After Christmas Sales

After Christmas Sales

So many of us who plan for Christmas all year long also purchase gifts all year long. The after Christmas sales can be so enticing to just buy buy buy because it is such a good deal without really thinking about whether you need the items or not. Use the P.L.E.A. rule.

P stands for PLAN - before you even leave home plan out the types of gifts you want to give. Do you want to give themed gifts this year? What types and what are the items you need to do this?

L stands for LIST - make your gift list and write down some broad ideas for each person. If you do themes for gifts then write down the theme you plan to do for him/her.

E stands for Evaluate – as you go shopping continually evaluate your list of needed items against the sales you find.

A stands for ACQUIRE- the sales can make it easy to acquire many items to use as gifts. Remember to only acquire the sale items you know will fit into your holiday gift-giving plan.

While this rule is good for gift giving, also keep in mind holiday items that you need such as wrapping paper, bows, tags, and decorations. Ask yourself "do I already have enough of this item at home to make it one more holiday season?" If the answer is no then, buy the needed items. If the answer is yes then do not purchase the items - it will just stockpile for years at your house (I know this from personal experience) and unless you have hopes of wrapping for the neighborhood one day no matter how good the deal is it is not worth the storage stress it can cause.

Now go and shop those sales and save money on the things you need to purchase! It is ok to change ideas because you find a great deal on something but be sure to write it down when you get home and add it to your plan. You never know what wonderful items you will find out there!