HOW TO PLAN CHRISTMAS LIKE A PRO (AND A FREE DOWNLOADABLE PLANNER TO HELP!)

In Partnership with TK MAXX

Gifts, gift wrap and cards from a selection at ***TKMaxx.com***

We have always started present buying early and already have a few items put aside, for us it helps with budgeting for the season and means we aren’t rushing around last minute, feeling stressed. This time of year is already overwhelming enough and I don’t know about you, but I really want to curl up and spend the last week before Christmas watching cheesy festive movies and eating canapes, not looking for presents.

I have always loved buying gifts and find so much joy in finding someone a beautiful and useful present (that, to me, is the art of great gift giving). My favourite items to gift? A scented candle, beautiful bowls and I love spending time in the Deli section of TK Maxx! I’ve found some great kids pyjamas as well as incredible bed linen in store and online – I get such huge satisfaction from finding hidden treasure in store and top brands at a lower price, saving money without compromising is what it’s all about for me.

Here are a few tips we have found helpful when prepping for this time of year:

Make a list of all the people you buy presents for to help plan, I find it also helps to jot down ideas throughout the year so you’re not just mindlessly shopping.

Have a set budget in mind, if this is something you’ve not done before, we have found it helpful to discuss with family/friends (if you’re comfortable to). Setting boundaries has really helped us, for instance we have a 1 present rule and for some family members we buy for each other’s kids but not the parents.

Keep a present drawer at home (if you have space!). I often stock up on things like bath bombs (TK Maxx have a great range, and I often buy multipacks and split up amongst giftbags for kids) and it’s useful to keep them all in one place.

Make sure you make a note of who you’ve bought for, otherwise you might accidentally buy again!

Start saving tissue, jiffy envelopes and boxes from deliveries for postage now so you’re ready for deliveries. I love saving ribbon, too.

If looking to save money, rethink gifts in a more personal way – maybe you bake dessert on the big day but the host can keep the dish? Or make that viral cookie recipe you’ve learnt from TikTok!

All products photographed found at TK Maxx

With this in mind, The Frugality has teamed up with TK Maxx to design a downloadable Present Planner. It’s free to download and print at home, and hopefully will help with the overwhelm that comes with this time of year. I am a big fan of to do lists and box ticking so this was really fun to design, we hope you find it useful! If you don’t have a printer, you can always email us info@the-frugality.com with your postal address and we will send you one.