Plan Z Diet: Plan Z Diet Holiday Shopping

Plan Z Diet Stress-less holiday shopping strategies

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet

One in 20 people considers Christmas shopping more stressful than divorce or burglary. How sad is that?!

I’ll admit; I hate most shopping. I’m one of those rare women who doesn’t want to browse. If I need something, I go get it. My husband calls me a destination shopper. That means I know what I want. I go to the store, I walk in and go directly to what I am looking for, pick it up, take it to the cashier, pay for it and go back to my car and drive home. Done.

I might hate Christmas shopping but I am not afraid of it! I don’t get sweaty thinking about having to do it. I have no fear. I treat Christmas a little different than shopping the rest of the year. I try to make it a little more fun but I am still task-focused. I just tackle the task and get it done.

Here’s how I organize myself to keep my shopping stress down around the holidays. Maybe some of what I do will help you, too. Or, feel free to start a conversation about how you keep YOUR shopping stress down. We could all use the ideas!

I’m starting some of these things already, so I guess one of the things I do is I start early. I give myself time to find the things I am going to buy so I’m not just buying any old thing to shove in a box.

Here are some ways to make holiday shopping less stressful:

Get Organized

First thing I do is get out a file folder – you computer savvy folks can do this on your computer or tablet. I label my folder “gifts” and I keep all of my ideas and notes in there. I keep two separate lists. One is a list of gifts that are for family. The other list is for business gifts.

I peruse catalogs looking for ideas. I do this while I watch the evening news so I am getting two things done at once. (As soon as you order something from a catalog you’ll never be at a loss for catalogs to show up in your mailbox (or inbox). Many of those catalog companies own more than one kind of catalog so you’ll get an assortment). I tear out pages that have things I am interested in. I mark the item and note who I think it might work for. All of those pages make it into my folder. I might not buy that item from the catalog I receive. I often do, but I might decide to get something very similar locally. The catalog page then acts like my reminder.

Divide and Conquer

I have two main shopping days. One is when I do all of my catalog ordering, and the other is when I go out in my car. That doesn’t mean I don’t have other shopping to do, but I try to be organized enough that I can get most of it done in a couple of days.

When I do my catalog shopping, I do it by computer and by phone. I get each gift ordered and check them off my list. Oh, how good it feels to have all of those items checked off my list. By ordering online and having them gift wrap my gifts, I also know I will always have an appropriate box that fits, even if I need to re-wrap. And so many places offer free shipping, so I’m not really spending extra money.

Start Early

I never go out looking for deals, but if I give myself enough time, sometimes they “come to me.” When I take my ideas to local stores (I have about half a dozen favorite stores on my shopping route), sometimes I find key items on sale. That’s a bonus! If I start shopping early, I can keep an eye on gifts with a heftier price tag and wait to see if they go on sale. By starting my process before Thanksgiving, I’m ready.

Shop Alone

I always shop alone. No distractions from chatting with anyone else.

Shop on Tuesday

I learned this from my husband. That’s when he does all of his shopping; it’s when the fewest people are in the stores.

Be the Early Bird

For the Saturday shopping I’m going to do, I go to bed early Friday and I’m up and out the door when the stores open. Chicago can be a miserable place on Saturday afternoons. Crowded streets, traffic backups and few parking spaces. Even if you live in a smaller town this same thing happens, so I know you know what I mean. I try to be off the streets by 1PM; even if that means I have to go out again the next day. I map out my route. I do. I plan out the stores I’m going to in order so I can make an efficient trip.

Then, I make a small list of what I am going to get at each store so I don’t forget anything. I keep my big folder in the car in case I need to reference it, but I am basically working off of a short list in my pocket.

Make Time for Quick Buys

Up until I go out and do my big days of shopping I might start picking things up during lunch hours. That’s when I do my destination-style shopping, but if I need to go to some kind of specialty store, this allows me to concentrate on just that one item at that special store. It makes that gift feel more special, too.

Don't Stress It!

I try to make the whole Christmas process feel special by keeping my stress down. The catalog perusing makes me feel like I took time to select each gift with a special person in mind. Then the actual shopping is more like an errand; an errand just to go get it. For more ideas on keeping your holiday stress down, check out this link. This is put out by the Stress Management Society in the UK:

http://stress.org.uk/files/christmas-stress-guide.pdf

This handy list goes beyond the shopping stress and gets to the heart of decorating, entertaining and more.

I’m also including a stress-free crock pot recipe for you to enjoy. You can whip this up before you go shopping, toss it in your crock pot, and come home to a delicious, healthy Plan Z Diet meal.

Try my Plan Z Diet Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken Chili for a stress-free crock pot recipe.