The Fredericton Daily Gleaner
Friday, October 22, 2004
When looking for presents, don't forget to search yard sales and secondhand stores, says professional organizer Elaine Shannon.
She routinely finds gifts for people this way.
When she quit work to stay home with her children, the family had to re-think its spending habits.
She realized she could find great gifts by looking throughout the year for sale items and by shopping secondhand.
"You can save so much money. It's an environmental thing when you reuse things and give them a new purpose," says Shannon.
Many of her friends love getting antiques and gifts she's found at yard sales.
"You know what your friends and family like and collect."
She has a friend who collects pottery. This year she found a couple of these pieces at yard sales.
She bought the pieces for a dollar each but they are valued at $30.
"I buy this way for the people who appreciate the fact that I was thinking of them on a Saturday morning," says Shannon.
She doesn't shop at yard sales for people who wouldn't appreciate receiving secondhand items.
She loves antiques and many of her friends love them too.
While at an auction, last January, she bought a table filled with Spode china, pottery and watercolour paintings for $75. If purchased new she says she would have spent hundreds of dollars.
She sold some of these items at a yard sale but kept many things for this year's Christmas gifts.
If you spend the time and search for sales you will find them, she says.
"It's the thrill of the hunt."
Shannon says re-gifting is OK. If you've received something you don't need or like, she says, give it to somebody who would appreciate it.
"But don't give it to somebody who gave it to you because this would hurt their feelings," says Shannon.
She will give restaurant gift certificates to people who have everything.
Shannon makes jams and pickles and wraps them up for people who love food but hate to cook.
She gives a gift of her time to people who are time-challenged.
For those with young children, for example, she will offer to babysit.
"These are the things you can give to people that are priceless," says Shannon.
Year-round gift shopping makes sense for many reasons, says Shannon.
Not being rushed allows you to put a lot of thought into your gift selection and gives you an opportunity to find something meaningful for the recipient, she says. B1
"Gifts purchased at the last minute tend to be more expensive because you're rushed and grabbing whatever you can find," she says.
She has three children. Each child is invited to about 10 parties throughout the year. She won't spend any more than $10 on each gift. She looks for popular things on sale. When she finds something she knows kids like, she stocks up.
For example when she once found a Lego set valued at $14.86 for $5 - several went in her shopping cart. All of these birthday presents are stored in a hope chest. Her kids decide what to give their friends from this tickletunk.
She shops at stores for new things too but she always looks for sale items.
The time to start planning for Christmas gift-giving, she says, is on Dec. 26 or immediately in the New Year.
Shannon has an entire box filled with gifts for her seven-year-old. She bought everything during last year's Boxing Week sales. She bought clothing she anticipates will fit him this year.
At this time she also finds next year's wrapping paper, tags and ribbons.
"It makes me angry when I have to pay full price for things. I used to be a shopaholic. I was always in the mall," she says.
This approach to gift-giving started years ago, she says.
Keeping an inventory list of the gifts she has purchased helps her avoid over-purchasing. She keeps her receipts to keep track of what she's spent so she doesn't go over-budget.
Some people wrap their gifts as they buy them. But this doesn't work for Shannon. She says she needs to see what she's bought.
It's a thrill, she says, to look at gifts she bought throughout the year as she wraps them.
She does her Christmas gift-wrapping early in December. It takes the stress away from the season.
<< go back to read more Articles
