Shopping ahead

 

I keep a running list of people that I like to buy gifts for.  Mainly the list consists of birthdays as it is laid out month by month.  Of course, there's a long list of people at Christmas that I would love to buy something for.  It's funny, though, that back when I was part of a couple there was a lot of pressure to buy these gifts.  For some reason I felt like it was not only something I needed to do, but I needed to do it for the both of us.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love getting gifts for people and there was always that sense of "don't worry, I've already taken care of it" that accompanied the gift giving.  But now it has a different feeling to it.  Not better or worse, just different.  I don't have that same urgency for gift giving like I used to.  While it's still a wonderful thing to do, if I can't for whatever reason such as it doesn't fit into my budget right now, then that's ok.  A card will do.  As long as I acknowledge in some way, that's what matters.

Having said that, I am still always on the lookout for gifts whenever I go out shopping or am shopping online. I seem to have a rolodex in my head of little things that interest people.  And when I come across something that matches those interests, I will definitely consider it for purchase.  I like to shop ahead and will admit that I am already thinking about Christmas.  It's just how I like to shop and give gifts.  And sometimes the gift does not have to relate to anything the person already loves.  It could be something totally new or it could be something that just reminds them that they are being remembered.  For either reason, I still enjoy it.  And shopping ahead definitely helps me with my budget.  I used to be very bad about waiting until a few weeks before Christmas to really get shopping done.  I would end up spending too much money and often get unnecessary things for people just to have something under the tree.  Shopping head helps with that.

I suppose I should go and check my gift list and see who's next!  April is a busy month for that and I need to get started!  That is all.