Relationships 101: Holiday Gift Guides for Him and for Her

Gifts for him:

Yeti Tumbler // 29.99-39.99 // perfect for the outdoorsman or just the tea or water drinker in your life. These babies are known for keeping your liquids COLD. They're also insanely comfortable to hold in your hand. They're also engravable for that extra bit of personalization!

Southern Proper "All Prep" Fleece Pullover // $125 + shipping // These are way better than Pategonia's! They're super warm, great pockets, and preppy! Basically, everything you need a in a fleece! Natty Beau also offers a variety of Southern Proper, Barbour, and Smathers and Branson just to name a few.

Wallet // varies // Guys collect wallets like girls collect bags (or so it seems). Every guy on your list probably wants (or needs) a new wallet. You can find them in almost every store you go in whether it's Marshall's or Nordstrom. You can order personalized ones as well!

Favorite alcohol // varies // Guys really aren't hard to figure out, in most cases alcohol is a winner.

Wireless headphones// sale: $99 // This is a win-win present because he gets to listen to his favorite tv program (probably football) and you get peace and quiet! 

Gifts for her:

Scarf// varies // You really can't go wrong with a new scarf for the lady in your life. Not only are they always fashionable, but it shows that you care about her well being. Barbour makes a great quality scarf, and they're timeless!

Monogrammed Jewelry // varies // This is a sure fire way to win, most girls love a good monogram! Plus, it shows you put in a little extra effort with the personalization.

Coupon book// varies // This might sound silly, and like something a child might do for their parent (no, but really I had to do this when I was in elementary school for Mother's Day one year). But, make a coupon book of IOUs for the lady in your life. Not only does it show you care, but you're taking tasks of her hands that she probably doesn't enjoy. Plus, you get something out of the deal, too: her happiness.

Fleece Blanket // varies // This is a great gift for literally anyone in your life. However, I know I spend the majority of my time frozen, and I absolutely adore a good fleece blanket (hence, why I sleep with 5 of them on my bed). You can also literally find these anywhere, Home Goods is a great place to check, as well as Target!

FitBit // varies on model choice // Everyone is super into fitness, especially right after the holidays, I absolutely adore my Fitbit, and suggest one to literally everyone! It not only provides a great method for keeping track of your fitness, it provides a fitness community for you and your fit lovin' friends!

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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Holiday Budgeting

The holiday season is here! While I for one am on Nordstorm's side of not starting to celebrate Christmas until after Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping has begun! The season is pretty stressful, and adding in packed shopping malls to the equation and it could ruin anyone's good cheer. There are many different ways to help out when it comes to holiday shopping for friends and family.

1. Swagbucks or any other gift card earning site or app. With sites like these, you earn points toward gift cards. You could literally give the person you're shopping for the gift card or you can use the gift card to buy your gift. This way, you're not spending any of your own money and the person really doesn't know that!

2. Baked goods. This might sound silly, but you can literally go out and buy a box to make bread, muffins, or brownies with and then give away whatever baked good you created as the present. Every year, we make some muffins and bread for friends, bank tellers, doctor and nurses, teachers, etc. While this means you're investing a little more time, it's something they'll appreciate. This is getting a little tricky with the increase in gluten, peanuts, and other allergies.

3. Prioritize your money and gift receivers. This might sound harsh, but one of the best things to do is write down who you definitely want to give a present to (parents, siblings, best friend, significant other, littles, etc.), and then how much you want to spend on each person. For instance, I would prioritize my parents, grandmother, brother, and my two best friends. Then I would shop for my littles, other relatives, etc.

4. Use the internet. You can often find some great deals online, and it's much easier to price check online than it is in store (unless you have an app for that). I often shop from home during the holiday season, because I get too anxious being in the overly crowded mall (and quite frankly, I work retail so my store is open the same time others are open and that doesn't leave me a lot of time). I highly suggest Amazon if you want to find some good deals.

5. Go to "discount" stores/shop local. By discount stores I mean TJMaxx, Marshall's, Homegood's, Sam's Club (depending on the item you're looking for), etc. Not only do these stores have great items, they always tend to have a good return policy for the holiday season. Same goes for local shops. You can often get better return policies when shopping local than in large chain stores (unless your wallet allows for you to buy your presents at Nordstrom). 

How do y'all like to budget for the holidays?

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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