How to Tackle Holiday Shopping as a Caregiver

November 25, 20245

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Caring for another person requires careful planning, and one of the trickiest parts of the year is holiday shopping. Many seniors need assistance in every step of the present-buying process. Luckily, there are several things you can do to tackle holiday shopping as a caregiver.

Holiday shopping can be stressful, but once it’s over, it’s worth it to enjoy the time together opening gifts. Keep reading to learn more about how to help a senior shop for their presents and how to complete yours with the time left.

Helping a Senior Shop

Helping a senior shop for their holiday gifts means assisting them every step of the way. Take it one step at a time and ensure you leave yourself plenty of time to accomplish the tasks before the holiday season truly arrives.

Create a Budget

One of the most vital things to do when creating a holiday shopping list is to form a budget. Often, seniors are working with a small fixed amount every month. Ensure you write out a list of the people they want to purchase gifts for and allot a budget to each individual.

Typically, it’s ideal to allot the same amount of money to each person unless they have a specific and more expensive gift in mind. A budget will help them spend their money wisely and provide an outline for what you’re working with.

someone shopping from their phone — Image from Pexels.

Form a List

Age-related eye problems are common in older adults, including cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration. All of this can make it tricky to do the research required to form a Christmas list, and it can be tough to write things down to remember later.

Create a list of gifts and include the following:

Name
Link
Price
Who it’s for
Possible stores

These will make it much easier to purchase the present.

Be as detailed as possible with the list to make life easier for yourself when it’s time to purchase each gift. The more they can give you about each person, the easier it will be to find the ideal presents and jot them down in an effective list.

Take Them to the Store

Once you have your list, it’s time to take them to the store to make their purchases. Unfortunately, declining cognitive ability in seniors and other aging issues can make it tricky to get to the store or navigate the aisles. Take them to the store for shopping, ideally during the week when the stores aren’t packed.

For some seniors, it can be tricky to find what they need in a store. However, it’s helpful to have them with you to double-check purchases and continue to be part of the magic of selecting gifts for family members.

Complete Shopping Online

If you can’t find everything necessary in the store, finish the shopping online. It shouldn’t take too long to locate the items the store didn’t have and you’ll be able to confidently fill in the rest of the list. Sites like Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble, and more are ready to ship the gifts to you, ready and wrapped.

Sometimes, shopping online might be the only approach taken when shopping as a caregiver with and for a senior. You can find almost anything online, as long as you don’t mind paying a little more for shipping.

Assist With Wrapping

Unfortunately, some seniors may experience hand troubles that make simple tasks difficult to accomplish. Wrapping presents can be one of these activities. Some seniors may have no issue wrapping gifts, while others can’t do it at all. You can wrap the gifts for them or provide them with easy wrapping methods to complete themselves.

Getting Personal Shopping Done

If you’re a caregiver, the holidays can bring about stress when you must watch your loved one and help them with their shopping, all while determining when you’re going to get yours done. Stress can impact you physically and mentally. There are a few helpful techniques you can try to accomplish everything quickly and effectively with your leftover time, minimizing stress.

a mall decorated for christmas — Image from Pexels.

Plan Ahead of Time

One of the best things you can do, especially if you know caretaking will be part of your holidays, is to plan ahead of time. It will require time and effort, but make a list of the people you’re shopping for, the gifts they want, and more.

Here are some ways to plan ahead of time:

Pick the day you’re going to go shopping
Allot budget for each person
Consider options for purchasing online or in-person
Locate stores for each product

Lay everything possible out to plan ahead of time, and well.

If you have your completed list with locations, price points, and more, you’re good to go. You can now head to your local stores and breeze through the hallways as you find everything on your list in record time.

Order Online

Suppose you don’t have time to go to the store to pick up your gifts, shop for them online. You can even slowly add items to your cart and then purchase them together when right. Many sites will even wrap the gifts for a fee, so you don’t have to do any work.

Amazon is one of the best choices if you need the gifts quickly. However, you can also shop from boutique sites and unique options from around the world if you order online.

Hire Personal Shoppers

Finally, consider hiring personal shoppers who will purchase gifts for you. Sites like Simplified Home Life, Airtasker, and more provide people for hire who will do your holiday shopping. They can function with in-person shopping or complete your desired tasks online without a second thought.

Hiring someone to shop for presents is more of an investment than if you went yourself. However, it provides more time to spend caring for your loved one and lifts a massive weight off your shoulders. Personal shoppers could be worth it to busy caregivers who want to give all their time and energy to those they love.