The Secret Pinterest Strategy for Holiday Shopping Success

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How many times have you wandered through a cute shop or scanned the latest deals online and said, “Oh, this makes me think of so-and-so”?

I do this ALL the time…..but then I don’t do anything about it.

In fact, the next time I think about buying anything for that friend or family member, is right around their birthday, or the busy Holiday season. And that’s when I have absolutely no idea what to get.

Sound familiar?

The thing is, I don’t think we have a problem finding gift ideas. Instead, it’s more in the way we capture, or rather don’t capture, these tangled thoughts. Our brain processes so much information every day, that if we don’t write things down, or keep detailed lists, we’re going to forget them. Which, of course, then causes a bout of December 23rd panic.

The point is to keep track of gift ideas all year long, so come November and December, you know exactly what to buy, and who to buy it for. And the best way to do that, is with secret Pinterest boards.

Writing down ideas on paper is all well and good, but it’s easy to forget those lists at home. Pinterest, on the other hand, is available on any smartphone, which most of us take everywhere anyway.

You could certainly do this on a normal Pinterest board, but secret boards keep your secret Santa spy missions under wraps. You can also comment on pins to remind yourself who you pinned them for, keep track of your budget, and share individual boards with specific family members for collaborative purposes without anyone else seeing a thing.

How to Make a Secret Board

First, if you’re an avid Pinterest user, you probably already know how to make a secret board. But just in case you’re not sure, or need a refresher, the video below will walk you through all the steps.

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How to Use Secret Boards for Holiday Shopping

This is where the fun begins! Be sure to start one, {or many!} secret Pinterest boards for everyone you want to give gifts to, and then don’t forget to add yourself to the list too. You’ll see why in a minute.

For Others:

• Create secret boards for individuals, families, and friends. It’s up to you how general or specific you want to be.

• Make a note of the budget you want to spend for each board in the description section. Save and pin ideas to this board anytime you find them, and if the price isn’t apparent on the pin, add it to the description or as a comment so you can see prices at a quick glance.

• Share each secret board and collaborate with others if necessary. You can even use the comment section to communicate back and forth. {Ex. If you have siblings sharing gift ideas for Mom and Dad to avoid duplicate gifts.}

• Delete each pin after you’ve bought it, or comment again with the word, BOUGHT, so you know you already have that gift in your stash.

For Yourself:

• Create a Pinterest board for yourself, and share that board with your significant other or family members so they know exactly what you want. Or, you can just share individual links, and make a note on each pin with who you gave the idea to so you don’t forget.

• Always test and make sure the links work before sharing, just in case family members want to buy that gift online.

• Cull through this list a few times a year to delete pins of gifts you’ve already received, or items you prefer not to have on your list anymore.

Saving and sharing gifts this way relieves that time-crunched feeling, and if everyone joins the bandwagon and shares secret boards with each other, you know exactly what people want and vice versa. This creates very minimal returns on both parties!

Where to Find Great Gift Ideas

Okay, now you know how to capture all these great gift ideas, but what if you’re totally blanking out and not sure where to start? Allow me to help:

• First, be sure to read my Holiday gifting series called, 10 Days to Finding the Perfect Gift. This series shows you exactly how to find that perfect item friends and family members will adore.

• I also have a page filled with all my gift idea posts. Instead of the generic “for him” or “for her” gifts that you often see, these ones are organized by character traits and unique personality types.

• For those who prefer gifts with a handmade touch, you can find over 150 of them on my DIY Gifts Pinterest Board.

Follow Kalyn // Creative Savings’s board DIY Gifts on Pinterest.

• And last, but not least, my absolute favorite gift-giving book is Thinking Outside the Gift Box by my dear friend, Lauren. If you need to light that spark of generous creativity, this book will give you more than enough ideas, and the confidence you need to pull them off.

Once you start using Pinterest as a Christmas Shopping tool, you’ll wonder how you lived so long without it. Start saving gift ideas now, but don’t forget to do it throughout the rest of the year too. Especially when you see an item that brings a special someone to mind!

Do you use Pinterest to save and collect gift ideas?

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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