As soon as August ends, Christmas shopping becomes the main subject. Back in the days, holiday frenzy used to start immediately after Thanksgiving, but a study showed that nowadays, 80 percent of people start shopping earlier. Consequently, shops put up their Christmas decorations earlier and holiday commercials begin to appear on TV as soon as the summer sun sets. There are some shoppers who like to do their gift shopping throughout the whole year, but two months in advance seems like the most reasonable time to start. Here’s why early Christmas shopping is such a great idea.

Allows You to Plan Ahead

An average shopper spends more than $800 on holiday gifts for their family and friends. For most people, Christmas shopping is a heavy hit on the budget but starting early and shopping smart helps you prepare and come up with a rational plan. Determine how much you can spend on presents, divide the figure by the number of gifts you need to buy, and stick to the plan. You can even make an Excel spreadsheet to take things to another level and keep everything under control. This also lowers the chance of impulse buys and allows shopping off-season when there’s no crowd, queues, elbowing, nor panicking.

Saves You Money

Having a plan is one way to save money, but shopping early can save your money in many other ways. For instance, you can buy presents on different sales and save up a lot. Look for clearance sales at the end of seasonal cycles – like the end of summer sales – or back-to-school sales, both in September. If you intend to buy electronics or clothing and want to be a savvy shopper, wait for Black Friday deals. Also, shopping in the heat of the Christmas season brings spending temptations for stuff you don’t really need. Even if you get to the mall just to buy presents, you can end up with a little something for yourself just because it is on sale. Besides, shopping on time gives your bank balance time to recover – a few wages towards the end of the year will be all yours and you’ll start a new year in a good financial position.

Makes You a Better Gift-Giver

Planning ahead and having enough time will provide you with a chance to think your presents thoroughly and buy the ones your friends and family will actually like. Don’t overthink it, though, since you can fall into a trap of trying too hard to individualize each gift and forget what your loved ones really want. Opt for Christmas gift cards instead of traditional presents since they make the perfect gift even for hard-to-shop-for persons. Not only that they’re practical, gift cards also leave you more time for other things that make Christmas presents so magical – wrapping them and writing nice cards. Do all of this in September, and enjoy your holidays in December while everybody’s going crazy.

Improves Your Mental Health

There’s nothing as stressful as the last-minute shopping, especially when everybody’s trying to do the same as you – to find a perfect gift that hasn’t been sold out yet. That’s why early shoppers claim that Christmas shopping in September is so relaxing – you’ll have enough time for everything, you’ll spend less and you’ll feel the magic of Christmas much longer. You can even use this situation to deal with one of modern people’s biggest problems – procrastination. Force yourself to make a shopping to-do list, set deadlines, and get things done. Even Christmas shopping madness can serve as self-improvement method – all you have to do is to look at things from the right angle.

No matter which of the reasons listed above appeals to you the most, you must admit that shopping in September is not as silly as it sounds. All it takes is a little planning and you can save tons of money and have some fun along the way. Start shopping now and prepare yourself for the most relaxing holidays ever.