Tips for Shopping this Diwali season 2010

Diwali (Deepavali) is just around the corner and it means one thing, Shopping! You gotta buy gifts, gifts and then some more gifts for your family! Here's Part 1/2- guideline on how you can manage all that without burning too much of a hole in your pocket ;)

The General Tips:


Figure out your budgets - This is the first thing you got to calculate before you start to go on a shopping spree. This is to make sure you that will be able to manage almost all your expenses without a setback.

Get a day off - You need to plan when to do the shopping. Weekends are usually the most comfortable to lot of people, but its also the preferred time for most others too. This means, in place like India, shopping during weekends would probably be bit more crowded, so if you are one of those who don't like too much crowd, plan it on a weekday.

List or a Surprise - Here's the big question. Do you want to go ask for a list of gifts your family wants or are you going to get adventurous and surprise with them the gifts they always wanted?! The former is the best way to know what they want, but ruins the fun of gifts, and the latter,is what I recommend, but it requires that you know your folks' taste of gifts. You definitely don't wanna be gifting your wife an apron that says "Kiss the cook" when she was expecting something like a jewelery ;)
Simply put, just know their likings, at-least talk to them in a strategic way that gives away their diwali wish list.

Write a note with Love - What more way is to make a special Occasion worth remembering? Writing a note with love or "I care" message that sits on your gift! Let them know they are special! Friends, family, kids, they indeed are!

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to be continued - ideas on buying that perfect gift