This past week I was rummaging through my gift stockpile in search of Christmas presents for my niece and nephew. They are too young to create toy lists for Christmas, (one is 1 1/2 the other is 3 1/2), so whenever I find discount prices on quality toys I succumb to the bargains. Obviously I won’t buy toys just because they are on sale, but sometimes I find really nifty gifts that I know they’ll love. If the item isn’t yet age appropriate I hold on to it until they get a little older.
Included in the stockpile are also a number of small items for my mother and mother-in-law as well as a number of bargain items I purchased when the nearby Hallmark store went out of business. For the most part I’m very particular about my gift stockpile. You won’t find generic gifts like soaps or candles. I almost always purchase items with specific recipients in mind.
But as I was rummaging through the pile this week I began to wonder whether or not it makes any sense to keep a stockpile at all. I don’t have a lot of storage space in my home and I hate filling up my makeshift closets with items that might not be given away for years.
So starting today I am vowing to stop, or at least drastically reduce, my bargain hunting tendencies. I will try my hardest not to purchase any items that require more than three months of storage. This is a good time for such a resolution. I’m hopeful that it will keep me out of the stores when the after season sales begin.
Well, I think to some extent keeping a stockpile does make sense. I mean say, if you are into shopping at a post-Christmas sales and you find some attractive offers there. At times, these offers are worth availing! So, what do you do then? And, stockpile is a good thing I mean if you don’t go overboard at least. You’ll save a lot of dollars and you’ll be able to give simple yet lovely gifts to your friends and relatives.
Christmas means fun and enjoyment no doubt but one has to keep in mind how much he can afford to spend on gifts, food, parties and the like. Some simple budgeting tips can make your Christmas fun-filled and help you keep a check over your spending.
Thanks for the links Jessica. I’m actually finding it difficult not to replenish the stockpile. So far I’m only able to hold fast to one rule: No item may remain in storage longer than one year.