Sometimes when I am out running errands I see something that “screams” the name of a family member to me. I have made it a habit of purchasing those items and storing them for the next appropriate holiday. Often times I am able to get a good deal on an item and can pair it with something else for an even better gift!
I have begun a simple way to keep track of these gifts that have been purchased so that my husband and I both know what gifts have been purchased and to make sure that we know whose birthday is coming up. I made a list of all of our immediate family members and ordered them by birth date. I also have a list of our family members names for keeping track of Christmas, Mothers Day, and Fathers Day presents.
As I purchase gifts, I write them in on the list. With this method, I very rarely find myself needing to purchase a gift within a month of somebodies birthday or a holiday. I love this because it allows me to purchase great gifts for people when I find them and eliminates the stress of “having” to come up with a gift for somebody that we love. The gifts are so much more personal this way!
The best part of this system is that the document is in Google Docs so my husband and I can both make changes to it and see the changes that the other has made!
This post is a part of Works for Me Wednesday.
this is so TRUE! What a difference an investment in organization makes. I have been trying to do this for my son’s gifts, but I could do a much better job with the rest of the family!
You are so right about this. I need to be more aware and start doing this!