Does it always seem that you happen upon the perfect gift for someone in April, but the occasion isn’t until the end of the year? You decide to leave the perfect gift. Then along comes the event and you are scrambling to come up with something. Then you need a gifting closet. My gifting closet is my favorite money-saving and last minute stress-reducing hack. Don’t let the fact you don’t have a dedicated “closet” keep you from creating a space to store gifts, cards, and wrapping paper. My gifting closet is 2 shelves in my kitchen pantry next to all my Tupperware, crafting supplies, and too many water bottles to count.
I love giving gifts, from birthdays to those random times when a friend needs a pick me up. I’ve learned through experience, that with just a little planning and clearance hunting, I can score some really good deals throughout the year.
Creating a little stock pile of potential presents has saved me from finding myself at the store on the way to the party, scrambling and stressing last minute, then panic purchasing an overpriced present, wrapping paper, and card.
Below are a few useful tips for creating your own gifting closet:
Create a list of occasions
Think about what kind of things you might have coming up over the next year. Events such as Graduations, baby showers, and various birthdays. Gifts for teachers, new neighbors, a little something just because for friends/family, or a hostess gift. And don’t forget the holidays – Christmas, Easter, Mother’s/Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day are just the few that come to mind.
Keep an eye out for deals
There is no rush to stock up on items all at once – take your time and keep an eye out for sales. When shopping for items, think about how you can pair it with something. For example, a beautiful tray and pairing it with homemade cookies, a pretty vase paired with fresh flowers, or kitchen tea towels and hand soap. Remember to shop after holiday sales and keep an eye out for those clearance stickers.
Organize
Whether you use shelves, drawers or under-bed storage bins, you’ll want to organize your gifts into categories by age, holiday, and miscellaneous. Creating an organized gifting closet will help you save money and time on everything from big ticket Christmas items to the random birthday parties that your children are invited to year round.
What I keep in my gifting closet
In addition to specific gifts that I purchase for certain people on my list, I like to keep the following on hand in my gifting closet:
- Non-personal gifts: I keep my eye out for generic items for those last minute events, such as a teachers or a thank you for a neighbor. Items like tea towels, hand soap, journals, or candles. I look for things that my husband or I might enjoy receiving.
- Generic kid gifts: I will pick up the following items when on sale – Lego sets, puzzles, various art supplies, and other small items to pair with a gift card.
- All the trimmings: To make gift giving easier, I store blank cards, wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, boxes, and tags alongside my various gifts. Having everything readily available in one spot keeps me from having to run out and purchase those items.
In no time you can have you very own gifting closet created to store gifts year round. If you already have your own gifting closet, let us know what you keep on hand and how it is organized.
