The Christmas Shopping Trick That Saves Money, Sanity, and Last-Minute Regret

I know. I know.

It’s September 1st.

We just got through back-to-school shopping, survived the first round of school germs, and some of us are still finding crayons in places crayons have absolutely no business being.

And now I’m talking about Christmas shopping? What am I thinking??

Before you close this page and accuse me of being one of those people who puts up a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving (because I don't), hear me out.

I’m not saying you need to drag the Christmas decorations out of the attic and deck the halls while playing musical roulette with five of your favorite Christmas albums on spotify. And, no, we're not venturing into the kitchen to whip up batch of Santa-shaped cookies.

We do have boundaries.

I’m simply suggesting that September might be a pretty darn good time to start buying a few Christmas gifts, and there are actually some very good reasons why.

You Have Time to Think Instead of Panic-Buy

Let’s be honest, shall we. There's a BIG difference between shopping for someone in September and shopping for someone on December 21st.

In September, you can actually think, make a plan, make a list all while leisurely sipping on your favorite beverage. It's relaxing. You might even say it's cathartic.

Think about it. You're out shopping with you daughter who finds the cutest jammy set that she simply has to have. You know if you don't grab it while she's not looking it won't be there the next time you're in that store. Buying early let's you grab these little gems and eliminates having hindsight smack you upside the back of your head three months from now.

Or what about that new tool your hubby's been talking about. Yes, it's a bit pricey. If the store offers layaway (yeah, it's old school but still offered so get over it), cha-ching, use it. Nowadays you often can take advantage of Afterpay and Klarna. With any of these options, you're breaking that big price tag into smaller, more manageable chunks just don't miss the payments.

You can stumble across something that makes you think, “Oh my gosh! This is PERFECT for Aunt Susan!” Buy it now, put it away until you're ready to wrap it up, and you now have one less gift to freak out over in December.

By shopping early, you can pick things up as you go. There's no long list of gifts to try and get all in one December weekend. There aren't any long lines at the register. And there's definitely no, "Darn it. I should've bought it when I saw it in September, and now they don't have any more."

You Can Spread Out the Expense

This one might be my favorite.

Christmas doesn't have to be a financial event that arrives like a freight train.

If you start shopping in September, you have three whole months to pick things up here and there. Buy one or two gifts in September, a couple more in October, and a few in November. By the time December rolls around, you may already have most if not all of your shopping finished.

Let's consider the impact on your money. Shopping early gives you the luxury of shopping around for the best deal. It's easier to pay cash when you have a smaller tally at the checkout rather than racking up a mortgage-payment-sized bill that you put on your credit card because you shopped at the last minute.

Did you make a Christmas budget? Starting your shopping early gives you a much better chance of actually sticking to it because when you're shopping in a hurry, it's incredibly easy to think: “Well, it's only $15 more…” Do that several times. Congratulations. You just spent another $90 you didn't plan to spend.

You Can Take Advantage of Sales Without Being Desperate

Starting early also means you aren't relying on one particular shopping day to get everything you need. Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Well, they can be great opportunities, but you don't have to wait for them. Not to mention what you're looking to buy may not be included with those sales.

So, what's a girl to do? Simple. You made your list early. Now, you can watch prices, compare stores, and look for deals all without being pressured because December 15th is three days away.

And if something you know you're going to buy goes on sale in September or October? Grab it! You don't get bonus points for waiting until December. There is no Christmas Shopping Olympics where someone hands you a medal for purchasing all 14 gifts in the final 72 hours.

Although, if there were, I suspect many of us would be highly competitive and motivated.

You Can Avoid the “Sold Out” Problem

Here's another little advantage of getting started early: You actually have options.

The closer we get to Christmas, the more likely it is that the thing somebody really wants will suddenly be unavailable. Of course, you can usually find something. But “something” and “the thing they really wanted” aren't always the same thing. More than likely the "something" isn't even a close second.

Shopping early gives you time to find what you're actually looking for instead of settling for whatever happens to be left.

And let's be honest…Nobody wants to give someone a Christmas present that screams: “I didn't start shopping until December 24th and this is all they had.”

You Have Time for Shipping

If you do a lot of your Christmas shopping online, you already know where I'm going with this...shipping.

Normally, you order something and it shows up in a couple of days. Well, that's the promise anyway. At Christmas? Gremlins have invaded the shipping department's logistics program, and your package has embarked on the scenic route.

Hey, I've been there. Christmas is days away, and I'm watching that shipping tracker like a starving hawk. “It's in Kentucky.” Six hours later: “Still in Kentucky.” WHY IS IT STILL IN KENTUCKY?!

Starting early gives you plenty of time for shipping delays, wrong addresses, damaged packages, porch pirates, weather, or the occasional package that apparently decides it would rather live in Ohio. And if something arrives damaged? You have time to get a replacement. That's a whole lot better than discovering on December 23rd that the gift you ordered six weeks ago looks like it was used as a soccer ball by the delivery driver.

You Can Actually Enjoy December

This might be the biggest reason of all. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy December?

Imagine getting to December and not having a giant list hanging over your head. The gifts are bought. The wrapping supplies are ready. What am I saying? If you're like me, they're already wrapped and under the tree. Your gift shopping is done with the possible exception ot stocking stuffers.

You aren't spending every Saturday fighting crowds in a parking lot while trying to remember where you parked. You aren't frantically checking Amazon at 11:47 p.m. You aren't calculating whether you can make it through checkout without your debit card bursting into flames.

Instead, you can enjoy the fun stuff. Decorating. Baking. Watching Christmas movies. Going to Christmas events. Drinking entirely too much hot chocolate. And sitting on the couch while somebody else does the dishes (hey, a girl can dream).

Starting Early Doesn't Mean Spending More

This is important. Starting Christmas shopping early doesn't mean you should start buying more. It means you have more time to buy smarter. Make your list. Set a budget. Decide who you're buying for. Decide what you can realistically spend. Then keep track of what you've purchased.

And here's a little trick that can make this even easier: Keep a Christmas shopping list somewhere you can actually find it. Not on the back of a receipt. Not in the notes app you haven't opened since 2023. Not written on a piece of paper that mysteriously disappears every time you need it. Trust me. Future You deserves better.