If you find yourself opening up these emails every week, consider upgrading to a paid subscription at $5/month annually for full access to the archives, exclusive newsletter sends, and access to our comments section. ❤️ Last call for 20% off: That’s $4/month…forever! Here's How I Keep My Holiday Brain (and Budget) IntactThe tiny systems that keep me from unraveling every year...Today’s edition of the newsletter is brought to you in paid partnership with Kohl’s. Every December, my brain turns into a mush of event dates, gift ideas, shipping deadlines, and a vague but persistent fear that I’ve accidentally blown past my gifting budget. It’s a lot. And despite my best efforts, I am not one of those “I finished holiday shopping in October” people. I am very much a “let’s take a deep breath and just try to stay organized” person. A few years ago, I realized I needed a system. Something simple enough to actually use, but structured enough to keep my gift ideas organized and my budget in check. And so today I present to you three tools I keep in my let’s-not-spiral holiday toolbox (and they’re all free!). 1. Use a spreadsheet that keeps you honest about your gifting budgetI wouldn’t say we have a huge family, but when you factor in all the kids, our friends, daycare teachers, coworkers, neighbors, and so on, it's a lot to keep track of. So, I did the thing I typically do, and made a spreadsheet a few years ago to help me keep tabs on everything, which you can steal via the link below. It’s pretty straightforward and lists the recipient, the gifts I’m giving them, the price, the status of each item (e.g., has it been ordered? has it been wrapped?), and tracking info for the package. Here are a few guardrails my husband and I like to use before we begin inputting gift ideas:
Here’s a list of gift ideas for some of my friends and family this year. I appreciate the selection at Kohl’s if you’re trying to stay organized and on budget—they’ve got every category under the sun, and they’re running great deals on many of the most giftable items right now. Budget-friendly gifts toddlers will love:
Budget-friendly gifts for the homebody:
See all these picks in one spot in my Kohl’s storefront. Here are some of my big-ticket gift picks for the lucky giftees on your list for whom you’ve budgeted a splurge-y amount. These are all on mega sale right now.
See all these picks in one spot in my Kohl’s storefront. 2. Approach gift brainstorming as a year-round endeavorFor me, gift brainstorming season happens year-round in the Reminders app on my phone. I’m sure you can use any other list-making app, but I find this one easy to use and keep organized, plus it’s free. How it works:
That’s the gist of it. Simple but effective! I’ve found that building this type of list-making habit is very much that—a habit, a muscle that you have to develop, but once you get going, you’ll find yourself whipping out your phone, hastily jotting down all your fun notes about your friends and family after a hang. Your future self will thank you when November hits, and you’ve got a treasure trove of gift ideas—and a tidy budgeting spreadsheet where you can input your final gifting picks. 3. Give your future self the gift of an annual Notes app brain dump ritualI use my Notes app as a space for my giant post-holiday brain dump (among all my other brain dumps, of course). It’s one of the single most genius (if I do say so myself) I’ve ever done for my future, holiday-harebrained-self. Every December 26th or so, I open a new note and title it “Notes for next Christmas.” It’s where I track things like:
All of this to say, don’t disregard the humble Notes app in your staying-sane system during the holiday. It can help you save money, curb impulse shopping, and Future Me is always relieved when I boot up my note-to-self brain dump. 💬 Do you have any tips and tricks that help you stay organized and on budget when it comes to gifts? Let’s trade tips in the comments section: Thanks again to Kohl’s for sponsoring today’s newsletter! The product recommendations were curated by me and reflect my independent assessment. You can browse Kohl’s Holiday Gift Shop right here to finish off your holiday shopping. 1 These prices in this post reflect the full retail price at the time of writing. The price you see on the site might be lower, for instance, if a sale is happening! You’re currently a free subscriber to Downtime. For the full experience, consider upgrading your subscription. Paying subscribers get the good stuff: weekly recs and links sent every Friday, entry into monthly reader giveaways, access to our reader chat, and the full archives. If you have a moment, please tap the heart button, a *free* way to show appreciation. ❤️ It helps others find my work and makes a real difference! Also: refer a friend, get free months! |
srijeda, 3. prosinca 2025.
Here's How I Keep My Holiday Brain (and Budget) Intact
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