7 holiday shopping tips to help you tackle your list 

Know exactly who you need gifts for before heading to the store or browsing online. Not only will it save you time — it’ll preserve your sanity (and your bank account). Divide your holiday shopping list into categories: immediate family, relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, teachers/service providers (babysitter, mailman, the Amazon delivery driver who comes to your house daily) and check off each name once you purchase their gift.

• Pro tip: Be practical. If you don’t know someone well enough to know what they’d like, should you even buy them a gift? Would a handwritten note be just as meaningful?

A gift-buying schedule is a great way to avoid feeling overwhelmed during the holiday season. You’ll need to consider when you’re starting your holiday shopping obviously, the fewer weeks (or days) you have left, the more gifts you’ll need to purchase at a time.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to prioritize time-sensitive gifts: think teachers, colleagues, friends, service providers — anyone you’ll need to gift before the actual holiday.

Is the best deal available online or in store? Is now the best time to buy that (insert gift here)? Maybe you want to get your husband that recliner he’s been not-so-subtly dropping hints about, but it’s full price. It might be a better idea to wait until next July — when furniture tends to be on sale — and give it to him for his birthday.

Before you swipe your card or click “Add to cart,” check out a guide to shopping for the best deal.

Not only could homemade gifts save you money during the holidays, but they’ll feel much more personal to the recipient than the same item bought in a store.

• Pro tip: Plan ahead to give yourself enough time to purchase needed materials or ingredients and to make the gifts (i.e. baking a batch of cookies will take much less time than knitting a hat).

If you have a family member or friend who’s a collector or routinely shops in thrift stores, chances are you can find unique, low-cost gifts at thrift stores, yard sales … even in your own home!

Be certain that the recipient will appreciate a gently-used gift. For example, if your sister only shops at high-end department stores and wouldn’t dream of setting foot in a thrift shop, she’s probably not a good candidate for a secondhand gift.

However, gifting sentimental heirlooms to another family member — such as jewelry, furniture, china, or artwork — can have deep personal meaning for both the giver and the recipient. And if you’re looking to downsize or organize your home, you’ll be checking items off two to-do lists!

Holiday shopping can be stressful enough on its own. But compounding that stress by waiting until the last minute to purchase gifts is probably not your best move. The closer you get to the actual holiday, the greater the chance that availability and selection will be limited (or nonexistent), especially for “hot” items. Give yourself every opportunity to enjoy the holiday season by starting your shopping as early as possible.

Need another reason to shop sooner rather than later? Inflated “holiday” shipping costs. Overnight shipping can sometimes cost more than the item itself!

Know how much you want to spend, but not sure what to get? Take a look at these gift ideas, categorized by price:

Citizens can help by rewarding you for each time you check a name off your holiday gift-giving list. The Citizens Cash Back Plus® World Mastercard® gives you 1.8% cash back on everything you buy. Yes, everything.**