Creating a Gift Closet - Saving Money on Gift-Giving Throughout the Year

Gift giving can be one of those activities that really eats into your budget. By planning ahead and purchasing things on sale or clearance, you can save some serious money.A gift closet, or some other dedicated location for gathering all of your gift items, can be an excellent way to stay organized and allow you to give gifts without busting your budget.

Gift giving can be one of those activities that really eats into your budget. By planning ahead and purchasing things on sale or clearance, you can save some serious money. A gift closet, or some other dedicated location for gathering all of your gift items, can be an excellent way to stay organized and allow you to give gifts without busting your budget.

First, use a simple calendar to track all of your gift-giving information. This does not have to be a fancy, expensive, or electronic calendar. Use whatever you have. You can even make a calendar on your computer and print it out if that's easiest for you.

To use the calendar method, write down all of the birthdays, holidays, and other gift-giving events that happen throughout the year. Don't forget to include things like teachers' gifts at the end of the school year and any upcoming weddings or baby showers. Also list the names and ages of the recipients. Starting right after Christmas (with the holiday clearance deals), begin scouting for things that you think people will like. This is also a great time to pick up things like wrapping paper, gift bags, and other gift-wrapping items, as well as greeting cards.

The real key to doing this effectively is to find things that aren't necessarily holiday themed (or overly holiday themed) if you are buying post-holiday clearance items. The other key is to have an intention in mind for the item you buy, although some items that you will find will be good general-purpose gifts for those unforeseen events.

When you buy something with an intended recipient in mind, put it in your gift closet with a post-it note with that person's name on it. Also make a note of what you bought for them in your gift calendar. If it's something you think will make a nice gift but don't have an idea of who you will give it to, put it in the gift closet and write it in your calendar (on a separate Notes page perhaps) as a gift that you have available.

It can be especially great to do this on gifts for kids. You will find many toys, fun books, or even clothes that are marked down. When you keep these kinds of items in your gift closet you will always have something on hand for the kids in your life.

Whichever way you choose to store gifts, I do recommend that you have a system in place - otherwise your gift closet can turn into a disorganized nightmare! With a tracking system in place, you are more likely to actually give those gifts away and not have your gift stash turn into just another junk-filled closet.

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