Tips

How to Stay Organized While Shopping for Holiday Gifts

By The Home Edit

How to Stay Organized While Shopping for Holiday Gifts

*This blog post is sponsored by Famous Footwear. It also contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy something.

Have you ever found the perfect gift for someone, only to realize you bought it for them last year as they started opening it? Or maybe you completely forgot to buy someone a gift in the first place and ended up regifting a candle, still in the box, in front of the person who gave it to you? 

Chances are, we all have. The holidays are stressful, and shopping just adds to that. But if we've learned anything, it's that organization makes anything in life more manageable. Below are our top tips to help you stay organized on your gift-giving journey, from shopping and wrapping to the big reveal, while saving time and money in the process. 

Tip 1: Keep Extras on Hand 

Just assume that you'll either A) Forget to buy a gift for somebody or B) Get invited to a party at the last minute, but even more importantly, decide you want to go. In both cases, you'll thank yourself (and hopefully, us) for stocking up on evergreen gifts that anyone would appreciate so you are always prepared. Here's a list of backstock gifts to get you started: 

The Home Edit

Tip 2: Consolidate and Conquer

As two people with an entire YouTube series dedicated to running errands together, we know a thing or two about getting the most done in the least amount of time. If you think about it, shopping is as much a sport as football. Do you think Travis Kelce steps on the field without a game plan? No, which is why you need one, too. 

The winning strategy in our playbook is to avoid walking into a store with a vague list of names and a dream. You need a general idea of what you want to buy for each person - just the category. That way, you can choose retailers that check as many gifts off your list as possible—a one-stop shop! Famous Footwear is a great example; look at how much we accomplished on our recent errand. Gold Stars all around! 

Looking to give back this holiday season? Famous Footwear is partnering with Soles4Souls, a non-profit dedicated to providing relief, creating jobs and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty. To donate, round up at the register when shopping in-store, online here, or by dropping off your gently used shoes at select locations. Learn more about Sole4Souls here.

Tip 3: Get Inspired

Speaking of having a general idea, we know that some people are harder to shop for than others. We also know that your dad or husband probably doesn’t want another pair of socks, which is why The Home Edit’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide exists. It includes our top handpicked gift ideas for every age (and every life stage) on your list—from kids and teens to adults—with fun categories, like the perfect something for your favorite star student. Shop The Home Edit’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide here to get inspired! 

The Home Edit

Tip 4: Create a Wrapping Station

Most people don’t have an entire room in their home dedicated to gift wrap essentials. Chances are, where you wrap gifts isn’t in close proximity to where you store all the supplies that go with it. The floor and kitchen table tend to be the two biggest hot spots. So, this year, instead of schlepping rolls of wrapping paper and bins of bows and ribbon down the hallway, put your system on wheels with this rolling cart here, designed specifically for keeping gifting supplies organized and within reach wherever. Yes, there’s even a cute side compartment to store wrapping paper vertically. As for hiding the gifts from the prying eyes of your family? Keep reading. 

shop the rolling cart

Tip 5: Secure a Secret Space 

They’ll check under the bed. They’ll check in the garage. They’ll check on the top shelf of your closet. But do you know where they won’t check? In a large concealed floor bin with a lid, like this one here, labeled as something boring, like tax returns. You are so very welcome!