That’s a wrap: Tips on keeping holiday gifts organized

Because I have an enormous family and am the type of person who squirrels away random gifts over the course of the year, holiday gift giving can get disorganized to say the least. Last year, I decided to stop simply trying to write down my list and keep track of gift shopping and delivering by hand. In lieu of these mental gymnastics, I added some structure to the whole endeavor. And now, ahead of the holiday shopping season, I’m sharing my system with you.

Start the hunt with Google Shopping

Whenever I get an idea for a gift, I’ll head to Google Shopping and search for an item, select the product page and check typical prices across the web to see if I should grab it now or wait. If the price is high or I’m not quite ready to make a decision, I turn on “Track price” so I’ll get a notification if it drops.

But there are also folks on my list who I don’t know as well…and there are a few White Elephant gifts I’ll need, too. For these purposes, I keep an eye on the deals feed on the Shopping tab. I also take note of the price badges on product cards — they’ll tell you things like “$5 off” or “25% off,” which can be helpful so I know if the deal I’m getting is actually a good one or just a small price drop.

Stay organized in Gmail and Sheets

Once I decide on a gift, it goes in my “gift tracker” that I use Google Sheets to make. I keep track of what I bought and whether I’ve wrapped and delivered it or not. (Go ahead and make a copy of my template and create your own if you want.)

And when the actual purchase confirmation or receipt hits my inbox, I add it to a label I’ve made for gifts. All these emails are nested under a designated folder so they aren’t mixed in with the rest of my emails. Plus, that way, if I missed the mark with a present, it’s easy to find the gift receipt…hey, it happens to all of us.