For the Love of Lists

Engineering life one step at a time

The Secret to Simpler Gift Giving

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Gift Giving

Every year holidays and birthdays creep up on us.  No matter how we mark our calendars or set reminders, it seems like the week or two before we’re in a scramble for gift ideas.  These are supposed to be happy occasions and somehow they just end up stressful (Christmas ironically being the worst culprit as we have several people to shop for).  So last year I tested out a new gift plan that has helped me immensely.  Here is my secret to simpler, less stressful, gift giving.

Instead of waiting around until December to plan your gifts (or until the next holiday rears its head), create a notebook specifically for gifts and donations that you can update all year round.  I’m a fan of Evernote and this is a great use for it.  Here are the pages I suggest you include:

  • List of holidays and annual events
  • Recipients pages (one page for each person you typically give gifts to)
  • Generic gift ideas (ex. housewarming, baby showers, thank you gifts)
  • Donation log for charitable gifts
  • Log of past gifts received
  • Personal gift wish list
  • Holiday budget sheet
  • Holiday gift shopping list

Keeping a page for each person you give gifts to is the key here.  Write down items they mention, their interests, favorites, hobbies, or places they say they’d like to go.  Throughout the year if you see an item they’d love or think of a good idea, write it down and save it for the next holiday.  Also make sure to make notes of gifts you know they won’t like (ex. if your cousin returned that sweater you gave them).  When the time comes you’ll have a great starting pool of ideas to choose from.

Here’s a few more tips:

  • Set reminders for two weeks before holidays so you don’t forget to shop
  • Refer to your personal wish list if anyone needs hints for gifts you’d appreciate
  • Save photos of receipts for return information
  • Save photos of receipts for donations for tax purposes
  • Make notes of past gifts given so you don’t use the same idea twice (I’ve been guilt of this one)

The best part about this system is that you can better take advantage of sales throughout the year since you’ll be ahead of the holiday game.  I hope this helps make gift giving a little easier!

 

 

10 Free Ways to Boost Your Disney Vacation

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Disney Celebration ButtonsIn honor of Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration and its 24-hour kickoff (which starts tomorrow at 0600), here are 10 free ways to boost your Disney vacation:

  1. Scavenger Hunt – enhance your transit/queue time with a fun scavenger adventure (like this one for the Disneyland’s 60th anniversary!)
  2. Hidden Mickeys – Mickey ears are hidden all throughout the parks and resorts, so compete to see who can find the most
  3. Celebration Buttons – go to City Hall (or equivalent) to pick up free buttons for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduation, or just to celebrate
  4. Imagineering Field Guides – while you can buy park field guides at bookstores/Amazon, you can also browse Wikipedia while waiting in lines to learn fun facts about the development of the rides (could be a fun trivia game)
  5. Photo Ops – if you ask, the professional photographers will take photos of you and your family using your personal phone/camera for no cost
  6. Ride Times App – search for a simple app that will keep you updated on estimated queue lengths (so you’ll know if it’s worth it to trek across the park)
  7. Autograph Book – decorate a notebook with your child to bring when they meet all the characters in the park
  8. Ride Souvenirs – supposedly if you ask a skipper on the Jungle Cruise they will give you a free map, but otherwise you can always make your own ride tokens to give to your kids if they brave some of the larger rides (like a printable death certificate for surviving the Haunted Mansion)
  9. “Broadway” Shows – At several parks you can see a 45 min Broadway quality show (included with admission): Aladdin at California Adventures and Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios
  10. “DisneyBound” – Create an outfit based on your favorite Disney themes/characters using suggestions from DisneyBound (great for kids’ outfits that are more functional than princess dresses)

For an automatic enhancement, visit Disney during one of the holiday seasons, particularly around Halloween (Sep – Nov) or Christmas (Nov – Jan).  These times include special edible treats, holiday overlays of several rides, and added shows.