Episode 551: Buy Gifts Early

[00:00:15] Allow me to welcome you to Dreas Point of View.

[00:00:17] I am your hostess, Dreya, and in the next 10 minutes or less, I will be offering you my

[00:00:22] perspective on a topic that I feel passionate about.

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[00:00:36] So this topic comes from the holidays and listening to many people who can't really do like they

[00:00:52] wanted to.

[00:00:53] There was a lot of struggling going on this past year, and I read a lot of it on posts,

[00:00:58] and I wanted to add my two cents.

[00:01:02] And this isn't for people who have been struggling all year.

[00:01:06] This is for the average person who waits until the last minute, which is most people, to buy

[00:01:19] gifts.

[00:01:20] And that makes me wonder, since we all know when holidays are, mainly Christmas and Valentine's

[00:01:29] Day, why do you choose to wait until that two-week period before the holiday?

[00:01:42] I'm looking at someone who works all year.

[00:01:47] You may or may not, you figure you get a bonus.

[00:01:52] Some people are lucky enough to get a bonus.

[00:01:56] Some go on vacations throughout the year.

[00:01:58] I think most of us do.

[00:02:02] So why not pick up a souvenir?

[00:02:04] You'd be surprised what great gifts souvenirs make, especially from a foreign place.

[00:02:15] One gift I got someone.

[00:02:18] I know that she loves Hawaii.

[00:02:21] I got her.

[00:02:22] So I got her some flavored teas, and I got her a wall calendar.

[00:02:29] Wall calendars come in handy for everyone.

[00:02:34] And some gifts, including that calendar, come in two for this or three for that.

[00:02:42] If you buy someone a shirt, you can buy two for something or three for something and get

[00:02:48] something for yourself or multiple gifts.

[00:02:51] I just find it hard and don't really empathize with people or sympathize with people who wait

[00:03:01] until the last minute and don't plan ahead.

[00:03:04] I read a post from someone I follow, and he travels throughout the year and shows what

[00:03:19] he gets, what he buys.

[00:03:24] And something came up, as it usually does around the holidays.

[00:03:29] So he posted he was unable to buy gifts.

[00:03:32] Now, I don't know how much he spends on gifts.

[00:03:36] That's none of the business.

[00:03:38] But I was just wondering, in all of his ventures, why he didn't plan to get something here or there.

[00:03:50] It just makes me wonder.

[00:03:51] So you know that Christmas is coming, yet you don't think about someone until the month

[00:03:59] of, and then something comes up, and then you get nothing.

[00:04:04] I'm one who plans ahead.

[00:04:07] I like to start around Halloween.

[00:04:12] This past year, I happened to start a little earlier, early October, and I was done by Thanksgiving.

[00:04:19] One reason, most of my gifts are mailed out.

[00:04:25] So I definitely don't want to send anything through the mail the month of December.

[00:04:29] I've had that before, and it didn't go well.

[00:04:35] And another is, I definitely don't want to be in the stores when they're the most packed, which is the month of December.

[00:04:41] I'm grateful for online shopping.

[00:04:45] But since I travel for a living, I don't really have an excuse not to get anyone anything anyway.

[00:04:50] Anyway, I'm always thinking and seeing deals, always seeing souvenirs.

[00:04:58] And especially if you know what someone likes, like my friend who I got the Hawaiian stuff for.

[00:05:07] It didn't cost a lot.

[00:05:09] I knew she'd like it.

[00:05:11] I got it in advance, threw it in a gift bag because I do not wrap, and gave it to her along with a nice card.

[00:05:23] I was looking for some fun glasses to wear because in the past, I've gotten glasses that have the year on it.

[00:05:33] And I waited too late.

[00:05:37] But I did, however, see Valentine's Day items out.

[00:05:42] I didn't get any of that.

[00:05:44] But if things come out early, surely someone has it to buy it early.

[00:05:55] Why not get something early for someone else and then for yourself?

[00:06:00] Like I said, you don't have to break the bank, but you know it's already done.

[00:06:05] That's less you have to worry about.

[00:06:06] See, I've never been a last-minute person.

[00:06:08] I don't like the stress, and I don't like to come up with an excuse if I can't do.

[00:06:13] Because December, some things kind of came up for me.

[00:06:18] However, I was able to get for myself as well as someone else.

[00:06:22] So definitely keep that in mind for the next holiday, which is what?

[00:06:28] Valentine's Day.

[00:06:30] Things are out now.

[00:06:32] Scoop up a nice card at the very least.

[00:06:36] The candy is out.

[00:06:38] You can always, it wouldn't hurt to get some of that.

[00:06:43] And I don't know, maybe a stuffed animal or so could run you depending.

[00:06:50] Like I said, I don't know.

[00:06:52] I think we need to come down on the gifts that we expect to get for people.

[00:06:59] Because there's so much you could even do for someone without having to buy someone.

[00:07:03] I know one year, a good friend of mine who doesn't work much managed to ship homemade candy.

[00:07:15] Best gift ever.

[00:07:16] So you can always make something for someone.

[00:07:23] Or just get them an inexpensive gift.

[00:07:27] How about that?

[00:07:28] There's plenty out there.

[00:07:29] Listen to one of my previous episodes for ideas.

[00:07:32] But the moral of it all is get gifts early.

[00:07:38] I just felt bad for the people that did not get anything from someone else's poor planning.

[00:07:48] Keep that in mind.

[00:07:52] Keep that in mind.

[00:07:53] Because I'm sure if she were on the other foot, you would appreciate effort.

[00:07:59] I can't imagine someone telling me that I know works year-round and that I know spends money elsewhere and travels to tell me that, because I don't ask for much, that they can't get such and such for me.

[00:08:17] Because such and such happened.

[00:08:20] And I don't know, that wouldn't go over well with me.

[00:08:25] So make sure that you are subscribed to this podcast as well as to my free weekly newsletter that comes out on weekends.

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[00:08:38] As always, I thank you for listening.

[00:08:40] This has been Drea's point of view.