An Amazonian Christmas
This week, we’re preparing for Christmas here on Marriage Confessions. And you can’t talk Christmas without talking presents. And you can’t talk presents without first talking about budgeting.
Actually, I guess some people can talk about Christmas presents without talking budgeting, but I am certainly not one of them. Chris and I live on what we like to call a “creative budget.” We have to be really creative to make it work.
The biggest struggle in our house is the paycheck schedule. I only get paid once a month. Without getting into too much mundane detail, we use my monthly paycheck to pay our mortgage and about half of our bills and put whatever else is left in savings. Chris gets paid weekly, so I use some of his paycheck every week to pay for Bean’s daycare (which, for the record, should include solid gold highchairs and hand spun silk crib sheets for all the money we give them…) and about 15% of his paycheck every week goes to gas because he has to drive so far every day. And then we live off of the rest of his paycheck every week.
And that ain’t much.
So, Christmas presents usually come out of my monthly paycheck and we just put less in savings for a couple months. Because of the monthly thing, I am learning that I have to start shopping earlier in the year because I don’t have money coming in to buy gifts with all the way up through Christmas Eve.
The problem I have shopping so far out is that I think of gift ideas throughout the year and then forget about them when it comes time to shop. So, this year I was playing around with my Amazon.com account and I came across this thing called a Shopping List. Have you heard of these? Or used them before? Maybe I’m the last one to figure this feature out, but it is just perfect for those people who have to be a little more…financially strategic…at the holidays.
The Shopping List, Gift Organizer, and Wish List features on Amazon make it really easy to organize and – more importantly – budget for your gift buying. First things first, you need to create your own Wish List. Do you use these? My family has started using them in the past couple of years and they make Christmas shopping so much easier. An Amazon Wish List is as simple as it sounds – its a list of things you want. Then, your friends and family can buy for your straight off of your Wish List, kind of like a registry.
After you’ve created your own personal Wish List, you need to set up your Gift Organizer. This was the first year I used the Gift Organizer and it was AWESOME. You are basically setting up wish lists for different people that you will be shopping for. I would show you a picture of mine, but it has Christmas presents all over it and I can’t give away any of Santa’s secrets to nosy family who might be reading my blog today.
The great thing is that once you create these other wish lists, you can add things to them all year long as you find things for family members. I even got crafty enough that when I’d see something I wanted to buy someone out in stores, I would go home and find it on Amazon (cause Amazon has EVERYTHING) and then add it to that person’s wish list.
And its so easy. When you pull up a product on Amazon, like this little toy Beanie might be getting…
…over on the side where you have all the options for buying, there is an item called “Add to My Wish List…
And when you click that, it asks you whose wish list you want to add the item to.
So, it really is creating your shopping list for you by person. I started using this early this year for the first time and it was awesome. I just added everything I thought of for a person to their wish list and then when it was time for me to start buying, I had all these choices to choose from. I’d pick the best gifts (and ones that fit into my price range) and those would make it onto my Amazon SHOPPING LIST.
The shopping list is the next thing you’ll need to set up. The shopping list is like an online shopping cart, only it lets you hold things and pick and choose what you want to buy. I used this feature mostly to budget my money. Three months ago, I went through my wish lists and added anything that I wanted to give someone for Christmas this year to my Shopping List. Once I had everything I wanted to buy on that list, I could pick and choose what I could afford to buy with each paycheck.
You can’t see it too good in this picture, but as you select items to move from your Shopping List to your Shopping Cart for purchase, it gives you a running subtotal so you know just what you’re spending on that one purchase. Since I had three months of paychecks, I would give myself an amount of money I could spend that month and then just fill my Shopping Cart with things from my Shopping List until I hit the amount of money I had given myself.
It. Was. Awesome.
It sounds like a lot of extra work – creating lists and moving items from one list to another. But once you set up the foundation with all of your wish lists, it is such an easy process. Sure, it might be easier to just go to the mall and pick out things. But let me tell you how much I have saved this year with just a couple extra steps! Last year I spent a certain amount of money on presents that I just bought without any planning. I found them in the store and bought them for people.
Wham. Bam. Done.
This year, I have BETTER gifts for people because I have had to think through what I’m buying them AND I have saved so much money. I was able to cut my Christmas budget in HALF this year – and not even on purpose. I gave myself the same amount of money to spend, but by the time I had everyone’s shopping done, I was at just over half of the amount I had spent last year. And I was finished!!
I have always been against online shopping because it seemed so impersonal and too easy. But let me tell you something, the gifts I was able to buy this year are so much more personal because I put so much thought and preparation into them. I have been thinking about my family and the perfect gifts to give them for MONTHS and with online shopping, I was able to keep track of those purchases and even save some money.
I AM A CHANGED WOMAN!
Do you online shop? Why or why not?
27 Comments
Sarah
I absolutely love to do my Christmas shopping online. I’m not going to lie though, I am always one of those in the crowds the day after Thanksgiving but I look at the ads as they are released and start making plans for what I haven’t already bought online. I’ve started doing even more shopping online for any occasion since I started working night shift as a nurse with a whacked out schedule. A lot of times you catch things on sale or you get free shipping or no tax and you save a bundle. And if you have the coupon code, you can normally use it multiple times after you change your isp number (if you have to, sometimes you dont). I’m one of the lucky ones that don’t have to worry about budgeting, but that’s because it’s just me and my husband and we rent right now since we can’t afford to buy our house!
I didn’t know about the gift lists on Amazon, I did about the wish lists. So thanks for sharing that!
Nate's Mom
I’ve been doing almost all of our holiday shopping online for years now. I’m a huge fan of eBates.com – you get a portion of the kickback that the website receives for referring you to the websites you shop at. So far, I’ve received $300 back – we tend to not buy anything unless it’s through that site! They also collect internet coupons, so it’s kind of one-stop discount shopping! The Amazon lists are a new one for us – we’ll have to check them out! 🙂
Kate
I love that you pointed out this feature. I knew nothing about it and have just been creating several wishlists for people I want to buy for and then trying to remember which one was for which person. I think I will head over to Amazon and create some gift lists right now. 🙂
Miss Preppy
I’m an eBay-aholic. I love getting unique presents or presents at a discount (like the new Vera Bradley lunch box I’m getting for my mom, or all the golf prints I’m getting my boyfriend for Christmas/college graduation). I am VERY budget conscious, but because I like getting people tons of things to open. I’m very into balancing quality WITH quantity for Christmas and eBay definitely helps me do that. I have a few things left for Mama that I can only get in person but I’m pretty much finished otherwise.
Jordan
I do shop online. Because it’s so much easier to search for stuff for people. I get an idea- I google it, check around at prices, and order. The only thing is I hate paying for shipping!
as a side note, your blogs are taking forever to show up in my google reader. I see you tweet about them a good day or so before they pop up in reader- any ideas why?
Katie
Someone else mentioned that to us, too. We’re looking into what the delay is. We think it has something to do with those darn Yahoo Pipes!! We’re working on it! Thanks for following on Twitter though!
Ashley
Im not going to lie… I watch QVC everyday like its going out of style!(I dont watch the jewelry or clothes segments, but I watch just about everything else!) I do not do a lot of online shopping because I HATE paying for it to be shipped, but QVC helps out a lot for me! I’ve never bought very many things from Amazon, but I think I will check it out tonight!! THANKS 🙂
Mandy
I used to shop all year, too. I would keep a notebook in my purse, and when I had an idea I’d write it down there. I dedicated a page to each person I was going to buy for, and I’d also write down when I bought something for them (I had a bad habit of forgetting about gifts purchased previously). When I hit the limit for what I planned to spend on each person, I stopped. That system worked really well.
My husband and I were shopping for lots and lots of family members, and I started to notice how excessive Christmas had become. (Too, we noticed that more than half of the gifts we were receiving went straight to our Goodwill box; we began to suspect if our family actually hated us!) With our siblings, we decided to forego gift-giving, so now we just buy for parents and grandparents. That in itself was a huge budget saver, and it’s been great to focus only on a handful of great gifts.
Dana
I shop about 99% on-line. Part of it is because in the military sometimes we live hours from good shopping and part is because even if there was a mall, I cannot imagine trying to shop with the bambinos. They are even more easily distracted than I am!
AND Amazon is my favorite site. I like that they link you to other places sometimes, too in order to help you find what you are looking for. And marketplace orders, too. And the reviews are very helpful. Two years ago “Santa” did all of his shopping on Amazon. Yay. Only my sweet husband forgot to check the shipping address and all of our gifts were sent to our old house 4 states away. Ooops.
Lori
This is great- I have used wishlist.com for a few years for myself, but I love the idea of seperate lists for everyone. I’ll have to give it a try, as it is now Nov 15 and I have bought exactly ZERO gifts.
Rosemary
Initially, I too was against online shopping (a few years ago) but then I discovered Amazon, LLBean online and so many more. I now do close to all of my shopping – Christmas and otherwise online. I LOVE Amazon because as you said they have everything. If you keep an eye out you can also get great prices there. I have boxes arriving all the time now from Amazon since most of my shopping is DONE.
Rosemary
I forgot-you have to love Amazon’s free shipping on orders over 25.00 and on a majority of items.
Laura
i actually have a bit of an online shopping problem. i am a shopaholic, ESPECIALLY when it comes to shopping online. i really love this site called etsy.com- do you know it? it is an online shopping site devoted to all things handmade. i’m totally addicted to it. and have spent *more money than one would like to admit* there. the whole etsy thing spurred an online shopping binge, which has cut a deeep hole in my bank account. my boyfriend always jokes that i would starve before withholding myself from buying a pair of shoes.
anyway, getting back on point, even though i love to shop for myself online, i usually like to go out and look for things for my family and friends- there’s nothing like going out on a crisp weekend and doing some good christmas shopping!
Kelly
I hate shopping online … I like being able to touch and feel things (and, of course, look at all the other things in the store). And I have such good luck at clearance events, I always feel like if I buy online there’s a chance I could’ve gotten it cheaper if I’d scoped it out in a store. My husband, on the other hand, LOVES shopping online, and is convinced it’s the best way to get the best deal. Plus, unlike me, he’s patient and doesn’t mind waiting for things to arrive. (That’s my other favorite part of shopping in the store … I get everything NOW.)
So glad you’re doing Christmas already … I’ve been in a Christmasy mood for the past week!
Sarah H.
I tottaly love Amazon! Just tonight my husband are going to sit down and figure out who’s getting what, and what are target budget is for each person. We have a Christmas savings account that money goes into all year–this was our first doing that, and it’s real nice! I’m going to go try this Amazon shopping list when I get home. Thanks 🙂
Janet
I found the wish list just last week. Now I’m going to go back and start getting serious with it and create more. I hate shopping in malls.
Kathie
I like walking the malls/stores during the holiday season. However, I HATE shopping for things then! I like grabbing things for Christmas starting in September. It saves the time and energy, so you don’t feel so rushed come December, and you get to enjoy the holidays with the family. Since I start so early, I’ll jot things down in my blackberry – lists, if you will – and come home and research them online. See if it’s really worth spending the money on; read the reviews; and see if I can find it cheaper. I like seeing the product in the store – touch it, feel it, smell it. I can get a better sense of what I’m really looking at, and then buy it cheaper online!
Christmas has evolved, wouldn’t you say?! 🙂 Happy Holidays!
Lori @ I Can Grow People
Oh Katie, you are so freakin’ organized. I wish I was able to think that far ahead about gift giving. Aaron asked me to make a Christmas wish list last night and I had such a hard time. I might put your suggestions to use!
Sidenote: You only get paid once a month?! I worked for that same university and got paid weekly. Wonder if it is different from school to school, or M&P/C&T…?
Katie
I think its an M&P/C&T thing… But its a bummer!
Erin Scott
It is an M&P vs. C&T thing. It was hard to get used to at first, but I sort of like it now – everything gets paid off at once and whatever is leftover after bills and savings is mine to play with!
Kate
I love Amazon also. Mainly to feed my book addiction at slightly more affordable prices…but this year I just might try it for the few gifts I have left to buy as well 🙂
dave
Tip: Try Google checkout. For the first time there is a $10 discount. If you got 10 credit cards you can use this feature 10 times – just need to have 10 different email accounts though. (Not sure if this is still valid)
Another TIP: Getting coupon codes online. Once you’ve decided on the store you want to buy a gift, do a google search like “Office Max Coupons”. It should show you some random coupon sites with different coupon codes. Most would be expired, but if you’re lucky you might find some that is valid.
Pammy
I don’t online shop a lot. Know why? My husband does the budget — which means he controls the money — which means he sees the debit card transactions. He gets a little cranky when I’ve spent too much. I know…we need to budget these things, because Christmas comes the same time every year! 😉
Emily C
I’ve done a little early shopping online but I’m one of those crazy Black Friday shoppers so I usually wait until after I’ve shopped on that day to finish online.
Erin Scott
I love online shopping! My family is scattered across the US, so it’s nice to be able to buy things online and have stuff shipped to people’s doors for holidays and birthdays. Not to mention the DEALS I can get on electronics and computer gear online! (Like a Blu-Ray Player for $80 and a 1TB external hard drive for $100, both with free shipping. So awesome.)
PS, I’ve been stalking your blog for something like two months now and I love it. 🙂
Kim
Wow! This is amazing! I love that you can split them up for different people… now I have to try it.
I shop online a lot, but I’m usually a last-minute shopper for holidays. I gotta cut it out. Thanks for the tips.
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