Whenever we visit the toy store, the first thing I do is explain the lay of the land to my youngest. She’s old enough to understand the value of money and why, sometimes, she can’t always get the toy she wants.
But on the rare occasion, I find myself giving in to her melodramatic pleas and end up walking out defeated.
As a parent, you don’t always want to be the bad guy when it comes to denying your child something they’ve wanted for so long, especially when they’ve innocently added it to their Christmas wish list in the hopes that Father Christmas will make it happen because they’ve been a good child this year.
Some of us don’t have the financial means to afford that R2K drone or Barbie playhouse. It’s a tough sell trying to convince them to settle for something cheaper.
While conducting a survey of 2 000 parents, OnePoll on behalf of The Toy Association, found that 62% of those who celebrate the holidays felt they spent too much time on gift shopping.
A quarter of parents said they take at least a week to complete their holiday shopping for their children. And a whopping 74% said they would feel guilty if they couldn’t afford the toy their child wanted.
To lessen the stress of toy shopping, the folks at Toys R Us have come up with a few hacks to save parents time and money.
Wish lists
Get your children to do their wish lists early, as this will ensure you get them something they really want, while at the same time manage their expectations. Doing this early allows you to budget and plan ahead of time.
Having a wish list also means you can share their wants with other family members ensuring the burden isn’t entirely left on you.
Set a budget
A budget is key in terms of planning your holiday shopping. This will ensure you have either saved the money early on that you will allocate to gifts, or you can plan how many gifts and what exactly you would like to buy.
It’s important to remember that it’s not the wisest thing to borrow or withdraw from your savings. Try to set a spending limit for every gift you buy. Determine the total amount you will spend on gifts and then divide it amongst who you are going to buy for.
Plan with the top toy trends
This year's top toy list is inspired by the latest toy trends. If you want to surprise your children, you can’t go wrong with selecting any one of these for their gifts.
A few of the big trends in the world of toys which have inspired the top toy must-haves include toy unboxing, outdoor play and creative building, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills toys, sensory play and educational toys that support remote learning.
Buying online
Online shopping is convenient and hassle-free, but to avoid disappointment, best you get those orders checked before December 16.
The great thing with online shopping is the constant deals and discounts, so do your research before checking out your cart.
Mall shopping
The best time to approach the mall during the holiday season is early in the week during a workday. Fewer people mean fewer germs, flexibility to move around the store and accessibility to a good parking spot.
To avoid large crowds, never resort to last-minute holiday shopping if you can. We are still living in the time of a pandemic. So, to protect yourself, you need to avoid having lengthy shopping trips. Pre-plan particular stores you will stop at to buy items to avoid you having to go back and forth.