Why I Start Christmas Shopping in July*

Yes, you read that right. I start Christmas shopping in July. Well they don’t have a whole “Christmas in July” thing for nothing! Jokes aside, yes weeks ago I started Christmas shopping. I received an Amazon voucher and aside from my sister’s belated birthday present I used it to buy things to put away for LM’s Christmas and I have absolutely no regrets. Christmas is expensive! And this year in November I want to book our flights to Florida and make a Christmas trip out to Disneyland Paris as a last hara with our Annual Passes before they expire. I used to start in September but these days with being self employed I don’t know when money is going to come in so every time I have a little spare I pick up something else until all I have left is the stuff LM writes on her list.

Not that I feel like I need to justify my reasons for starting my Christmas shopping in July, here are 5 of them why I do it (because I thought it would make for some good blog content of course!)

I’m a Single Mother
As much as I wish I did have two incomes, I don’t and as I mentioned above I’m self employed so I don’t even have a set wage coming in. I’m fully responsible for my daughter’s Christmas and although I don’t go over the top (she gets a lot of basics pjs, slippers, pants) I like to get her one new jigsaw, a new book, a DVD, a game as she doesn’t get a lot of this stuff throughout the year. These things are easy to pick up in the months between July & September before the real Christmas shopping begins and all the stores have their 3 for 2 offers on.

Spreading the Cost
Hand in hand with being a self employed single mother is spreading the cost. A lot of people do this over the whole year with a savings account or a company like Park. Some months I have spare cash, some I don’t so these don’t work for me but picking up bits and pieces from July through to December spreads the cost and I don’t end up grasping for money or needing to use a credit card because I’ve left it until the last minute.

Summer Sales
Summer sales are a perfect place to pick up things to put away for Christmas. Loads of stores do discounts on outdoor toys and some even on end of year lines. People who have kids with winter birthdays and even Christmas still need to find a time to gift a bike or a scooter or a new swing set. Purchasing them in the summer and finding somewhere to stash them til Christmas is a great way to do this. My favourite is the Disney Store sale and I did buy in it this year but mainly for back to school items rather than Christmas. Love the Sales is a great place to find all the online sales in one place, some great ones I’ve found on at the moment include Topshop & Jack Wills. Great for gifts for the adults in my life!

Reduces Stress
Lets face it, as a parent (or anyone really!) Christmas can be really stressful during the times we’re not enjoying the fancy drinks from Starbucks or going to the seasonal markets. I find by starting my shopping early reduces stress. I’m not running around the packed shops in a million layers trying to grab the last toy on the shelf, I’m not praying Royal Mail doesn’t loose my delivery. I’m usually all done by November and I can then sit back and focus on making my presents look pretty.

I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who starts their Christmas shopping early. I know my mum starts thinking about it after my nephew’s birthday in September but does anyone else start as early as July? Or is that just me?