Oh no, not the holiday shopping season!

I hate to say it, but the are only 63 days until the big "C".  Now, don't misunderstand me, I love this holiday, but the stores have their decorations up already and the commercialism is overtaking the holiday.  That is why, several years ago, I started shopping in summer.  My goal is to have things wrapped and in the basement by Halloween so that I don't over spend and that I don't have the pressure to shop. Now, here is where I expect my readers to say," Hey, I thought you liked shopping?"  I love to hunt down good deals and find savings, but I have noticed that the last couple years have been less about great deals and more about crazy crowds and commercialism.

So, today I started to make my list, check it twice, and figure out what I still need to buy. I may not be done by Halloween this year. I am working a lot more. But, I believe I will have everything wrapped by Thanksgiving.

Since I don't want my family to know what they are getting, this paragraph may be a bit vague.  When Target had there toy clearance, I spent about $214.00 on toys. That covered all the children I had to buy for and all birthdays in the last 3 months.  I also found a great clearance at Walmart on some Men's items.  I covered most of the men's gifts with that. I am still going to order about $60.00 worth of items from a gift catalog. And I will use some of my point program items to fill in for the miscellaneous gifts.  That should be it.  I should be done.  I may, if I find the right gift, pick out a few more gifts for my husband, but I love when I can simply enjoy the holidays. AND, if I do get in the mood to shop on Black Friday, I can just go to my local Walmart, use my competitors ads and be in and out of there in under an hour!

I hope you have started to think about how you can cut down on the spending during this holiday season and have a wonderful CHRISTMAS!!!!