas for those that we exchange presents with. As I’m out in the stores, if I see something that would work for a gift, I buy it and make a note of it. It works easier for me to have a working list on my phone and not on a piece of paper that gets ripped or dropped or lost.

To help the grandparents and great grandparent in our families…we send them the kids wish list..complete with all sizes and pictures of the toys. This helps cut down o confusion on their part and makes it so much easier for them to find what the kids asked for.

Make 2 Christmas lists 1 for who is getting what and the other what stores you need to go to. That way you dont have to keep going to the same store to pick up another gift.

I have my christmas card list carefully saved in excel complete with addresses, if we exchange gifts, if the card is international, and if I received a card in return. Then each year I just save it as the new year and edit accordingly.

It saves me SO much time!

I keep my gifts organized by making a list in my little notebook in my purse. I write everyone’s name on a page along with the amount I’ve budget for his or her gifts. When I buy something, I write it down on the page. I never forget anything, and it helps me to stick to my budget.

I try and keep all the gifts I purchase throughout the year in one spot (top of my closet) so I don’t forget something when it comes to wrapping time (I learned this the hard way). I also keep all the holiday wrapping stuff there so in case I find 10 minutes of free time I can go ahead and start wrapping to avoid that last-minute wrapping crunch. Thanks for the giveaway!

I keep envelopes from Christmas cards in a shoebox and when I have time, I go through my address list spreadsheet and update/add addresses.

We find that a universal gift exchange is the best way. It’s fun and we keep it under $25. You would be amazed at what you can find for that amount.

I use a spreadsheet to keep track of what I’ve bought family in past years, and what they are getting this year.

I also have a spreadsheet for all my addresses to add and update. It is ready to print come Christmas card time!

I keep a file on the computer with all my addresses in it. It is formatted so that I can print address labels. Whenever someone sends me a change of address, I update the file. When Christmas comes, I just have to print the labels and I am done.

I use old X-mas cards to make gift tags.

My best tip for holiday planning is to sort your decorations and wrapping, as you are putting them away after the season is over - a little extra work at the end of the holiday to clean up, makes starting the next years holiday all that much easier - prep work is always the hardest part!

I think the best thing I have ever done is write myself a letter for the next year. I wrote down what was good about that Christmas, what was not, and then put it in an envelope and wrote that it was to be opened on Nov 1st in the next year. I put it up on my dresser mirror so I was sure to see it when Nov 1st arrived.

I recently transferred my address book list to an Excel spreadsheet for better efficiency with Christmas cards, gifts, etc.

I buy year round and sort into boxes. I take inventory in October and see what I still need to buy. Something like this would be much more practical than constantly pulling out boxes….

Get started EARLY. I have already started getting little bit by little bit out to decorate.

With families growing bigger every year we decided to draw names for the adults in our family and still buy for all the children! Great idea saves money

I try to keep a spreadsheet every year of what I get for people as gifts so I don’t duplicate the next year!

I imported my card list into a excel from outlook and am ready to print labels at anytime. I try to get the cards ready before thanksgiving.

dealing with relatives out of town, an office staff, and my children a planner would be fabulous

Wrap each present and tag it the day you buy it. This does a lot of things. It prevents you from losing or hiding a toy and forgetting about it. It’s also way more fun to do the wrapping “work” than all the night before Christmas or when you’re rushing to the party! And when the presents under the tree grow, you’ll realize how much you’re spending which will help your budget and boost your Christmas spirit!

We purposely limit our activities during the holidays and focus on family time. We spend time baking, making ornaments, gifts and other crafts and sending Christmas cards.

Try not to create “hot spots” (you know the places where everything gets dumped to be sorted through later, usually after a huge pile has grown.

I keep a running list of our Christmas cards received, and Christmas cards sent. I also am trying to pull all the odds and ends of Holiday gift wrap and cards into one area of the house so I don’t keep buying more and more!

Post the calendar to the fridge!

i shop year round and give year round. for the holidays i only give to the family of whose house i’m visiting that year.

Don’t write out long lists that you know will never get accomplished. Start with a short lis of things you’d like to get done by the end of the week (preferrably no more than 5 things). Try to keep to that list, but don’t stress over it. The holidays are meant for enjoying life, not for obsessing over the little things.

Figure out what you want from the holiday season, and make sure you set aside time to do those things. Too often we get so busy, we don’t do the things we want to do most…like take a drive with the family to look at Christmas lights.

This year I started planning with the 12 weeks of Christmas == while I am not on track completely I am farther along than I was this time last year! I also keep a spreadsheet with people to buy for (although this year about 10 people were cut) and a goal price and also ideas. For my mom and her husband they get dinner coupons to join our family for dinner once a quarter and a smaller gift. My grandparents get frozen meals so they can have fresh cooked meals without doing anywork.

I make a list of the people that I need to buy gifts for 1st, then I go through all the things I have already bought during the year, match them up and then start my list from there. I try to buy online things for anyone that I would have to ship to. This saves on shipping too!!

i make lists for everything…i seem lost without them lol

Start your Excel sheet and add/delete/update addresses as the year goes by. We used the spreadsheet from our wedding and have been updating it for 5 years now.

I purchase gifts right after Christmas and throughout the year. - Store them until Christmas and it REALLY helps on budgeting and preparing for the holiday.

Thanks for the chance!

We have a spreadsheet that is filled out each year that has everyone’s sizes on it, and a few interests or ideas.

I also add to the list - as I decide what they are getting, I fill it in, and then make sure to check it off when I’ve bought it. (I also include a spot to write what I’ve spent - just to keep track)

I have a folder in my internet favorites of “gift ideas” - that way, whenever I come across something that would be perfect for someone, I save a link there so I can go back to it at Christmas time (or birthdays). It helps since I can’t remember something from 5 minutes ago, let alone months ago!
cgogis at yahoo dot com

I keep a spreadsheet of my family that I buy for. I try to update it as soon as I buy a gift. I also have lists from previous years that way I remember what I got them in previous years! I would hate to give someone the same gift 2 years in a row.

I love list. I really don’t think any part of my life would operate at a steady pace and less confussion with out some type of list or planner.

Sonya
thunchero@aol.com

To get organized I usually start right after Thanksgiving. On Black Friday we buy all the kids gifts and electronic stuff. We go over the list of everyone we need to buy for and check it off. On the weekend we start decorating the tree and house with kids. We mail out X-mas cards on Dec. 15th. By Dec. 24th the house and I are welcoming the family.

I start shopping throughout the year for everybody outside the home. I have everything for my in-laws & may parents and siblings early in the year, Before thanksgiving I try to purchase something for anybody new that has come into our lives, and last I shop for my kids and hubby, this way during that Holiday Crunch I am only worried about what the people at home want the most and not if we forgot someone on the way to the party.

We have 5 kids and so to keep things monetarily equal for gift giving, I have bags for each so I know what I have bought, for whom and what the total price that I have spent so far. My closet is off limits from September until December.

I save all my Christmas cards from the year prior so I know who to send cards to the following year.

I like making a spreadsheet with a list of everyone to buy for and which event they will be at, and what I bought to stay organized. I also make a list for the kids who like to buy for their cousins and Grandparents. It saves a lot of time when I take all 4 of them to the $1 store to pick out just the right thing. It keeps them from forgetting someone, especially when I have to drive an hour to the nearest $1 store.

I have my Christmas card list addresses on my computer, so when it is time to mail out the holiday cards I can just do a mail merge and create my own address labels instead of hand writing each envelope. It works great for the return address too. I have also used this same list for sending out birth announcements and thank you cards after our babies were born.

I shop year round so there isn’t a big rush come the “holiday shopping season”, and I update my Christmas card list each year so I have everything I need at my fingertips the following year.

This probably isn’t “Traditional” but I have 3 children and 1 step-child. Shopping for the kids at Christmas is pretty tough. Their ages are so spread apart and they each want completely different, and equally ‘expensive’ things. We always have to wait until the last minute to go shopping, because of expenses of course, and that in itself is crazy!!! So this is what I do! I buy one thing for each of them that is ‘more expensive’ than I would usually spend. After that, when I go shopping I just pick-up things here ‘n there, not paying any attention to “what’s for who, spending equal $ etc. (This 1st trip will be the one that I spend the most.) I come home, spread everything out on my bed, and 1 by 1 write in a notebook, who it’s for & how much it costs.
I try very hard to spend about the same amt. & have the same # of gifts for each of them, (GOD FORBID I NOT!!). Then after listing what I have, I can see what I still have to get for them. This is my less–stress-free way of X-Mas shopping. And as far as the rest of the family goes, they’re probably harder than shopping for my kids! I always get stuck on them, so I have no advice for that, at least today!

For Christmas cards each year I have started going Green by emailing a family photo to all in our email address book. Not everyone is interested in having a printed copy. I start by making sure thru out the year I get everyone’s email address and put in the computer. Family reunions are a great way to pass around a list and get current information.

My tip for getting organized for the holiday season is to get in the mood by decorating one room at a time. That way it doesn’t seem so overwhelming and you get in the spirit.

I budget how much I am going to spend on each individual and put that amount in separate envelopes when I go shopping. I’m done shopping for them once that money is gone!

start with a budget. i find i don’t overspend if i know exactly how much i have to start with. if you want to go even further, figure out how much you want to spend on each person. watch for great sales and coupons starting in November and you may end up under your budget.

Ohh wow never heard of this site before, how interesting.

For the holidays I have index cards. I have one or two for each holiday already filled out from previous years. Stuff to buy, stuff to check last years supplies of and things that need to get done.

I am a planner and I love to make lists. I have lists of lists!
To try to keep organized, I am planning the Thanksgiving menu several weeks in advance so that I can assign dishes to those that are coming, and make sure I have everything ready to go for the big day!
Thanks for the great giveaway!

I make a list of all the people I have to buy for, how much I have to spend on each one, and a few ideas of gifts. Then, I’m not completely lost when at the store going “now who else do I have on my list?” LOL!

My tip for getting organized is to take time to organize after Christmas. Clearly label bins, put lights away neatly, and keep leftover wrapping material together. Little things at the end of the holidays this year can make a big difference next year!

To get organized, I shop for Christmas early (say the day after Christmas) and to make sure I don’t buy double, etc. I make a list of what I buy and keep it with me!

I always ask for a gift receipt and tape it to the gift so that even if I purchased it months in advance it is available when I (or the gift recipient) needs it.

I also take advantage of online ordering and ship directly to the gift recipient so I don’t have to wait in line at the post office…

I usually am a wreck during the holidays with planning meals, decorating, and gift buying. I often forget what I have bought so-and-so, or sometimes ill forget a particular gift and have to try and search for it last minute. This year, im keeping a note book with the names of each person that im buying/making something for. Im going to put a few ideas down under each of their names, not necessarily meaning that they’ll get all the things i have put down, but just as a way to go a different route if i need to from my original plan. Im going to focus on getting one person a time taken care of and out of the way and then start on the next person. That way, im not bouncing back and forth from person to person and getting confused on what I got for who and all that good stuff!

Plan Ahead!! We start saving money for Christmas in January every year, so by the time the holidays roll around we have a nice stash of money to spend and don’t have to rely on credit cards! Also, my husband makes spreadsheets of what gifts we have to buy, for whom and how much we spend, so we can keep track of everything!

I keep organized by keeping a strict budget for all activities related to the holidays & keeping lists of what I’ve purchased/completed/etc. It keeps me from spending too much or doing things more than once!

My tip is to save all your lists from year to year. It helps me so much to go back to last year’s gift shopping list and holiday card list. Then I can just update and move on from there. Someday I’ll get them computerized, but for now I’m still on paper.

One of my students gave me a shopping list book, like a planner, where you can list sizes, needs, and wants for each person which you buy a gift at Christmas or any special occasion. It really comes in handy.