Simplify holiday shopping by following these seven tips and tricks. You'll shop with ease and be able to enjoy more time with loved ones this holiday season. Inspired by the blog post "7 Easy Tips to Save Time & Money on Your Holiday Shopping" http://blog.smartdraw.com/7-tips-to-finish-your-holiday-shopping-on-a-budget/

1. 7 Easy Tips to Save Time & Money
on Your Holiday Shopping

2. Rather than roaming the internet or the mall
aimlessly buying gifts, use this shopping guide of
tips and tricks, to finish your holiday shopping.
You'll not only save time, you'll save money.
This presentation is inspired by the SmartDraw Blog post entitled,
“7 Tips to Finish Your Holiday Shopping on a Budget”
To view the full blog posting go to http://blog.smartdraw.com/

3. SmartDraw Tip: Use the
Project Planning Template's
Assignment view to
brainstorm your holiday
shopping list. The
Assignment view, like the
Mind Map, allows you to
organize your ideas with
ease. Click the Enter key to
create additional shapes in
the same tier. Then simply
use the Tab key to navigate
from shape to shape. It's
that simple.
Tip #1: Make a List

4. Tip #2: Cash in Your Rewards
Take a look at your credit card partnerships, hotel, and airline rewards
programs. This is an ideal time to use points to purchase gift cards or
make online purchases through the rewards program websites.
You may even earn more points.

5. Tip #3: Prioritize Purchases
SmartDraw Tip: You can easily save the online research you've done for the products you plan to buy or have
already purchased by adding a hyperlink to your shopping list. Simply navigate to appropriate shape in the
mind map, right + click and select Add Hyperlink in the menu. Use Ctrl + C to Copy and Ctrl + V to paste the url
address of the product you found online into the Hyperlink Dialogue box. Click OK. As a result, the link icon
will appear in the bottom right corner of the shape.

6. Tip #4: Download an Upbeat Playlist
& Your Favorite Store Apps
"Holiday music makes us nostalgic. We linger in the store and buy more
to capture that warm, fuzzy feeling," says Martin Lindstrom, the author
of Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and
Persuade Us to Buy. Instead, wear your ear buds and listen to songs with
a beat faster than your resting hear rate, which is an average of about 70
beats a minute. You'll outsmart the shops and move more quickly
through the store.
Take a moment to download free apps offered by your favorite
retailers. It's not uncommon for retailers to send alerts on sales and
coupons directly to your smart phone.

7. Tip #5: Strategize to
Save Time and Money
Avoid impulse shopping leave your credit cards at home and pay with
cash. According to Lindstrom, shopping with cash cuts your overall
spending by 23%. So, stop by the bank, walk past the ATM, and go
directly to a teller. Ask the bank teller to provide you with large bills,
such as $50's and $100's. Unconsciously, you are less likely to break
them unless it's necessary.
When you're ready to pay for your purchases, avoid the long lines by
going to the less busy departments like the home department or men's
fragrances.

8. Tip #6: Maximize Mealtimes
With a goal to finish your shopping list sooner opposed to later, it's
important that you stay focused and fueled. Choose a meal loaded
with fiber, protein and healthy fats. You're energy levels will be high
and you'll avoid the crash of sugary pastries and snacks.
You'll be able to wrap up your shopping list sooner than you later.

9. Tip #7: Wrap Things Up
Just like Santa, make your list and check it twice. I don't know about you, but I
get satisfaction in crossing out items on my to-do list. Now that your list is
done, you can sit back and enjoy celebrating the holidays with your loved ones.
SmartDraw Tip: Mark an item as
complete, simply navigate to the
appropriate shape. Right + click,
navigate to Task Progress, and
select 100% Complete. As a result,
a green check mark or tick
appears.

10. About RuthJoy Bitner, M.Ed.
With a M.Ed. in Human Resource Development and
Organizational Behavior, RuthJoy has become a trusted
advisor and educator working with mid-market to global
organizations providing change management and user
adoption strategy services for more than 15 years. As the
Director of Learning and Organizational Development of
SmartDraw Software she continues to coach and mentor
professionals from non-profits to Fortune 500 companies.
An unashamed perfectionist and absolute “SmartDraw Addict,” she
discovers innovative ways to use diagrams in her day-to-day activities to
increase productivity and efficiency for herself as well as her clients.

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