KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As we continue to count down the last few days before Christmas, you may still be running around trying to finish all of your holiday shopping.
We get it! Life gets busy and we have all been there. However, a retail professor at the University of Tennessee says there are still ways you can save time and money on your shopping.
"If you are strategic I think you can make it happen," professor Michelle Childs said.
So what are some ways you can be strategic with your holiday shopping? Here are some tips from Childs herself:
1. Make a list and stick to that list.
"And then, when you head to the store, once you check off the list then leave," Childs said. "Spending lots more time at the store could mean more money spent."
2. Gift cards can make great last-minute holiday gifts.
"You cannot really go wrong with that," Childs said. "You can jazz that up a little bit by putting it in a mug or putting it in a book or maybe wrapping it in a different way."
3. Clothing is a type of gift you DO NOT want to look into if you are shopping last minute.
"Clothes is not really a good last-minute choice because you can spend a lot of time in store trying to find the right clothes, right size, right style—things like that," Childs said." That is something that really has got to be thought out ahead of time."
4. If you want to save money, consider buying holiday-related items.
"Things like gift baskets, or soap sets, or chocolates, or candies, things that are really holiday-related packaging; those are going to be more of a deeper discount," Childs said.
5. If you want to save time, you could shop online and have the gift shipped directly to the recipient.
"Sometimes you might spend a little bit more with expedited shipping," Childs said. "But if that is still within your budget, then that is a really good route to avoid the crowds."
But at the end of the day, as you head off to the stores for the shopping frenzy, Childs wants you to keep this in mind:
"I think we can spend so much time worrying about all the stress of the last minute and finding the perfect gift, but really, it is the thought that counts," Childs said.