List of 25 Ridiculous & Fun Gifts From the Past
Here’s a fun list of the 25 top ridiculous and memorable gifts. I’m sure you’ll remember quite a few of them. I had a good time checking them all out and figured I’d share. Happy Holidays!
Tag Archive for: holiday shopping
Shopping Site Saves You Time and Money
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I’m done with my holiday shopping and plan on enjoying Christmas music, movies and all the food, family and festivities that go along with it.
Shopping App
Over the past few months (I start shopping for the holidays in August) I’ve already cashed in on some great deals thanks to retailers like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and The Limited running amazing promotions for up to 40% off! I’ve also used some online auctions and if you want to learn more about them, check out some dealdash reviews. But not everyone wants to watch and wait for deals. Now you don’t have to! There’s a fabulous new site called Hukkster.com that will do it for you. There are so many sites similar to Hukkster that uses the impulsive buy tendency we all have, and it’s great, especially when you are shopping for holidays!
The site was started by two former J. Crew merchandisers who wanted to help people save money, clear clutter and save time. Katie Finnegan and Erica Bell just launched this site to the public but I’ve been using the beta version for a bit and I’m really loving it.
Here’s how it works:
1. Do a little online holiday shopping on your lunch break
2. Find something you love but don’t want to pay full price to purchase
3. “Hukk it” using their handy bookmarklet
4. Get an email notification when that item goes on sale
5. Save money
6. Cross another person off your holiday gift list! Read more
30 Days of List Making
It’s day two of the “30 Days of Lists” challenge! Yesterday’s list prompt was “Goals for this Month.”
Here’s what my list looked like:
1. Put a dent in my holiday shopping
2. Get more guest bloggers for Listproducer.com
3. Finish reading “The Lost Symbol”
4. Try 3 new recipes
5. Eat more dark chocolate — it’s a health food!
After members of the group made their lists — we share them via the private blog and Flickr group. That way you get to check out everyone’s lists. Some people are really crafty and make a little art project out of it. Others Photoshop some really 
beautiful lists and still others simply write them out on paper.
I’m a traditional list maker — I use my reporter’s notebook and a pencil! But seeing all these lists are really inspiring me to be a little more creative this month.
You can still sign up and participate in the full month of list making fun! I’m looking forward to making today’s list: “I’m Happiest When…”
Start Your Holiday Shopping in August
I’ve officially started my holiday shopping. Yep, I mean the holidays that come in December. Yes, I know its only August and I have four months to go. But I always begin my holiday shopping in August and so should you!
While I was in Lake George on a mini-vacation this past weekend I found the perfect gift for my sister-in-law. I can’t tell you what it is in case she reads this but it’s just her style! She has unique taste and I like to get her gifts that illustrate that. So when I saw it – I had to get it. And I was able to check her off my holiday list. Yay!
Make a List and Check It Twice
Every August I make a list of all the people I need to get Christmas and Hanukkah presents for. When you have a large family and a lot of friends it’s easy to forget someone. This way you don’t even have to think about it. This year I decided to put my list in my Evernote app. It’s an app that you can access on your computer, phone and iPad. You just make a list and it syncs up in all those places so you can see your list wherever you go. It’s great for jotting down ideas and calling up your list when you’re in different stores.
Researching Gifts is Fun
My side of the family celebrates Christmas and Jay’s celebrates Hanukkah. So I make two lists by holiday because they fall on different days this year. I put down ideas for gifts that I’ve heard the person talk about or think they might like. Shopping early and listening to family members needs is a great way to find out what they would like for Christmas. I do research on the Internet and when I’m in the stores so I have several ideas and can price out different gifts. I’d much rather put some thought into gift giving than make it into a task that I “have to do.” Think about the shops you need to visit before you go on the shopping spree.
This becomes an ongoing task over the next few months. I like to really think about what that person will like to receive and get the most use out of. I also have a bunch of family members with November and December birthdays. I make a list for birthdays too…without one…I’m a stressed out mess.
Benefits of Starting Early
I hate shopping with all the amateurs in November. You know who you are – waiting til the last second…clogging up the mall parking lots. I refuse to do it. It’s much less stressful this way and it makes holiday shopping fun — not a chore.
Plus it helps me manage my money better. If you do all your shopping in November and December your credit card bills will be through the roof. This way you spread out the spending and you’re able to take advantage of deals throughout the year.
Think of all the cash you could save with back to school, Labor Day and Columbus Day sales. Cash in on online shopping deals too. Overstock.com and Amazon.com are two of my favorites for gift giving. They usually have very cheap shipping rates too.
Using this system – I’m usually finished with my holiday shopping and wrapping by Thanksgiving. I use the extra time to really enjoy planning out menus, decorating and spending time with family. Oh yeah – isn’t that what the holidays are all about?