An October 2008 study has shown that nearly a third of U.S. women find Christmas shopping moderately to highly stressful.
The primary source of stress, the survey found, came from the desire of shoppers to choose the perfect gift for every friend and family member on their Christmas list.
Next was the stress of finding the time to shop. Following closely behind was the stress of paying for Christmas gifts and the guilt of overspending.
Are you a stressed our Christmas shopper? If you are, here is how you can make holiday gift shopping much, much easier.
1. First, construct a budget to ensure that you will not spend more than you can afford. Promise yourself you will not exceed it under any circumstances, and stick to your promise.
2. Use the Internet to find the lowest prices on the items you want. Sometimes you can find and buy exactly what you want in minutes, without leaving home. The fewer lines you have to stand in the better, right? Just be sure you investigate and figure in shipping costs as well as the cost of the gifts themselves.
3. Be careful about using credit cards unless you can pay off all your charges quickly. If you become an undisciplined shopper when using credit cards, leave them at home and do your Christmas shopping with cash only.
4. If you are able to use a credit card without overextending yourself, choose one which offers cash back, hotel discounts, or other benefits you can use.
5. Instead of trying to give everyone the perfect gift, which is impossible, give some of your friends a gift card from a store or restaurant they like. That will reduce your stress and ensure that your friends will wind up with a gift they like.
Not only do the five above suggestions eliminate most of the anxiety of gift shopping for the holidays, but they help make gift giving the happy experience it should be.
The primary source of stress, the survey found, came from the desire of shoppers to choose the perfect gift for every friend and family member on their Christmas list.
Next was the stress of finding the time to shop. Following closely behind was the stress of paying for Christmas gifts and the guilt of overspending.
Are you a stressed our Christmas shopper? If you are, here is how you can make holiday gift shopping much, much easier.
1. First, construct a budget to ensure that you will not spend more than you can afford. Promise yourself you will not exceed it under any circumstances, and stick to your promise.
2. Use the Internet to find the lowest prices on the items you want. Sometimes you can find and buy exactly what you want in minutes, without leaving home. The fewer lines you have to stand in the better, right? Just be sure you investigate and figure in shipping costs as well as the cost of the gifts themselves.
3. Be careful about using credit cards unless you can pay off all your charges quickly. If you become an undisciplined shopper when using credit cards, leave them at home and do your Christmas shopping with cash only.
4. If you are able to use a credit card without overextending yourself, choose one which offers cash back, hotel discounts, or other benefits you can use.
5. Instead of trying to give everyone the perfect gift, which is impossible, give some of your friends a gift card from a store or restaurant they like. That will reduce your stress and ensure that your friends will wind up with a gift they like.
Not only do the five above suggestions eliminate most of the anxiety of gift shopping for the holidays, but they help make gift giving the happy experience it should be.
About the Author:
Betty Hanson is an editor for The Big Brain, a new internet directory and an article author who writes on online degree programs, distance education, and non-traditional PhD degree programs.
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