3 Tips for Online Holiday Shopping
Photos by Briana Lindsey Photography
I'll give you one guess where 99.9% of my holiday shopping takes place.
Have your guess ready? If you know me at all, this one should be easy. Okay, it may be your second guess based on all of my Instagram stories BUT it's by far the top place I shop for holiday gifts.
On my couch.
No joke, 99.9% of my holiday purchases are done at home. Sitting on my couch. While nursing Ava. Yep, that's when I get my best work done because I have no distractions (besides Baxter occasionally barking to be let outside) and I can get everything taken care of quickly and easily. And I don't know about you but checking things off of my to-do list like holiday shopping takes about 34 times longer than it used to now that I've got Ava so mall shopping, errands and anything that involves getting in my car and actually going somewhere isn't so easy anymore.
So sitting here at home, on my couch, while nursing it is!
Here's how it typically goes:
Ava starts eating, I pull out my phone, I find the items I want to purchase, add them all to my cart and then the next part goes one of two ways:
1. The website asks for a credit card number and I don't want to potentially wake Ava up by getting up while she's nursing on me, find my purse hidden somewhere in the house, rumble through my purse to find out where my misplaced credit card is, type in all of the information only to have typed the numbers in incorrectly....you know how it all goes. None of that sounds fun. So when this happens, I typically close my browser and the item doesn't get checked off of my to do list.
And then there's the outcome I prefer:
2. I go to checkout, click the "PayPal" option, and in one click my purchase is done. Ava is still nursing (or if I'm lucky, she's asleep), I don't get frustrated AND another holiday shopping item is checked off of my to do list.
Voila, mom wins.
I'd take that "PayPal" Option 2 over Option 1 any day, wouldn't you?
Okay so seriously, I do everything I can to only shop with vendors who have that PayPal option because it just makes my life SO MUCH EASIER. I know, you're totally thanking me right now for the best online shopping tip EVER. But don't worry, I've got another some more for ya.
3 Tips for Online Holiday Shopping
1. Shop using PayPal for convenience and ease.
I know I already mentioned it but there's so much more goodness I just love about PayPal. You can use PayPal’s One Touch service, allowing you to pay for items in your shopping basket without having to enter credit card or billing details — activate it here . Or you can choose the PayPal Credit option, which gives you the flexibility to pay for your purchases over time.
2. Shop Small
I don't even have to mention that big red store I seem to be shopping at daily because I know you're all in the same boat as I am for daily errands. But during this holiday season, I do my best to shop from small shops as much as I can because my purchase is making a difference in that shop owner's life this holiday season. When I shop small (even from the comfort of my home), that purchase may directly be paying for a kid's Christmas gift. When I shop small, there is someone on the other end [literally] doing a happy dance every single time an order is placed. When I shop small, I am telling someone, "What you're created is amazing. And you're amazing."
Just think about THAT for a second. That's why I shop small every chance I get.
Oh yeah, and I totally gifted Ava and myself a new pair of Allbirds early. I know, I totally need to stop with this whole "early gifting" thing I do but I was just too excited to wait until Christmas. I mean, look at them -- Aren't they the cutest mommy and me tennis shoes you ever did see? They were just too stinkin' darling that I couldn't resist. Click here if you want to add them to your holiday list too. And it's totally fine if you decide to gift them to yourself early...because I said so ;)
But I digress. Moving right along to Shopping Tip #3...
3. Shop early, be courteous + be kind.
The holiday season is hectic and everyone and their mother is shopping online, expecting to get their items the next day and complaining when items are a day late. But think about it -- we are all human and humans are literally packaging up your things and delivering them to your doorstep so that YOU can have an enjoyable holiday season. Someone's workload has just doubled or tripled or quadrupled this holiday season and they're still just one single human. So shop early to ensure your items get delivered on time, be kind, be courteous and be gracious that you are able to shop from the comfort of your couch with an adorable sleeping baby on your chest while someone is out there working their butt off to make this holiday season everything you've imagined it up to be.
Holiday shopping made easy. You're welcome.