Holidays

Year-round, shopping small is widely encouraged among communities and businesses alike thanks to the ‘Shop Small’ message that is branded with Small Business Saturday. A message supported by all types of small businesses – including restaurants, cafes, spas, fitness studios, and community art foundations, making it a day for communities and consumers to come together and put a face on the services that help this nation run. 

As a small business owner myself, and admittedly, a huge fan of shopping small and local, I know first hand the strength that a nationally recognized massage can offer a small business owner, and it’s for this reason that Small Business Saturday has continued to see extraordinary success. 

Since the first-ever Small Business, Saturday on Nov 27, 2010, small business owners has used this day to spotlight the local businesses that often are overshadowed by mass commercialism and the start of the holiday shopping season. With the resounding success of Small Business Saturday’s first year, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution of support for Small Business Saturday in 2011, and in 2013 President Obama championed Small Business Saturday as a “day to remember those who help to keep the dream of owning a small business in this nation alive.” 

Add to this that according to a 2015 Pew Research survey, 23 percent of U.S. adults shopped at a locally owned business on Small Business Saturday. While these numbers are still smaller compared to the 33.6 percent who made a purchase online last Cyber Monday, the same research also notes that more than half (54.8 percent) of Cyber Monday shoppers said they would rather shop at a small, independent business as long as price and product quality are similar. 

And who do you think is leading the sales for small businesses? Millennials are aged 25 to 34, which make up the single largest segment of Small Business Saturday shoppers each year.  However, living through a pandemic can complicate such sales for makers and brick and mortar stores alike. Which is why buying from makers and creative artists, like Nancy Etz, allow consumers to purchase one-of-a-kind pieces from home.

Now it’s also important to ask why this day is so important? Shopping locally and virtually throughout the year is a vital way to do your part in helping to keep the doors open for makers nationally. Further,  according to the Small Business Administration, there are more than 28.2 million small businesses operating in the United States as of March 2014, with about 63% of new jobs being created from small businesses. Of these same 28.2 million businesses, most are self-employed ventures making up about 3/4 of the U.S.’s total long-term businesses. These same businesses are the leading tax revenue for local communities and provide needed support for schools, infrastructure, and urban development across this nation. So supporting your local coffee shops, favorite boutiques, or local pet shop isn’t just trendy, it’s a nation-affirming business. 

When you consider how many small businesses surround you in your everyday life, it’s so affirming to think about the amount of time, commitment, and labor these hard-working individuals put into making their businesses both come to life and stay alive. Yet, many Americans frequent chain stores without considering that small local business needs their patronage more.

Whether it’s filling a prescription at a local pharmacy or picking up eggs and milk at a local corner store, small businesses are too often overlooked for all the wrong reasons. Customers assume that pricing will automatically be higher at a small business, dismissing the perks that many small businesses offer such as customer care, fresher goods, and community support. 

So before you think that mass retail is cheaper, consider the following points. First, stores do not control the pricing of most products. Vendors do. That the prices identified on products that are for sale are identified by the vendor – not the store. With some exceptions, stores primarily have no control over a product price but rather are provided an MSRP (Manufactured Suggested Retail Price) that tells them the price the product should be sold at. Over time, if the product doesn’t sell or a store has a promotional event taking place, this price may be lowered. Many small merchants also offer discounted items for special occasions often at a far lower rate than that of big box stores.

The inventory also plays a key in pricing. Smaller merchants have the same access to vendors as big box stores do and will often go above and beyond in terms of their customer service support. If your local merchant does not carry what you need. You may just be surprised!  And speaking of customer service, when it comes to small businesses, it is generally more personalized, hands-on, and noteworthy from smaller businesses. There is something to be said for the personal commitment to their business that sets small business owners apart. Something that a big box store can never carry, impeccable attention to detail, and the desire to know your customers by name.

Small business owners also often provide their customers with more diversity. Sure, a big box merchant may have a larger footprint in your local community, but that doesn’t mean they have more variety to offer you. When you walk into a chain store, you know exactly what you will find. However, when you walk into a local business, you are often surprised by the inventory options. Remember – just because a big box store is just that, bigger, and that doesn’t mean they have more to offer!

Beyond actual dollars being kept within your local community – which is significantly higher when dollars are spent at a local business vs. corporate one – small business owners are also more likely to “do good” for your community, as well. Small businesses deliver community character and economic advantages but also strengthen partnerships among neighbors, residents, other small business owners, community leaders, and even schools by offering social and economic relationships. Many also support local causes, creating, even more, good within a community.

Another interesting point to consider is that small businesses do not always stay small – such as Ben & Jerry’s, Ralph Lauren, Melissa & Doug, and even Microsoft, began as dreams filled with a tenacity of hope, with a tremendous amount of hard work, long days and even longer nights. All businesses that started in someone’s garage before eventually moving on to become pioneers in American economic design. Today, they are among the most recognized brands in our country. Yet while most small business owners will not see this type of growth, their value to our economy and more specifically, your local economy, is maybe even more important. Dreams fuel the American spirit. 

I say all that to say this: Shopping small, shopping local on this Saturday, and Saturday, or any other day in between, small businesses deserve to be part of your everyday purchasing power routine.

It’s crucial that we all shop small. Do it for your community. Do it for all those amazing, unique, one-of-a-kind mom and pop shops across the nation. Do it for the environment. Do it for the entrepreneurial spirit that is one of the cornerstones of this dream we call America. Do it for yourself. Whatever your reasons, just go. Go out into your community, patronize a new boutique, dine at a local eatery, and bless small businesses with your purchasing power today and beyond. 

So everyone, will you be shopping small this holiday season? I’d love to hear about it below! 

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things- not the great occasions- that give off the greatest glow of happiness.” –Bob Hope

I am often asked for advice on celebrating Christmas as a minimalist. And when I am, I always share that my minimalist holiday philosophy is simple, straight-forward, and easy to manage: Remember the true meaning of the season, always give more than you receive, look for ways to exchange talents and experiences first, and for everyone else, give holiday cheer.

But even with this in mind, I’m always mindful to respect gift-giving as a love language, in so much as that I do not want to rob my family members and friends of that simple, time-honored joy. While I prefer experiences over consumerism when it comes to holiday gift-giving, I still hold steadfast to the idea that even as minimalists, we own it to others to be a gracious, humble, appreciative person, who is full of good cheer, or at the very least, a person who can provide a gift wish-list suitable for the simpler palette.

Now when it comes to the kiddos and holiday gifts, I always revert back to my grandmother’s one-in-and-one-out rule, which stipulates that for every gift that comes into our home another you already own must be removed. I love this idea as it can help you to not only reevaluate your toy boxes and closet space in the months leading up the holiday season but to also help promote a seasonal mindset of giving. 

While I am not the first to write about enjoying a simpler Christmas. In fact, there are countless articles, posts, guides, and blogs that can help you enjoy a more simple, stress-free Christmas. But I still know there are still others who will want to exchange gifts this season, so in an effort to create a valuable resource for myself and others I’ve put together a list of 9 Minimalist Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas that can help you make the most of this current season of giving. 

Pick a Secret Santa

This game is a classic. I mean, who doesn’t love a Secret Santa? I know my husband looks forward to his Secret Santa week at school each year. So why not move this tradition from the corporate world to the comfort of your own home and institute a minimalist, budget-friendly family Secret Santa exchange. By only giving one gift to a family member, and stipulating an amount that can be spent on each person, you can focus more on the gift-giving experience rather than spend money on several gifts that may or may not hit the mark with your loved ones. 

Looking for an extra cool twist? Up the ante by asking family members to leave secret notes and treats for the person whose name they’ve drawn during the month of December!

Make a coupon book for family members

I love this idea because it’s personalized and can be a lot of fun depending on how creative you get. Think digital and personalized. Go for coupons like “Making Your Bed for a Week,” “Doing the Dishes for 1 Week,” or “Letting You Pick the TV Show We Watch on Saturday afternoons for a month.” Choose simple things that can make other family member’s life a little easier or a little more fun in the new year!

Set gift expectations early

It’s important to set gift expectations for kids early on. Let them know that even if they have a long wish list, only a few presents will show up under the tree. This can be made into a learning exercise by having your children prioritize which gifts they really want, even as part of a 4-Gift Christmas. Also, consider asking your kids to choose an equal amount of toys to donate as they are asking for during the holiday season. This will help instill a sense of charity in your kids and help keep clutter in their rooms and playrooms as bay.

Take a family trip

 Instead of spending money on everyone’s presents, consider pooling your family resources and using the money to go on an outing, a staycation for the week before New Year’s Day, or even a small weekend trip away. Plus you’ll even be able to find some good deals during the week between Christmas and New Year’s while the kids are still on vacation from school. Even if you just travel to a nearby town or a local park, it’s the act of getting away as a family that matters.

Let your kids do the shopping

If your kiddos are old enough to safely shop on their own, or in pairs, give your kids a set amount of cash, and allow them time to search for deals and coupons online, and then let them shop for their own family gifts. This will get your kids geared towards the not so distant days in the future when they will need to plan for their own holiday spending. It’s never too early to gear kids into utilizing the cash-only holiday mindset!

Give back as a family

You can sponsor a family in need by making donation boxes as a family through your local Salvation Army, Families First, Operation Christmas Child, Operation Shoebox, or Soldiers’ Angels, It’s a wonderful way to feel the real meaning of the holidays while connecting as a family over universal, shared values. Is there anything better than that?

Trade favorite recipes

For extended family, have everyone make their favorite dish or dessert and attach hand-written recipe cards, one for every member of the family, when they bring their dishes to your home as part of a family meal swap in the week’s leading up Christmas. This can help everyone in the family can build their own family recipe book and have a few fewer meals to prepare too! 

Share a family photo collage

Photos are one of the least expensive and most treasured gifts you can give. So why not build a family photo album together? Have each member of your family print up to 10 of their favorite photos from that year for each person in your family. Then, share your memories while enjoying time together. You can also have each family member bring an empty photo album with them to fill with the photos they receive so they can look back on their wonderful holiday experience next year. Looking for a more

Looking for a more zero-waste collage tradition? Have your family members create free collages online through Canva or Pic Monkey, and send it to friends and family to give them an awesome digital photo keepsake or personalized holiday screen saver!

Create a family gratitude journal

Grab a beautiful journal or inexpensive notebook and set it in a public place where every member of the family has access to it. Starting on December 1, each person will write one thing they’re thankful for in the journal each day. At the end of the following year, and during your next holiday season, you can all look back on your thankful messages together!

So, everyone, those are my 9 Minimalist Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas. I hope you will all find them helpful as you plan for your remaining holiday shopping trips in the weeks to come. Now I have to ask, do you have any special or memorable Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas you would like to share? I’d love to hear about them below! 

Holiday shopping. The hustle. The bustle. The overcrowded stores! Make gifting simple this year with our top picks for the whole family. Take a look through our catalog style guide featuring easy click and buy hover links. Simply hover your mouse over an item and for convenient purchasing!

Whether you are shopping for the ladies, fellas, fuzzies, kiddos, or the house itself, there’s something for everyone in this guide! There are even a few zero-waste things too!

So sit back and browse the guide. You never know what you’ll find!

Now, I want to ask, what items are still left on your holiday shopping list? Do you have any hard-to-shop-for folks on your list? I’d love to hear all about your must-have holiday wish list below!

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There are few things in life more difficult than trying to track down the perfect gift. As much as you know there shouldn’t be, it’s hard not to feel an immense amount of pressure to find the perfect gift that someone will treasure for the rest of their lives!

That kind of pressure can make life pretty difficult when you’re actually trying to find something. However, just because it can be a challenge to find the right gift, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that you can do in order to make the whole process just that little bit easier.

With that in mind, here are a few different ways that you can figure out what the perfect gift would be for someone in your life. That way you can avoid the stress of the season and get on with actually enjoying it!

Know their interests

If you want to find the right gift for someone, then it usually needs to be something that is tailored specifically to them. If you just go out and buy something generic that you can give to everyone in your life, people can usually tell.

Instead, think about the things that the person in your life actually cares about and build their gift around it. This might seem like the simplest thing in the world, but a lot of the time it can really help to think carefully about someone’s interests and then work backward from there when it comes to trying to find the best possible gift for them.

Personalise it

People can always tell if you’ve given them a generic gift that could have been for anyone else. Sure, the idea of buying something general and giving it to everyone might save you a lot of time and effort, but that’s just going to make it so that no one really cares that much about what you get them.

If you really want the gift that you give to have an impact on someone then why not make an effort to give them something personal.

Get online

It can sometimes feel as though you’re struggling to find the right kind of gift because everything that you find feels kind of obvious and predictable. One of the most common reasons that this ends up happening is because people are looking in the same old places over and over again.

If you only buy gifts from the same few places over and over, then, of course, it’s going to start to feel as though your selection is somewhat limited. If that’s the case for you then why not look just a little further afield in some slightly more unusual places.

The internet is great for this because there are almost always a few funny little corners of the web where you can find things that you never expected. Whether you’re buying birthday gifts to send halfway across the world or you just don’t want to bother with shopping in stores, the internet is a great place to find unique and interesting gifts. Just make sure that you order them in time!

It might sound kind of cliched and hackneyed to say this, but the old saying that “it’s the thought that counts” really is worth remembering. Don’t let things like price weigh you down too much. The truth is that people can feel the thought that you put into a gift the moment that they open it.

The fact that you’re feeling stressed and worried about finding the right gift is probably a good sign that you’re on the right track. After all, if finding a gift was easy, it’s probably a sign that you didn’t care that much about getting it right in the first place.

Please note, this post is sponsored by MyGiftStop.com. All opinions expressed are my own. My site’s full disclosure policy can be seen here. Thank you!

Whether we like it or not, Valentines Day is almost here. Which can be difficult a difficult time of the year for those with the perpetual decluttering bug. As what gift can you give your loved ones that actually conveys your love and adoration for those nearest and dearest to you, while remaining affordable and clutter-free?

This is especially true for minimalists. Those who are seeking to lavish their love on others without living in a cluttered space, here are 5 gift ideas that might help you find just the right gift for your loved ones this coming Valentine’s Day.

DIY vouchers: Make your own individual digital or printable voucher. consider giving the gift of a day without the kids, a day of cleaning, handyman services, or a couple’s massage at home. The possibilities are endless. Looking for an affordable design tool? Check out Canva – it’s an awesome freebie design tool.

Canva hosts a ton of free templates and design layouts that allow you to upload your own, customized, unique vouchers, cards, and gifts. In under 5 minutes, you can give your loved ones a gift truly from the heart! A gift anyone would be happy to receive! 

Volunteer together: While this gift might not seem like the most romantic gesture in the world, volunteering together can bring couples closer than ever. Plugging into a volunteer position, where your loved one’s talents shine, can help you both feel better about yourself as well as fostering a sense of purpose in the world.

Then what’s the best way to end a day of giving back to others and promoting kindness in your community? A well-deserved dinner out, that is! And you’ll then have plenty feel-good stuff to discuss over dinner too! 

Breakfast in bed: Can you think of a better way of lavishing love on others than a homemade breakfast in bed? Especially a pancake breakfast in bed! Be still my heart, and ever-expanding waistline! A simple homemade breakfast is a fast and economical way of showing others how much you care!

Looking for a healthier alternative? Pancakes made with mashed bananas, organic vanilla extract, almond milk, and coconut flour are as nutritious as they are delicious! Give them a try this year! 

Write a letter to each other: Before you envision your partner rolling their eyes at this gesture, hear me out: Prose and poetry can not only convey your love and affection to others but help you share sentiments that often get left unsaid. Sharing how much you appreciate someone speaks volumes. Especially on the most romantic day of the year.

Grab some nice paper and a couple of cute envelopes and write the letter the night before to exchange on Valentine’s Day. It’s sweet. It’s old-fashioned. And in your own minimalist way, you can give Lord Byron a run for his money. 

Give an awesome online gift: While it’s easy to say that as a minimalist we should only invest in experience gifts, that’s simply not true. For many, giving tangible gifts is simple their love language. Especially when you can give gifts online, with minimal mess, and with various budget-styles in mind.

One of my favorite online shops, My Gift Stop, an online shop offering luxury goods dedicated to giving back to society, is one of my favorite places to shop each Valentine’s Day.

My favorite part? With each order, My Gift Stop will donate 5% of every sale to the global medical relief nonprofit, Direct Relief. Making this a minimalist, feel-good way to give to others this coming season.

With the Valentine’s Day right around the corner, My Gift Stop may just be your perfect online shopping solution. They partner directly with manufacturers to bring shoppers some of the world’s most popular luxury goods and brands at affordable prices.

With everything from watches, bags, jewelry, shoes, fragrances, sunglasses and even household items, for both men and women available at price points suitable to everyone’s budget, there’s something available for all your loved ones this coming Valentine’s Day! 

I particularly love their Bering 11429-999 Women’s Ceramic Watch and Swarovski Purple Duo Crystal Accented Women’s Adjustable Alcantara Bracelet. Both fun, beautiful, and thoughtful gifts this Valentine’s Day! 

Friends, I encourage you to check out My Gift Stop this Valentine’s Day. Because if giving gifts, especially luxury gifts to others, is your love language then this is the online shop for you!

There’s something for everyone. Even if just for yourself. There’s something to be said about the gift of self-love and self-care on Valentine’s Day too!

Being a minimalist doesn’t mean you have to give yourself or others anything other than the very best! After all, what’s better than shopping online, doing without the hassle of traffic and crowds, and helping others in the process! 

What’s even better? The great folks at My Gift Shop are offering one reader the chance to win their very own $500.00 gift card to My Gift Stop. To enter, simply click here! 

Remember, no purchase is necessary. While only one participant will win a $500 Gift Card to MyGiftStop.com, all other participants will receive a 10% off coupon via email good towards any products. This giveaway is open to domestic and international individuals aged 18 and older only; void where prohibited.

This giveaway is set to close on Monday, February 5, 2018, at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be selected randomly on Thursday, February 8, 2018, and will be notified by email, so be sure to add mygiftstop.com to your safe list. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited after 48 hours from notification.

My Gift Stop reserves the right to select another winner. Winners agree to allow My Gift Stop to publish his/her name as a giveaway winner and to promote future giveaways and promotions and participant agrees that his/her email will be added to our email newsletter to receive private sales, new product updates, and other marketing emails. Good luck, everyone!

So now I want to ask, what are your go-to Valentine’s Day gift ideas? And what’s your favorite item on My Gift Stop? I’d love to hear about it below!