TurboTax – yes, the people behind the tax software – put together this handy inforgraphic that shows estimates that we will spend 2.8% more this year than we did last year, bringing the total up to $465.6 billion.  According to their information, the average person will spend $515.94 this year, with the majority of that going to family members.  Of course, you could take the tact my family is this year and we’re giving each other projects we’ve been putting off and nothing financial.  Sorry, TurboTax, we’re throwing off the curve.  Someone will have to make up our difference this year.

How much are you planning on spending?

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

How Much do American’s Spend on Gifts?

If you check the sites around the Web that post the Black Friday listings early each year, you’ll find that they are out in full force, and even companies such as Walmart decided to officially release their ad in full early this year.  What you’ll find is that TVs seem to be the real highlight of 2011 with deals pretty much every where you turn.  Also on highlight this year seems to video game systems with massive discounts on core systems which makes sense as the major ones are entering their seventh years of release.

Also of extra note is that it seems my years of dreaming have finally come to pass, and at least Walmart will be running its sales starting at 10 PM on Thanksgiving night, with another round starting at 12:01 AM on Friday and the third round starting at 8 AM on Friday.  At long last, no getting in line at 2 AM for the sale to begin at 5 AM.  This system should cut down on some of the stampedes we’ve seen, and it makes a lot more sense than the old way of doing things.  We’ll see how it works out in practice as opposed to theory, but it sounds promising to me.

I’ll actually miss out on Black Friday this year as I will be in England on vacation, but I wish you all the best of luck on your hunt for the best bargains.

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Black Friday 2011 Ads Pour Out Early

Harrods and Selfridges both opened their Christmas sections on the 28th of this month, much to the shock of tourists passing through the famous stores while in London on vacation.  While a bit of surprise to be this early, this is actually only four days earlier than last year’s opening dates.  ”We get a lot of international clients from all over the world and we are catering for their demands.” a spokesperson for Harrods told AFP.  ”Peak season for us is July-August and we get quite a lot of customers asking for Christmas products.”

However, the fact that this is happening in the middle of the summer heat is not lost on anyone.  In addition to rolling out a wide range of decorations, Harrods os also selling the ”12 ice creams of Christmas,” which includes flavors such as Christmas pudding with brandy butter, mulled wine and Brussels sprouts.

To all of you out there that say it seems like Christmas shopping starts earlier and earlier every year, I’m thinking you may be right.

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

U.K. Department Stores Open Their Christmas Boutiques

With Christmas winding down, retailers are going to be looking to clear out their stock as quickly as possible.  There are a lot of items that are timeless such as wrapping paper, lights, gift tags and more that you can purchase now at the clearance sale prices instead of paying full price next year.  Why pay $2.50 for a roll of 90 square feet of gift wrap next year before Christmas when you can pick it up for $2 or less now?  Yes, you’ll need to store it for a year, but you can’t put it wherever you store your tree and/or ornaments?

Sure you may not relish the idea of doing more shopping already, but why not save yourself a few dollars now, and also take something off your list for prepping next year?

Get out there folks and snap up those savings!

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Start Getting Your Supplies For Next Year Now

There are many websites out there that will help you make the best plans for that day, making sure you waste no time.  We’ve gathered up ten of the best to help you start with your planning for Black Friday 2010.

BFADS.net: BFADS is our favorite Black Friday sales site as it not only posts all of the major sales listings for the actual day, but they also tell you about lots of sales happening leading up to the well known sales day.  Well worth checking out even after you see all the ads you want for this year.  Also has a discussion board to post more sales and discuss those that have been announced.

Black-Friday.net: Offers up all of the Black Friday ad scans and also tells you about other sales going on through out the month.

Blackfday.com: Blackfday gives you all of the usual ad scans as well as listing sales that will be happening online on that day and those leading up to it.

BlackFriday.fm: This site gives you the ad scans along with online information, but it has a bonus of breaking down the best sales on some key items like television sets so you don’t have to hunt through each ad for yourself.

BlackFriday.GottaDeal.com: A sub-section of GottaDeal.com that posts all of the sales and will let you sort them all out by category to ease your shopping.

BlackFriday.info: See all of the ads and then build a wish list you can take with you when you go out so you don’t forget anything in your sleepy state.

BlackFriday.org: Helps you with the ads, making a shopping list and figuring out store hours.

DealTaker.com: This site has info for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and also offers up tips on how to make the most out of both events.

TGIBlackFriday.com: TGIBlackFriday puts up circular ad sans and helps you compare the sales price to the everyday price from PriceGrabber.  They also have their iPhone app to help you on the go.

TheBlackFriday.com: Very basic, but it gets the job done when you want to see the ads.

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10 Sites For Black Friday 2010 Ads

Each year the Duracell Toy Report tracks what the most wished for items are by children for Christmas, and this year’s survey of 2,138 respondents showed a definite shift from the items of year’s past to one that should make Apple CEO Steve Jobs very happy.  The top three spots this year are all dominated by Apple products.

Out of the entire survey, approximately 39 percent of children quizzed desired Apple gadgets this year.  Among five to eight-year-olds the number was 17 percent, the number jumped to 50 percent of nine to 12-year-olds and the number went to an amazing 66 percent of 13 to 16-year-olds for putting the gadgets at the top of their lists.

With all of this in mind, it looks like it could be a slightly expensive Christmas this year for parents who want to surprise their kid with their most desired item.

Top 10 Toys For Christmas 2010

1. iPhone 4 (14%)
2. iPod touch (13%)
3. iPad (12%)
4. Kinect for Xbox (6%)
5. Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters / Kung Zhu Hamsters (5%)
6. Flip Video Camera (4%)
7. Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear (4%)
8. PlayStation Move (4%)
9. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 Video Game (3%)
10. Barbie Video Girl (3%)

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Survey Shows Kids Are Turning From Toys To Gadgets On Their Wishlists

On Twitter this week, Jim H., going by the user name @jhoggie, shared a picture he took at the Woodland, CA Costco at around 6:30 PM on Thursday the 16th.  As you can see to the right it’s of a light-up Santa on display.

Again, may we stress this was on Sept. 16th?

While we’ve all gotten used to seeing Christmas decor for sale around Halloween, slipping this deep into Sept. just seems a bit excessive even by our standards.  At the time this picture was taken it was 99 days until Christmas, so we’re now setting stuff up over three months in advance?

We’re all excited for Christmas, but this is just insanity, and to be quite honest, we’re a bit offended.  If you want to keep Christmas in your home all year long, go for it.  If your business is a year-round Christmas operation, no problem.  Putting up Christmas-themed items such as this at this early of a date … ugh.

Sorry, Costco, but this just isn’t right.

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Costco Jumps The Christmas Shopping Gun

Down below you can see a screenshot of the e-mail I received from Deep Discount (since it is a screen shot, none of the links work in it), and I have to say that is the earliest I’ve ever received an e-mail about Christmas shopping.  I know that things are moving up time wise, but even before Halloween now?  That does seem a bit tiny excessive.

While we’ve suggested your Christmas shopping early, it’s a bit different when companies are actively soliciting the sales.  What we suggest is doing stuff on your own terms, but come on retailers … Sept. 9th?

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

And Christmas Shopping Kicks Off For The Year

According to a new report from Google and OTX, 35% of  internet users in the United States have already begun their holiday shopping and research as of this month.

While you’ll never experience the crowds in an online store like you do in a traditional brick-and-mortar store, there is a chance that a store may sell out of an item you really want to pick up for someone. As we mentioned recently, shipping dates for the iPad have already been slipping somewhat, so there is definite evidence that you should not wait until the last minute to order your key items.

Online shopping is growing each year, and according to comScore, online shopping has grown by nine percent year-over-year for the second quarter of this year, and that means things could escalate even more as the year comes to an end.

You also need to keep in mind that things ordered online need to be shipped to you, and if more people are ordering online, shipping volume will go up causing delays through the carriers.

In short … you may want to consider starting your shopping now.

[via eMarketer]

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Holiday Shopping Already Picking Up Online

Every year there is some item that it seems everyone puts on their Wishlist, and that item becomes impossible to find as the holiday draws near.  Some the most famous examples include Tyco’s “Tickle Me Elmo” back in the 1990′s, the Cabbage Patch Kids in the 80′s and even the Zhu Zhu Pets just this past Christmas.

While we are still several months out from Christmas this year, it looks like Apple’s iPad tablet may be this year’s “must have” item. The online Apple Store is already showing that the item doesn’t ship for 7 to 10 business days, which is unusually long for an Apple product. There are also many reports that the parts suppliers in Asia are unable to keep up with growing demand for the gadget.  Evidence is surely mounting that this product is going to be next to impossible to find come the holiday shopping season.

We certainly advocate the concepts that Christmas is about more than store bought gifts, but we also feel it is our duty to warn you when something like this appears to be shaping up.  If you think there is any possibility that you want to give one of these to a loved one this holiday season, now would be the time to be purchasing it and putting it away in your gift closet for the next few months.

Also, there is one large caveat to this: Don’t be surprised if a new version is released very early next year.  Apple introduced the iPad last January and shipped it in April, and seeing as the company likes to keep products such as this on a once-a-year refresh cycle, don’t be surprised if iPad 2 hits in April 2011.  This, of course, won’t matter to people who want it “NOW!”, but we still felt we should warn you.

Will you be purchasing any iPads this holiday season?

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If You Want An iPad For Christmas, Order Now