AuntJamelle

DH is mainly upset that he has to work this year - he loves to shop on BF. I don't mention BF shopping to MIL - and we don't really have any other family here locally that I'm around enough to drive crazy. I do remind all friends and co-workers of how many days are left until BF and until Christmas. Groans have recently turned into - oooo, that's coming up quick isn't it?

Oh - every once in a while I will get home and realize that some of the things I thought would be "perfect" as a gift to someone - probably aren't going to be so perfect! But many, many times I will find myself standing in a store - surrounded by items that look like the best deals in the world. Their packaging calls to me - their cleverly arranged aisle cap display beckons me. My heart will be pounding, my adrenaline is pumping and I have to work hard to rein myself in - I must ignore the little voice in my head that is yelling "Spend! Spend! Spend! " and focus on what I really need to buy.

I almost always put things in boxes and then wrap. Sometimes item is just too big and bulky or oddly shaped for a box so I will either just wrap it as is or try to find a bag. I also re-use gift bags if in good condition. The smaller ones work out nice for giving fragile things, like glass ornaments because you can nestle them in there with a ton of tissue paper. I make sure bags like that are always stored in a safe place and I can be extra careful of them when they need to be transported.

What usually happens to me is that while looking for Christmas gifts on BF I always seel deals on housewares that I just can't pass up. Sometimes it's a set of holiday dishes, service for 4, at Target for $8 - I got two sets! :) Sometimes it's towels or candles, you name it! And I have been know to pick up a really cheap fleece shirt or Christmassy sweater for myself at Kohls if the price is right! I try to pad by BF budget for just such situations...

Never! I don't have kids yet so hiding isn't as much of a challenge in our house. Things I buy during after Christmas sales always get put in spare room closet. Once I start really shopping in June I create a master gift list in Word on my PC and keep track of everthing I buy by person, including stocking stuffers. This has helped me avoid forgetting things - sometimes I'll look at my list and be surprised by whats there. "Oh yeah, I did buy that? Now where did I put it? - But everything is somewhere in the spare room so I usually don't have to look too hard. To hide gifts from DH I wrap them and hide them in plain sight with other wrapped gifts. Might even use "creative labeling". Some things I may keep at work or in trunk of car - I usually make a note in my Word file of where things are hidden. :)

Just curious if anyone else has certain folks that they just don't like to shop with on BF. The first year I went out on BF with DH he warned me to not say a word to his mother about the fact that we were going. Since then I have come to completely understand that decision. Unfortunately, my MIL doesn't always consider what's best for her health or her adopted son's health. She would insist on going and taking little guy with us - he's special needs with major heart problems and difficulty walking. And she herself has health issues where she needs to run to a bathroom every 20 minutes. Can you imagine that BF shopping experience? But if she knew we were going she would get very angry if we pointed these things out, however tactfully. So we avoid telling her altogether so as not to cause a problem or hurt her feelings. Any other stories like this out there?

Every year my Christmas gift list is kept on my PC in Word. I can go back and open old copies of the list from years gone buy to see a specific record of who got what. I also keep a written Christmas journal - just started last year - which is more like a holiday diary. I started writing in it on Thanksgiving weekend last year, but by mid Dec I never touched it again. I am going to try and be better about jotting down our holiday memories this year because it really is fun to go back and look them over. Maybe I'll start writing earlier in November - get my journal caught up on all my preparations and plans to date. Then moving forward I'll try to write in it at least once a week.

When DH and I go together we have a standing agreement to respect the other if they state they need some "shopping privacy". We will split up and go through the registers seperately. I make sure that the items are tightly tied up in their bags - doublebagged if necessary. Then I place them in one particular spot so I know which ones DH isn't allowed to touch when we get home. He does the same for me. It's worked so far! Sometimes I'll pretend I am getting him something at a store when I'm really not - just to throw him off the scent of what he's getting.

I really enjoy doing some shopping on Dec 26th - but I don't always make it out. But I am definitely not as excited as I get for BF. My usual trouble is that I have a WAY smaller budget by that point in the holiday season.

I have never done this - no one has ever asked really. Of course, it someone did ask and I was going to right there at the store anyway I would be happy to help them out. :)

This year I will be taking my car and plan to have the trunk cleaned out so I can store items in there as I buy. Thanks to the tips on this thread I will also take a couple of blankets in case I need to throw them over something that has to go in the back seat. I love this site! I've learned alot in a short time!

I am getting very excited and have my shopping list on this site all updated to reflect the new items! I wasn't really planning on going to Walmart this BF because its a bit of a drive - but it's a 24 hr place and I could get there as early as I wanted I guess. Plus this particular Walmart never seems to be real crowded on BF.

Any day but Sunday for me - we always either have guests or are guests on Sunday nights.

I always like getting GCs - but then no one has ever given me one to anything other than a store I like to shop in. I don't mind giving gift cards although I don't do it too often. Sometimes I'll use low dollar amount gift cards for stocking stuffers. GCs to places like Starbucks or McDonalds are nice little surprises in a stocking. We have two teenage neices that we always get Target gift cards for - we feel its better to let them pick out what they would like. We see them once a year and its hard to be sure we're picking out the right thing. So GCs it is!

Very clever idea! This will be a great tool to help us prioritize the things we go after on BF. Thanks! :)

We will usually stop and pick up one or two. Then MIL will have a paper as well and she doesn't go shopping on BF. So sometimes we can score coupons from her paper as well. :)

I am eagerly awaiting the Staples and the Target ads for this year. I will also be very excited to see an ad for Kohls since a new one just opened up on our side of town.

How about enrolling her in a Gift of the Month club? If you google that you will get plenty of options online. Anything from cookies to chocolate to magazines and so on. Then she's getting something now and throughout the year - maybe that would finally impress her? Good luck!

My DH openly admits that he loves going shopping on BF. He is very disapointed that he will have to work it this year! He gets upset when I mention any of my plans for this year - poor him! He'll hopefully be able to enjoy going through my "haul" with me when I get home. Minus the things I scored for him of course!

I put in my PTO request for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday about 2 weeks ago. My boss hasn't approved it yet - but I'm sure she just hasn't checked that far out for requets yet. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be a problem. Can't wait!

Last year our newly rebuilt Target store on our side of town was very quiet - it wasn't a ghost town but it was nothing like I'd thought it would be. In our area THE place to shop is out on Grape Road - about a half hour north of us with traffic. This Target is on the south side of town which is an area that has struggled for shoppers for a while now. It will be interesting to see what the south side stores are like this year because the old mall has been torn down and the whole area turned into strip malls with lots of new stores. I have a feeling everything will be alot busier this year. But - oh am I hoping that folks "forget" about the new south side area. Would make my life sooo much easier!

I also think that re-gifting is fine if done with tact - aka being sure that when you do the original giver will never find out about it. I would hate to hurt someone's feelings! But there are just so many candle and bath and body sets a person can use!

We have three 7 ft trees - one big fat one, one medium size around and one skinny one. We also have a 4 ft tabletop tree. I've always wanted to have a house with a two story foyer so I could have a really, really tall tree in it! Not really energy efficient, but it would be really pretty! :)

DH and I almost always go to KMart on Thanksgiving, but we don't go until we are on our way home from the big dinner. This may change this year because our KMart near our house has turned into a Sears Essentials - no idea if it will be open or what kind of deals they may have.

Home by around noon, noon-thirty. Usually pick up lunch from a drive-thru on the way home. That or heat up some leftovers! :)