Type A Christmas shopping at it's best!

So many people in my life have “labeled” me with a “Type A personality”.  I take this as a compliment because I think of myself as efficient, detailed oriented, and a go-getter!  Some might use other adjectives but at the end of the day it’s just  semantics!

One way in which my “Type A” personality comes out is in my highly organized Christmas shopping system.  I have used this system for the last few years and I swear by it.  Here is a breakdown of my easy, yet extremely successful and organized shopping system.

Steps to success:

1.       Set a budget.  Whether it is per person or an overall amount you want to spend.  If you do it by person, allow a little flexibility as you might spend more on one person and spend less on another yet the average per person is still spot on!

2.       Get a gift card.  I typically go to my local Safeway and get a VISA gift card with my above budgeted amount.  There usually is a surge charge of $5 but that’s a small price to pay for staying on budget.

3.       Make a list, like actually write it out on paper.  The list should include the following:

a.       Name of each person you are shopping for

b.      Several gift idea options per person

c.       List possible stores that have these items and try to get as much at each store for people on your list.

d.      Any other notes that might help you in your shopping endeavors

4.       GO SHOPPING!!!  Use your VISA gift card with your pre-selected amount, keep all your receipts so you can keep track of the balance. 

With this shopping system that I have used over the years, I’m able to get my shopping done in hours, with little stress and more importantly, on budget!  Just a little extra pre-planning goes a long way!  Now it’s time to get wrapping. 

3rd Time was not a Charm!

For all of you out there that are on pins and needles about the outcome of our third IUI, I am sad to report that is was not successful.  We will be taking a break from fertility treatments for some unknown period of time.  It will be nice to give my body a rest from all the medications and also to rest mentally/emotionally.  We are meeting with our RE later this month to discuss our next steps and after that we should have a better idea of our plan going forward.  We are hoping to do IVF in 2012 if it is financially possible.  That’s it for now!