How soon do you start planning on Christmas and how do you save?

i dont really plan... all i do is if ever i see a good big sale on stuff that i think someone could use then i buy it and keep it for my christmas gifts... i have to do that because every year my other side of the family has reunion and there are so many kids to give gifts to, plus all the uncles and aunts, and the cousins, and their husbands and wives... so whenever i see those sales i tend to buy them doesnt matter what day it was... i keep them in a plastic bag and hang them under the stairs that i turned into a small storeroom.

I always start early with my shopping and stuff too. I have to try to find all of the bargins that I can this year as my husband has not worked much this year and I am struggling with money. I think that it will be a nice Christmas even though I will be taking some budget cuts. Good luck with hiding things as I know how kids get into stuff.

As soon as I get back from my summer holiday I start putting a little away towards Christmas every week even if it is only a couple of pounds it all helps. Then I try to do as much shopping online or really organise myself for a day in town to get as much as possible done in one go. I find this easier than hoarding stuff for months and either duplicating or loosing stuff only to find it hidden months later. Of course as soon as Christmas is out of the way I start saving for my holiday, lol. Birhtdays I try to work out about a month or so before so I can get what I would like in plenty of time or save a little if I need to.

I really don't start "planning" until mid/late summer, but I start picking up good deals as soon as I see them. Not just for the holidays though. For example, just after Christmas I came across this great sprinkler for kids to play in. I picked it up for my son's birthday (in May). It cost me $5, marked down from $30. I pick up stuff like that all year, really. For birthdays and the holidays. The holidays more so. I do try to keep track of what I have and how much it cost though, because when you're getting a good deal it's easy to keep going and go overboard.

When it comes to saving money for Christmas well that never really stops and part of the money I make online is permanently allocated for Christmas and Birthdays. When it comes to actually shopping I do this in two stages. Anything I plan to order online I try and do at the latest by the 3rd week in November and then shopping in town gets done by a couple of weeks before the big day. Although I do still go into town in those couple of weeks leading up to Christmas so that I can enjoy the festive atmosphere I am thankful that I have everything else done. As for stuff like wrapping paper and cards, well that gets done in the January sales and then stored away. I generally don't buy Christmas presents that far in advance as I either forget I got them or end up giving them as a present for another occassion.

hello there happythoughts..... ow you plan as early as january.me i plan usually in september. now by that month when my salary comes i go to the mall and find a sale or a thing that has a low price but a nice one. i usually wrap it immediately.i just put markings or names on the gifts so i will know who has a gift and who has none. have a nice day....

i pretty much start the day after christmas. here in canada, we get boxing day off and that is when all the sales are! last year i got some wrapping paper and a birthday present for my 12 year old and also some socks with snowmen on them for this year for her stocking! i have some stuff already but not as much as i would like. i need to get busy!

Hey there are lots of places to stash those presents. Do you have an attic? An upstairs? Under the bed? In the closet..at the very back and preferably on the sides with something else in front of them. Or on top of the back of the closet shelf. Use a neighbors closet if necessary; or a relative or friend. I usually start in January looking for gifts that i can pick up at a great price. I have gotten a couple of good ones this year, but got them off of ebay. Didn't get to start in January though, since i moved.

I start right after Christmas too. I have a big bucket in the basement where I put the gifts I find throughout the year. This way they are hid and out of the way from the kids. I always look at clearance racks too. It is amazing what you can find. I also go threw magazines. I jsut found some great velour blankets from Pennys for only $20 any size. I think check online for coupon codes to use for free shipping or an additoinal % off. I am going to get each of my kids one of these blankets for their beds, but give them to them for Christmas. (Mykids are older now). Whenever I get paid for a site I work for, I keep that money in my paypal account. this way I have them money to purchse these things online and it isn't like I am using any out of pocket money.

I start my shopping usually around September for christmas and then as soon as I have finished I start saving for the next christmas. We have three children and lots of other family to consider so I need as much money as I can. I have two jars in my safe that I put money in every week, one for all my change and the other for bigger value coins. One is now nearly full to the top and the other is over halfway I have not counted it yet though so it will be interesting to see how much is in them. Once they are full I will put them in the bank and gain a bit of interest off it until I start my shopping!

If I have the money I will buy clearanced paper and boxes and decorations (I have family that loves to get decorations as presents). Then in the summer I start thinking about who I will buy gifts for and who I will make cookies or another treat for. When school starts up in the fall I start buying gifts and the ingredients I will need that will not go bad. By Thanks giving I have a very good list of what is left to do, and the week or two before Christmas I will do all my baking and go through mu closet of goodies for last minute items that I still need. I have a closet in my kitchen that I store the things I buy through out the year, platters, small gifts, things like that. Then during the year I can buy gifts as they are on sale and I will have them for birthdays and Christmas extras. I do not have to worry about my husband looking in that closet because I intentionally keep it looking very messy (There is some organization behind what you imediatly see) every few months I make a big deal about needing to clean out that closet and he leaves me alone about it in fear of having to help clean it. Sneaky Sneaky, plus I keep his gifts hidden in the spare bedroom closet (he does not want to have to help clean it out either)

My family usually starts preparing after the Haloween. However, if i stumble upon things on sale or discount which i think might be appropriate for someone I do buy it as a gift on Christmas. For ideas on Christmas this would be helpful http://www.gifti.us

I start early as well and have started making my list of what the kids will be getting this year, bikes all around, new furniture for KR's Room and for the boys room, etc, etc etc, we have a Christmas Savings, where x amount of my husbands check goes into it every pay check. I have that plus some extra if needed when the time comes.

I start planning at the end of summer. Mostly online you can get a lot of deals when things go on clearance and then if you can find a coupon for free shipping. I think the best one of the best hiding spots is in the floor of the mini-van. It's right below the kids and they never suspect a thing.

I try to plan around Summer time. I do alot of Arts and Crafts, so,..I usually need to start working on them early so the gifts will be done at Christmas. I'm a single mom, too. My son is 16 now. GOSH.....I'm running out of ideas on what to get him!!LOL

I would say about July or August, and try not to do too much if you know that you will not be able to.

I don't really have a set plan for Christmas. Really my kids don't get all that much for Christmas because they get new things that they want all year long. I will sometimes see something for a really good price earlier in the year and buy it and put it aside for Christmas. I don't really have to hide things though because my kids know that they are not allowed to go through my things.

We usually actually start buying in November... that way we have less time to wory about keepin them hid. I always wish I would have started earlier though....But we do try to shop around and order things online that are on sale. My son is growing at such a fast rate and his tastes change so much from one moment to the next I am afraid to get things too far in advance.....but then again, there is another part of me that knows that he truly would like anything that he gets as long as he has something to open.....!!!! Happy MyLotting!!!

I usually start thinking about it in October or November. I usually get a gift for each family instead of buying indiviual gifts for everyone. I usually get a decoration or orniament or a gift card to a resturant that the whole family likes. Now I will get indiviual gifts for my Dad, Mom and Sis.

As soon as the month starts ending in "ber", the is the only time I start buying things for the Holiday Season. I find January too early and besides January is the time to start paying for the incurred expenses from the preceeding holiday. I always go for the bargain materials due to the fact that I am contraint financially. I guess it is the thought that counts.