Regardless of what you celebrate, chances are you are going to be doing some shopping this month. Christmas is December 25 and Hanukkah starts December 2, which doesn’t leave you a lot of time. But, it doesn’t have to be all consuming, either. Follow these easy steps to make sure you don’t get overwhelmed:

1. Make a budget. I know, the dreaded “B” word. But it can save you plenty in the long run. Ask yourself this – how much can you afford to spend on gifts? Whether it is $100 or $10,000, you need to know that you will be able to pay your bills come January. You want to end up with fond memories of the holidays, not anxiety over how to pay the bills.

2. Make a list. Get out a pen and paper – or an Excel spreadsheet and make five columns: Name, Gift ideas, Budget, Store, Actual Cost.

In the first column, list all of the people for whom you need to buy gifts. In the second column, make some notes as to what you are going to buy. The third column is ho w much you can spend on this particular person. Use the fourth column for the stores or websites that you will use to buy the gift(s) – this will help you minimize the number of trips to the mall or time spent online. The last column will be filled out after the shopping is completed, to help make sure you have stayed within your budget.

3. OK, I know how much I am going to spend, but What do I buy? Often times, this is the hardest question to answer. Nobody wants yet another angora sweater with bells on it. This year, think about ways to make it personal. If your sister wants to start exercising but hates the gym, a gift certificate for Pilates might be just the thing. So your dad does not need another tie (mine certainly doesn’t!) – this year, why not do something with him – take him out for a golf lesson, or rent a fishing boat for an afternoon. Do something different, but do it together.

4. Save time. Shop online. All of your favorite stores have websites – this is particularly great for gifts you need to ship anyway. Get the gifts you need and save a trip to the (painfully long lines at) the post office.

Look for interesting items online that might not be available in your local stores. With a little research, you would be surprised what you can find – everything from monogrammed cocktail napkins to metal garden sculptures. Check out Via Key West for some fun ideas.

While you are using the internet to your advantage, don’t forget to look for coupons. Do a search for “coupon code + [store name]” – you may be pleasantly surprised. Many websites offer coupon codes that can be used for the stuff you are going to buy anyway.

5. Outsource. Let’s face it, between work, kids and just making your household run on a daily basis, there is not a lot of time left for things like shopping. If this sounds like you, a concierge service can help. Services like Your Personal Manager can help with the holiday – and year round – needs by taking your to-do list and getting it done. Concierge services can buy and ship your gifts, recommend ideas and even get last minute items done by using long-established relationships with different vendors.

1. Gift buying & wrapping. Although this service is most requested around the holidays, you should feel free to use it all year long. It is especially handy for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and more.
2. Pay your bills. If you pay late fees because you can’t get to your bills on time we can fix that.
3. Professional organization. We can get your office, kitchen, garage or whole house organized.
4. Party help. Speaking of birthdays, does the thought of planning your child’s birthday party seem like too much? Don’t know which cake to get or what kind of favors will work? Whether it is a multi-tiered wine themed cake for a 40th birthday or specialized chocolates for a bat mitzvah, we can find just what you are looking for.
5. Office work. If you have a small business and do not need or want to hire help, outsource it! Our office team can file, mail, manage your schedule, work with your clients on your behalf, and more.
6. Errands. Any of the stuff you hate to do, you can pass off to your personal assistant. Your to-do list of dry cleaning, groceries and more will be done for you. We can work with you to set up a day per week,a day a month or anything in between, to handle your entire to-do list.
7. Oversee home improvement projects. Need new carpet, but don’t want to stay home all day and move everything to get it? We can do that. Need your home painted? We can work with any vendor to make sure your project goes smoothly and life is interrupted as little as possible.
8. Other stuff. Do you need something specific that you haven’t seen here? As long as it is legal and moral, we can help.

I have read many articles about how using checklists can solve all sorts of problems for you. While I agree that there is a time and a place for checklists (like for a once a year birthday party or event), I think that for the most part, what we all need is a better system for keeping a calendar of events.

Keeping a calendar in one place can help you make sure your bills are paid on time, reduce clutter, handle all household maintenance and more. By keeping an electronic calendar, you can schedule far into the future. So, what type of things can you add to your calendar?
Here are a few tips you can incorporate to make your life easier and keep it all in one place.

• Household maintenance - need to change the air conditioning filter every month? Put it on your calendar as an easy way to remind yourself (or your spouse) to take care of it.

• Soccer games, tennis matches, times to go to the gym - put them all on the calendar to make sure you only have to be in one place at a time.

• CD due dates. Don’t let a CD roll over for an unfavorable rate just because you miss the due date.

• Schedule times to take care of your to do list on your calendar.

If you use an online calendar, other members of your family can add to it as well. You can print out a weekly calendar every Monday, and give a copy to each person. That way, everyone will be on the same page and know where to be and when.

On the other hand, some things are better left to a checklist. These include things that you use only periodically – holiday card lists, packing lists for vacation and a budget/spending tracking.

1. Email. It is a huge time drain for most people. When you factor in that after answering emails, many people also update their Facebook status, Twitter and use a host of other social networking channels, the time lost can be enormous. To help reign in the electronic overload, pick specific times each day to answer your emails and update your networking sites. For example, you may want to allot 20 minutes at the beginning, middle and end of each day to stay in touch.
2. Always have a plan. At the beginning of each week, I print out a copy of my calendar from Outlook. I can easily see what appointments and events I have all week. I also add my tasks to my calendar to keep it all in one place. Then, as things get done, they can be crossed off the calendar. It just feels good to be able to cross things off and mark them as done.
3. Start with the unpleasant stuff. If you have the things you least like to do on your schedule early in the week, you can get them out of the way and not have to move them back on your calendar. (See #2, feeling good)
4. Automate what you can. If you have bills that are the same every month, set them up as automatic payments through your bank. Most banks have online bill pay, so why waste time paying the mortgage and cable bill when they are the same every month?

1. Create a “homework spot” somewhere in your house. You can stock this special area so your children can sit down and have everything they need to tackle their school work. As a bonus, you won’t have to hunt for supplies next year just before school starts – you will know exactly where they are.
2. Don’t buy more than you need. Oh, the expense of sending a child to gain a full year’s worth of knowledge. Between the new clothes and supplies you can put a serious dent in your August budget. Two to three weeks before school starts, go through all of the supplies that are left over from last year. Organize all pens, pencils, paper so you can see what is missing and buy only what you need.
3. Purge before you splurge. When you finish going through your child’s school supplies, go through the closet. Donate the outgrown stuff, toss any soiled items. Make a game plan with your child before going to the mall, so you do not end up with 6 pairs of black pants and no tops.
4. Steal some quality time. While dinner is in the oven (or on its way from the delivery place) spend some time going over your child’s homework. This is also a good time to go through the backpack and make sure it is filled with things they need and rid of the things they don’t.
5. Organize once each weekend to stay on track all year long. Take an hour or two over the weekend to cut up fruits and veggies for lunches and snacks. Make a list of what each child will take for lunch and shop for any necessary ingredients. Check that each child has enough clean clothes for the week. Finally, spend a few minutes relaxing, knowing that the week will go by very smoothly.

• As they burn out change your light bulbs to Compact Fluorescents. They have come way down in price and last a lot longer than standard bulbs.

• Reuse water bottles. Reusable water bottles are great for people on the go (which is everyone, right?) Buy a refillable bottle that fits in your car cup holder and your dishwasher.

• Getting married? Forgo the gift wrap. Most registries will let you select this as an option. It will save your guests some money (meaning they can buy you a better gift) and saves many feet of paper that will just be tossed away.

• Reusable grocery bags can be bought at just about every store these days. Buy one that folds up and fits on your key chain so you always have it with you, and delight in being able to look under your kitchen sink without plastic bags flying out at you.

Bonus tip: Washing your clothes in cold water will save electricity, save you money and generally get your clothes just as clean.

• Keep a notepad near your phone. You will need paper when someone calls with a phone number or piece of information. Be sure to only keep 1 pad, so you always know where your latest information is. At the end of every day, or every week, make sure you transfer all of the information you need to the appropriate file. You do not want to have to go back and search through many notepads to find what you need.

• Keep only files you are working on RIGHT NOW on your desk. As you start working on a project, take out the necessary items for that project. When done, put the files back. If you do it as you go, it makes it significantly easier to maintain.

• Keep office supplies in one drawer only. If you have supplies in multiple drawers, you end up looking in too many places when you need something. Store surplus supplies in a closet elsewhere, away from your desk and replenish as needed.

• Keep your calendar or PDA handy to add tasks to your to do list as they come up.
  

Need more help, or just some help jump starting your organizing project? Give us a call at (954)925-TIME (8463) to see how we can help.

1. Use an online tool like Facebook to upload your pictures and share with family and friends. (It is easy, really) You can add captions and let people look at their leisure. You don’t have to worry about boring everyone you know to death with an endless show-and-tell from your trip, as they can see for themselves. This also gives you an opportunity to censor the less than perfect shots, just by hitting “delete”.
2. Use technology to simplify your albums. Most people I know are not satisfied having all of their photos online. They also like to be able to flip through an actual album that they can touch and feel. (Particularly useful when the power goes out from a hurricane.) I recommend using a company like Snapfish or My Publisher to create an album WHILE STILL ON VACATION. You can simply upload photos every few days and arrange your album pages. There are several reasons for doing it this way – your memories are still fresh in your mind, so if you want to add captions it is easy to do so. Also, you will not be overwhelmed doing a little at a time compared to doing this all at once from a two week trip. Once complete, these companies can print out a beautiful, professional looking coffee table book that takes up very little space and is ready in just a few days.
3. Create your holiday gifts now. If Grandma and Grandpa want pictures of the kids for the holidays, why not create some custom coffee mugs or a calendar for a whole year of grandkids? You can do these at several online shops without ever leaving your house while the vacation is still fresh in your mind. Simply put them away until it is gift time.
4. Backup. Backup. Backup. Seriously, if you do not want to lose your photos you want to make sure you back up to either an external hard drive or an online service. That way, if your computer crashes, you won’t lose everything. This also applies to the rest of your computer files.
5. Still using a film camera? Why? With the new, tiny digital cameras, less waste in developing bad pictures, less room to store and the ability to print only what you want, but change your mind and print more later, now is a great time to switch. And if you’re afraid of all the technology, know this: my parents have made the switch. You can, too.