Why Your Kids Should Start Making Holiday Wish Lists Now
Most of us don’t even want to think about winter holidays until all the Halloween candy has been eaten. But while the winter holidays may seem a long way off, Christmas is actually only 10 weeks away and now is the best time to start working on gift shopping, especially if you have kids. Here are five reasons for them to start making wish lists before putting on any costumes.
It saves money
The most obvious reason to start planning your holiday gifts early is to shop during seasonal sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and the weeks leading up to them), when you can score great deals on everything from tech toys to clothing . , especially from large retailers. While savings vary widely, according to WalletHub , the average discount across 13 major stores in 2023 was 35%. Shopping early also allows you to track and compare prices over a longer period of time , avoid last-minute surges in demand, and keep track of other sales, even at smaller stores and from more niche brands.
This will help you stay on budget.
According to a NerdWallet survey , nearly half of parents with children under 18 feel the need to overspend on holiday gifts, and 13% plan to use emergency savings to cover those expenses. The more in advance you can calculate the cost of gifts, the better you’ll be able to know how said purchases will fit into your (realistic) budget—and you might also be less likely to spend money under emotional duress.
Planning ahead can also help you account for other associated expenses, such as teacher gifts and holiday parties, as well as allow time to shop for second-hand items or use other frugal strategies, such as shopping on Facebook Marketplace.
This (almost) guarantees delivery
Thanks to Amazon, many children and teens think that everything can be delivered in two days or less, and those with a special taste in clothes and accessories from small online stores may not realize that these items can take several weeks to arrive, especially during the time of the busy holiday season. . Although carriers publish holiday deadlines (usually set about a week before December 25th, depending on the type of package), placing an order in mid-December does not guarantee that your gifts will be processed and shipped on time. Waiting until the last minute also increases the risk of items being out of stock or backordered, meaning they definitely won’t arrive in time for the holidays. Ask your kids: would you rather open the poster you really want for your bedroom, or would you rather open a note that says the poster will be available in mid-January?
This makes shipping and packaging easier.
If you can order gifts weeks (or months) in advance, you won’t have to scramble to pack and deliver items at the last minute. This is especially useful if you’re traveling for the holidays and want to take gifts with you or know you’ll have extra time to have them shipped to you, packaged, and then shipped back to your final destination with a time stamp for delivery. spare.
It allows you to be more purposeful.
Planning children’s holiday gifts can save time, money and stress, but a less hectic process can also help keep gifts aligned with what’s important to you and your family rather than spending money just to cross the finish line at the last minute. If you start putting together wish lists now, you’ll also be able to have honest conversations with your kids about what’s realistic and meaningful for holiday gifts.