December 11, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Maximize time spent on holiday shopping The holiday season encompasses several weeks of fre- netic activity, as men and women look to juggle abnormally busy social schedules with holiday shopping. While there is no way to add hours to the day, there are certain measures anyone can take to make the hustle and bustle of the season more efficient. Shopping swallows up a significant amount of time come the holiday season. According to the latest Con- sumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, the average person will spend 15 hours shopping for presents. Women tend to spend twice as long as men, with women logging 20 hours of holiday shopping compared to the 10 hours the average male spends shopping for holiday gifts. Making the most of holiday shopping trips can free up moments and reduce overall stress. Keep a spreadsheet of your shopping list stored on a computer or smartphone so it can be easily modified year to year. Create a shopping strategy: While some shoppers get all of their shopping finished in just one day, others prefer to divide and conquer over a few weeks. Decide how to arrange those shopping trips so there will be less traveling from store to store wasting precious time. Organize the shopping list into certain categories. Then match up those categories according to the stores that cater to these items. For example, if a list mentions bedding for a new college student’s dorm room, curtains for an aunt, and a set of beach towels for a friend who will be doing some post-holiday traveling, group these purchases together and head to a store that carries all these items. Having such a plan in place can greatly cut down on the amount of time spent shopping. Shop off-hours. Consumer Reports says shoppers expect to wait in store check-out lines for an average of 3.5 to 4 hours this holiday season. Avoiding such situations can save a significant amount of time, so shop during off-peak hours. Take advantage of stores’ extended hours and shop later in the evening, when parents and their children will likely be preparing for bed and not waiting in line in stores. Some retailers entice shoppers with early bird specials and open their doors very early, so shoppers looking to save time can make an effort to be the first person at the door when the store opens. Split up the shopping. Spouses, family members, and even friends can pool their shopping time and help others by tackling some of their purchases. Dividing the work shortens the time spent in stores, and a third party may have a keen eye for a deal or a unique gift when he or she is emotionally removed from the purchase. The average person finds time is of the essence come the holiday season. Prioritizing and organizing shopping can make the season less hectic.