digman6 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I must tell you I struggle every year with this, maybe I buy to much-NAH:D . I have 4 kids ages-10,7,4, and will be 1 Dec,12th. I lose track of what I have , I am worried about putting it on paper fear my nosey rosie kids will find it. they almost busted us on the tooth fairy as it is !! they all believe in santa still. I was hiding in the garage but running out there is a hassel when its 40 below out trying to haul it in to wrap. Wrapping is a story alone! how do you guys put tags on so they don't know its YOUR writting??? I had over flow from last year left in dh car found it this year summer-he is never in his trunk! I do all the shopping and wrapping dh does nothelp with it which is fine but I need some tips on making this more organized now that Walmart is no longer a hiding place for me! we have our basementbut its hard to hide with them going down there so much and our closet only holds so much. thanks much steph
starshine Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I have a spare bedroom that I lock and I stash things in there in bins. I go through the stuff every few months and count what I have for each kid. I try to keep it even for them all. Of course now the two teenagers get cash so I don't really have to do that now but I still count all the stuff I have for my son to make sure I'm not going over board.
sapphire Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 i'm a bit anal in the organization department....my kids are tiny still so the attic is the third floor finished type, i wont step foot in my basement...anyways everything goes up there in section...my kids in one area, neice's nephew and the parents go in another, friends kids in another and our folks in another... i have a spreadsheet that i take my receipts to after each shopping trip and add what i just bought and how much...i also color code it, red is bought, black is what i am looking for....this list comes with me everywhere...spending limits for everyone, i allow a $5 overage but if i'm under $5 i won't make up for it, i might add a big candy bar... my kids are the only ones i will go over for
copados1993 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I have always used the back of our closets and put them where you can't find them without REALLY searching for them. The last couple of years I have kept a list so that when it came time for Christmas to finally arrive, I'd have everything that I hid. To this day , my dear mother loses at least 1 gift because she can't remember where she had hid it. It has become a real joke LOL.
abentley Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I have convinced my older kids (18 & 16) that there is a room in the Grandmothers basement that they have never found. They actually spend time in her basement(it is finished) and it has a really weird layout. You could get lost in there. Then I hide it basicly in plain sight. They are convinced that nothing is here, so they don't look. My 2 little ones caught me last week though before I could hide something. I might need a new plan.
momof5plus1hubby Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I have under the bed storage containers filled with gifts. I also have containers filled with presents, and then put a jacket on top. So when the kids open the tote all they see is the jacket:smirk: I have a grand list on my laptop on what all I have and where it is in the house. No kids go on the laptop so they won't see it. The laptop is passworded LOL
digman6 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Posted October 10, 2006 those are some good ideas on keeping track of it all !! I am usually very organized but whe there is SO MUCH to hide it makes it much harder for me. these kids go everyplace in this house just when you think you have the perfect spot it back fires and I ned upwith Oh that,thats for a cousin-ya right!
redjacket97 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 It was easier last year when I lived at home with Mom and Dad. I hid everything in the attic. This year will be a little problematic since I have moved out. Hmmm...under the bed, in the closet, trunk of the car...I may have to ask Mom for a favor: her attic for storage space.
mrn8 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 If it's something large, I'll ask my parents to keep it at their place, since they live in the town I work in. Otherwise, I'll keep it in my office. I usually pay for gift wrap, so I don't often have to hide things.
Stowasser Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 My parents winter in FL so I just stash it in one of the bedrooms, it is so nice because I spread it out and I can take an accounting, in fact, I am in the process of taking everything over there now. I keep it in our closet and under the bed....The kids still haven't figured it out, they are 10 and 11 and know their isn't Santa or is there? Since they have never foudn the toys and they have gotten some extremely large ones (including a double basketball stand up game last year) they just don't know what to think! They have searched the house, garage, sheds to no avail, even made Dad open up the crawl space-I just snicker....
glitterstarr Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 Then I hide it basicly in plain sight. This is what I do I hide my daughters stuff right under her nose every year and she never finds it! Oh for the one who asked about the names on packages and handwriting. I never put name tags on them. What I did was get each child specific wrapping paper and wrote down which one of my kids had which wrapping paper. That way they never knew who's gift was who's under the tree. Just in case I ever needed a gift tag I always just had a friend to do it for me and then put the name tags up until I needed them. I still have gift tags with their names on them that I haven't used over the years. LOL
sns128 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I use the crawl space in my attic, the door is really heavy so the kids can't get into it yet. The really big stuff I hid at my mom's (she lives one house down from us) in her basement, again the kids never go down there. When they get older I will need to find new places. As for my list, I keep it on my laptop, no one ever uses it but me and DH.
JazzMama Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 We keep ours in our master bedroom closet (kinda hidden by luggage). Our daughter knows she is not allowed in our bedroom by herself, so she's never tried to snoop (she's 5 so that may change in the next few years )
ms_mckenna Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 We hide in our closet as well. They don't go in there out of fear. The standing rule is if you find it it goes back ... and if that was your big present to bad. I have no list I just keep track by pulling things out once a week or so.
Tracy72 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I just put everything out when it is wrapped....I dont like my tree up with out any gifts under it....but as for putting them in a place before wrapping....right in the closet under the kids nose.....they never seem to snoop for their gifts right now...lol...but they do look under the tree for their names...lol...I do like another one does...I have specific wrapping for different people...easier to just grab and go when we go to the inlaws...lol
able Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 why not bring it to someone elses house and wrap it there?
Melissa Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I hide everything in the basement. I keep a list for each kid of what's been bought and how much I paid for it. I use special tags for their Santa gifts and write them in very fancy handwriting.
Edgemonster Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I always make a list of what I have and what I need to get, along with what needs batteries and how many.That stays in my purse because noone ventures in there but me. Before my son was in school I'd wrap at night then during the day when he was in school. I hid everything in the basement or my mothers room. My son has never been a snoop, he doesn't want to spoil the surprise for himself. As far as the writing on the tags, I used an elf handwriting which is a writing style completely opposite of my usual. My normal writing always slants to the right so for the elf writing I slant way to the left and shape my letters different. He never figured it out.
Firemansgal311 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I will stash what will fit in our closet or I will have dh take it to our storage bldg. Last year we had the kids bikes and trikes at dh's fathers house in a spare bedroom. As far as wrapping if it is from us I will wrap in whatever and hand write the tags. But HoHo stuff gets wrapped in Santa paper and a different kind for each kid with no labels. I will remember who's is who's then saparate them into "piles" on Christmas eve. I try to make a list of gifts, usually for the kids I will put thier names and a tick mark for each present, but everyone else I will put thier name and what we got them. :) ETA my list also stays in my purse.
jennypoo3016 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 all the presents go on the side of the basement no one goes into the unfinished part and i always have alist written out.....
Illinoismom Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I have two lists, one I leave out in the open and then the real list, I place things where ever and we do not have spoops, 4 kids 4 different paper, and only I know who is who, Well kind of back fired when my 18 year old got her 9 year sisters books, oooppps did Santa make a boo boo, then I gave the 6 year the 15 year olds foot ball, Well we will see what I mess up this year
Gray04 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 LOL, in the kitchen, in plain sight!! the doors WWAAYY up high and above the fridge:smart: Used to in the bedroom closet, have in the shed, grandparents, neighbors, under beds... One year I took labels to work and had a male write them out, one year DH took them to his work and had someone write them out Both want $$ this year, easy to hide but hard to find:yup:
Stowasser Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I use computer designed labels for tags and print in a really neat font, never use those labels for anything else so they don't know its from me or the computer, but I will print out a couple of sheets for each kid and its so nice to have them all ready after wrapping and plop that on there. Hallmark makes some really nice ones and you can buy them anywhere, Walmart, Target etc.
holly2hottie Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I hide gifts in boxes high up in the closet or in the garage storage. To keep track of everything, I have a christmas book that I keep in my purse, with me at all times. I write down ideas for gifts and then I highlight the item once it is purchased. I also write down what I paid for everything so I can keep track of what I've spent.
Gporter34 Posted October 10, 2006 Posted October 10, 2006 I do all of my Christmas shopping on BF so that I can get it all over with in the same day. I wrap everything as soon as I get home and put it under the tree.
digman6 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Posted October 10, 2006 these are ALL great ideas- thanks much!
tokanm Posted October 11, 2006 Posted October 11, 2006 Does anyone else buy gifts and hide them, only to either not be able to remember where you put them or even worse find them after Christmas? Almost every year I find a gift I "forgot" and it is getting to be a joke now, "OK who is going to get the gift Mom lost this year?" I hide most of my gifts in the trunk of my car or at work. I just wrap them on my lunch break or stay later to wrap. Last year I had had a heart attack on Nov 11th and right before Christmas my presents I was hiding at work appeared here (plus several new ones) and they were wrapped and stockings were filled and even included a generous gift card from my co-workers for a local grocery store. I am a single Mom and they knew I had no income during this time and things were bad here. The old saying is true "You know who your true friends are in times of need" I was lucky to have such great coworkers and boss:gdclap:
codeblue Posted October 11, 2006 Posted October 11, 2006 I hide the gifts in our basement. Usually up on a top shelf but mine are only 3 and 5 so still small and don't really go looking yet. One year when I was younger my mother would wrap our gifts as she purchased them and put them under the tree accept she put my brothers name on my packages and mine on his to throw us off. I keep a list in my purse along with all receipts for xmas purchases.
elena_398 Posted October 11, 2006 Posted October 11, 2006 The Video Games/ CDs are stored in my room and the rest of the presents are stored in the garage. My husband had our garage totally redone and it has cabinets and shelving all around. So everything is stored out there. As I buy an item, I make a list so I can keep track. This list is kept in my purse so the kids don't find it!
krissy904 Posted October 11, 2006 Posted October 11, 2006 same problem here but I must deal with it all year long, since I buy almost anythiing and everything when it finally gets to 90% off. I think I have 6 giant plastic boxes filled with (hard to admit) totaly useless junk. I do make quite a few donation gifts to schools, church, blah, blah, blah. I just have so much stuff that I can't possibly remember all of it and there is no way to even take it all out to inventory it. I just have to try to get rid of the items box by box.
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