How to Make Holiday Shopping as Painless as Possible (Updated for 2024)

While the holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year, shopping for them can put unnecessary stress on you and your wallet. The holiday season isn’t always about gifts, but sometimes, you need to get them for your loved ones. Despite how painful holiday shopping might be, you have plenty of techniques to keep your head above water.

Why Holiday Shopping Can Be Hard

Holiday shopping requires you to be tough, especially if you’re going to buy things in person. It can be a difficult season on your wallet, but you know that the look on your loved ones’ faces when they unwrap the gifts you got them will be worth it. Once you know the root of why you dread shopping during the holidays so much, you’ll be able to understand yourself better.

1. Budget

For many people, budget is a major factor in why they dread holiday shopping. Consumers typically spend upwards of $1,000 on gifts during the holiday season. Depending on who you have to buy for, the number might sound right for you. Because of too much spending, people might dread going shopping for holiday gifts.

2. Time

In a world that never rests, many people don’t have time for much else beyond clicking “Add to Cart.” Many consumers prefer shopping online because they can do so at any time of the day. There are also better deals and the convenience of getting them delivered to their doorstep. It’s ideal for people who want to avoid the crowds and save energy at brick-and-mortar stores. 

3. Life

Sometimes, life just gets in the way. You may have to put money elsewhere that you weren’t expecting to spend, or maybe another person pops up on your radar to whom you need to give a gift. Maybe something came up with your job, and now you have to rethink your plans. Life can be a major stressor in the holiday shopping routine.

How to Own Your Holiday Shopping List

Luckily, you don’t have to dread buying gifts for your relatives and found family. You can set goals for yourself and work up to making larger purchases. Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be stressful, and you can successfully defeat the anxiety that sometimes comes with it.

1. Set Your Budget

Sticking to a budget can help you determine which gifts you should get and which can wait until another year. They are meant to hold you accountable for your financial goals. You can journal to reflect on how much you spent last year with gift-giving. Remember how it affected you in the months following. If you’re financially insecure, you may want to cut back on your budget.

2. Buy in Increments

Practice the art of slow buying everyone’s presents. If you plan the holiday out ahead of time, you can avoid much of the stress that comes with last-minute holiday shopping. Try to break gifts up by paycheck, and stay as debt-free as possible. You shouldn’t be going into debt to pay for someone’s holiday gift.

3. List the Items Down

Having a list to refer to is a lifesaver when you’re shopping, as it keeps you from making impulsive purchases and gives you direction on what to search for. Start brainstorming about what to give to your loved ones. You can also figure out the specific group of people to whom you will give gifts to. 

4. Wait for the Deals

Deals and sales will be your best friends when trying to find items off someone’s wishlist. The biggest sale day of the year is Black Friday, which offers major steals to those participating. Around 131 million Americans planned to take part in Black Friday in 2023. While the crowds might be hectic, you may consider the deals worth it.

5. Track Discounts Online

Some brands provide special offers at seemingly random times, so you need to monitor their social media. You can also try using apps or websites to track discounts to achieve these limited-time savings. However, remember to stick to your list and avoid getting swayed. Unplanned purchases are merely expenses, not savings. 

6. Make DIY Gifts

If you have the time to make a DIY gift, do it. It’s great to combat the financial fear and stress in holiday shopping. You can find many materials secondhand, so you won’t be breaking your wallet to find supplies for a decent gift. Remember to take your time and don’t rush things. Secondhand gifts can be just as charming and even more sentimental.

7. Find Other Solutions

If the pressure of holiday shopping still feels like too much for you, consider other solutions. Talk your family or friends into trying out Secret Santa, where everyone will only have to buy one gift for a family member. You might do a general present exchange, where everyone gets to open one present or can “steal” a present from someone else.

8. Seek Stress Relief

It’s natural to want to give the best gifts to your loved one, especially if that’s your main love language. However, you need to learn to manage your stress better. Here are a few things to help:

• Meditating: Calm your body down by practicing meditation. It helps ground you, so it can reduce your stress and improve your immune system as you go about your holiday shopping endeavors. 

• Treating yourself: Shopping during the holidays is all about giving something to your loved ones, but you should also learn to treat yourself in the process. Order yourself a snack while shopping online or pick up a small trinket that you like.

• Taking breaks: People want to get their gift shopping over and done with, which can result in long hours of just constant searching. However, you need to remember to hit pause and let yourself breathe in the process. 

Holiday Shopping Should Be Fun

Whether you like to shop in the crowds or from the comfort of your couch, holiday shopping should be a relatively straightforward process. Many people are bound to feel anxiety, as society pressures everyone to spend more around the holidays. Still, you can easily conquer these stressors by planning and following where the deals lead. Bring a friend along to make the experience more pleasant for you. Then, you can enjoy every moment of the holiday season.