5 Reasons To Start Christmas Shopping In July

Starting your Christmas shopping in July makes December so much easier. Check out these 5 Reasons To Start Christmas Shopping In July.

For help on what to buy, check out all of our gift guides.

It’s July, which is less than halfway to Christmas. And I know, it feels far away, but it’s not. There are a lot of reasons why you should start Christmas shopping in July.

I’m not kidding.

I don’t have a hard and fast date as to when to start Christmas shopping. So if you’ve been asking yourself, “When should I start Christmas shopping?” there’s no real answer … except for now. Start shopping now.

Honestly, I usually start shopping the day after Christmas. That’s when Christmas ornaments are half off. And I always pick one up for my godson that day. It’s also the perfect time to pick up wrapping paper (that doesn’t look like Christmas paper, so I can use it for birthdays through the year) and Christmas cards for next year.

So, I do Christmas shop — for the next year — in December. But other than that, I shop through the year, taking advantage of the big sales through the year, then shop from my own gift closet in December. That makes December so much more enjoyable — and leaves me so much more time to make Christmas cookies.

If you have kids on your shopping list, you probably buy them toys for Christmas. I always get non-electronic toys for Pete’s nephews, ever since they were little kids, and I’ve started doing the same with my nephews. We’ve given them this block set and these building sets, if you’re looking for ideas.

Many stores that don’t regularly stock an abundance of toys, but do during the holiday season, will mark the toys down after Christmas just to get them out of the store to make room on the shelf. That’s a great time to look for clearance items and scoop them up for gifts.

If you have an idea of what you want to buy, you can start watching prices now to assure you get the best deals.

One of my favorite hacks for this is making a Wish List on Amazon. Add the items you’re planning on buying in the future. Check it daily and you’ll see any fluctuations in prices. It will note how much the item has dropped in price since being added to your Wish List. Once it drops to the best price, purchase it.

You definitely want to take advantage of Christmas in July sales that stores are running to entice you to shop now. You can also find Black Friday sales in July sales too, so check your inbox all month long because stores will sneak those sales in along with their regularly scheduled emails.

And, you don’t have to stick specifically to Christmas in July sales. Look for back to school sales to stock up on things like crayons for stocking stuffers. And, look for your state’s tax-free weekends and purchase your big purchases then. Saving the tax can save you a lot of money on large ticket items, like electronics.

A few years ago, I bought Pete a hydroponic herb garden for Christmas. I had seen it, thought he would love it, and ordered it right away. I told my friend about it because I knew her husband would love it too, but she waited a few days before she tried to order. By then, it was out of stock and wasn’t going to be restocked until after Christmas.

If this had happened when she was celebrating Christmas in July, it would have been fine. She would have had time to wait for the store to restock and purchase the gift in time for Christmas. Since this happened in December, she was out of luck.

So if you start shopping now, you’ll have time to watch the item and wait for it to come back in stock.

For Father’s Day two years ago, I had no idea what to get my dad. I usually can come up with something great, but last year, I blanked completely. Which is a shame because I’m usually really good at giving gifts because I think about them way ahead of time.

If you start thinking about gifts now, you’ll actually be able to think of a gift your recipient will love rather than just grabbing whatever’s available at the last minute because you need a gift.

And, if you think of too many things, you can buy them both. Then you have a gift for Christmas, but another for that person’s birthday this year.

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I was by myself and far away from my family. They were definitely on my mind that holiday season. So from Black Friday until December 23 (the traditional holiday shopping season), I went to the mall every day and picked up one gift for one person.

Now, I don’t have that kind of time. I can’t run two blogs and go shopping for holiday gifts every day with the December crowds.

Now, I get a head start on my shopping by starting early, keep the gifts in our guest room closet, and only go to the mall in December because I want to, not because I have to.

And if you do this, it means you actually get to enjoy December. You can spend time driving around looking at Christmas lights, you can go to holiday events and actually be present rather than thinking about the presents you need to buy.

There are a few websites and apps I use during the year where I get, what I call, free money. Like Fetch. You take a photo of your grocery store, brick and mortar store, or restaurant receipts with the app and you get points. You can exchange those points for an Amazon gift card (there are, of course, other choices, but I always pick Amazon).

Plus, there are apps that reward you monetarily for working out. During the first half of the year, I use this credit on household items. From July until December, I use it to purchase Christmas gifts.

And, then there are the great $10 off any purchase coupons and free item coupons that come in the mail for certain stores. I’ve used them to get free candles, t-shirts, slippers, pajamas, purses, lotion … you name it, I’ve probably gotten it free after a coupon or credit (and that includes a bench and new kitchen chairs for our kitchen table).

If you start using those apps and websites now, you’ll end up with enough credit to get some great deals.

Are you going to knock out your entire Christmas list with “free money”? No, of course not. But, if you’re creative, there are plenty of ways to use this money to stretch your Christmas budget so you won’t feel the crunch on your wallet in December.

What reasons for Christmas shopping in July do you have?