Do you plan things? Or are you like me and barely get by? I used to plan things and I was SO good at it. Then, I had kids! And you know what? I don’t plan anything anymore. Gah.
With the holidays officially here, and friends and family coming over, I NEED some sort of plan. I need to PLAN stuff. I need to sit down and get busy with the holiday planning!
Since this has been on my mind and as my family travels to my home for the holidays, I wanted to share with you my tips on holiday planning. Yes, I know I said I was no good at planning stuff anymore, but I USED to be! So, I will take some tips from what I have learned.
Here they are!
Holiday Planning Tips To Help You Have The Best Holiday Yet!
1.) If you are traveling this holiday season, be sure to check the roads, weather and any other conditions that might make your travels a little less then fun. Make sure the vehicle you are driving is a reliable and durable vehicle. Make sure it has had a check-up too! Nothing worse than breaking down mid-road trip!
2.) Definitely get that family picture taken before things get too rushed. We like to take our holiday pictures in July! Yep, you heard me right. The sooner it is done the better!!
3.) Grab up those coupons! You can find them online or in your local newspaper. I recommend clipping them and using them! They do help, trust me! Especially helps when doing your huge holiday shopping on groceries! There are some great apps for clipping coupons too that are so helpful like; Coupons.com, Ibotta, SnipSnap, and many more. Just search the internet, you will find so many of them!
4.) Take advantage of online shopping and FREE shipping! Last year I did this and bought the same stuff online for the same prices AND got free shipping! I bypassed the HUGE holiday rush and got my shopping done in no time and delivered to my door! I LOVE shopping online at Amazon.com and am a huge fan of Amazon Prime!
5.) Make a grocery list and Do your grocery shopping at NIGHT, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I kid you not, you will miss the big crowds of people if you can shop at night. Best time at night? 10 pm!
6.) Have a pre-holiday party and invite over some close friends and family. Hand them some holiday lights and decorations and start decorating! Serve them a nice meal and when they leave, they will leave full and happy and your home will be decorated for the holidays! Ha!
What holiday planning tips do you have to add to my list?
Trisha McKee says
Oh wow, I’m always looking for a chance to host a party. A decorating party? That is insanely genius! I love it.
Sonya Allstun says
Love the shopping at night idea and having a decorating party
Gabrielle says
You are so right about shopping at night. You can get through the store in almost half the time if you go late.
Mary Gardner says
I love the idea of having friends over for a get together and decorating the tree.
Jessica Walker says
I would add that if you travel annually for Christmas do your shopping as early in the year as possible. Also do not wait to the last minute to wrap.
Sheila F says
We will be out of state this year and planned ahead by shipping gifts ahead of our arrival..saves us extra luggage costs and we have already tracked them so we know if something happened with our bags, we avoid extra stressors🌱
Mia Rose says
I am a planner and do find that it helps me to not feel stressed when I can plan things out. Good tips on shopping in the evening and using coupons.
Patricia Wright says
I only take pictures on my laptop. I don’t plan for the holidays. My husband and I are retired and can’t afford much.
Amy D says
My favorite tip is grocery shopping at night! I get so anxious hen the grocery store is crowded during the holidays. Online shopping has also been a huge help during the holiday season.
Tiffany Brown says
I was wondering if you take your own family pictures or do you hire someone?
Kim Delatorre says
we take our own.
Elizabeth Moeller says
i like the idea of having a party to have people help with decorations. It would be nice to do this even before thanksgiving, it would be a way to have a holiday party that is not crammed in with all of the other holiday events.
Dana Rodriguez says
I am TERRIBLE at planning during the holidays. These are great ideas!
Olivia says
I’m a very avid couponer myself. Great tips!
Sharon Rooney says
Such great tips, I especially like the one to have pre-holiday party. What a great way to see everyone prior to it getting crazy with the holiday rush.
Vickie L Couturier says
this is some really awesome tips,,going to use some of these
Lynne B says
I could have said your first few sentences!! I managed to remain very organized through the birth of my first child. It definitely changed after my second child. When my kids were younger, we travelled to see both our families during the holidays and I must have been very organized in my pre-travel planning. I don’t really recall because I blame the birth of my second child on the leakage of all my brain matter. lol
Debbie Yoder says
I definitely use coupons, I also start planning early for the holidays,helps me out so much!
Mary Beth Elderton says
Both my kids have December birthdays…then Christmas. Planning for December used be meticulously detailed and started in August.! lol Now they are grown, and we all live in different cities and different states. We will not be getting together this year, so it is ALL about Amazon Prime and Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon codes—spaced out to separate the birthday gifts from the holiday gifts.
Abigail Gibson says
It is just my father and I and we just enjoy a small dinner and we are very happy with this.
monique s says
So true about the coupons. Those really help to save money when so much money is spend on gifts
Donna L Holder says
yes we plan for the holidays and sometimes it goes okay but it has went wrong before.