“There’s no time like the present to shop for a present.” At least that’s my mother’s philosophy. Our family’s resident “craft queen” shudders at the thought of being caught off guard by an unexpected party invitation, hence her gift closet. In some homes (like mine) where space is at a premium the “gift closet” is more like a gift shelf or gift drawer. Either way, it serves the same purpose: avoiding a frantic trip to the mall. Creating a gift closet is very simple… just follow these tips and you too can have the perfect gift at a moment’s notice:
Shop all year long: Take advantage of all the after-holiday sales. And I don’t just mean Christmas. Often you can find generic Easter, Valentine’s Day, even Halloween items that aren’t holiday specific. For example, I picked up a dozen red candles and heart shaped containers for less than $2 at a post-Valentine’s Day sale. Lookout for unique gifts all year long and stock up.
Buy in bulk: If you have school-age children who seem like they are on the invite list of every kid in class, plan on stocking up on age and gender appropriate gifts at the beginning of the year.
Baby gifts: Stores like Toys R US and Wal-Mart are constantly updating their baby merchandise. I have found that every three weeks prices on items like receiving blankets, baby albums, and infant outfits are marked down at least 30 %. Take advantage of these sales to pick out a couple of outfits (one for a boy and one for a girl) and a couple of receiving blankets (recently, I saw some marked down to $2.50).
Kid’s gifts: I stock up on gender-neutral gifts like paints, giant coloring books, crayons, chalk, and other art supplies. Books are another great gift idea and warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s Club have hard-to-beat prices on favorites like Curious George, Disney, and Sesame Street. Also, when I see a board game or other popular games like pickup sticks, Jenga or Uno on sale I will buy more than one.
Hostess gifts: I stock up on flavored teas, decorative tins, baskets, candles, soaps and lotions from specialty stores (like Bath and Body Works) during buy-one-get-one-free sales. Sometimes I will keep one for myself and place the other in the gift closet or I will just buy two and sock two away. Either way it pays off when at the last minute your husband informs you that his supervisor’s wife is hosting a party for the sales staff.
Stock up on wrapping supplies: Last but not least, as important as it is to have the perfect gift, it is equally important to have year-round wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbon and gift cards on hand as well. Again, you can find some fabulous deals on wrapping paper and gift bags at post-holiday sales. I picked up 20 generic, pink, blue, green and yellow gift bags for less than $3 at a post-Easter sale. One final tip: keep everything you need in one place so when it’s time to wrap presents you aren’t wasting time hunting down a bow, a bag, scissors or tape.