Always have inspiration for present giving with this brilliant (and simple) gift idea tracking solution. Never be short of ideas again!
Do you struggle to know what to buy people when a present is needed?
Do you often get requests for ideas for the kids presents from family and friends?
You’re not alone!
And of course, you want to be able to find the ideal present, or suggest something that you know your kids would love – but where to begin?
Time is short, so trawling through websites for inspiration when a request has come your way is a really reactive way of doing things.
Let’s make it proactive – and get ahead of the game.
Sounds good, right?
I have just the solution for you to try!
The need for buying presents is always there
You can’t get away from a need for buying presents for people on a regular basis.
Whether it be Birthdays, Christmas, Anniversaries, Weddings, Thank you’s etc…. – there’s usually always at least one present you need to be thinking about and buying at any given time.
Having to come up with original and unique presents that fit within your budget and that are available to you easily can be hard work (we all know how much time shopping at random can take up and I for one want to avoid this as much as possible).
But, I bet that you often think of things that would be perfect for people when you are in random places, at random times.
So – why not capture this information and have it accessible to you when you want to buy that special person a gift?
It would save a LOT of time, energy, and possibly money.
Enter: Pinterest.
Why Pinterest is ideal for gift idea tracking
For those new to Pinterest I urge you to take a look – as it’s the most organised way of filing website articles, pictures, ideas etc… that I know of – and saves SO much space and time.
In years gone by, I used to circle catalogues, or write myself a note with ideas for things on as I thought of them. I was also known to tear articles and pictures out of magazines as I wanted to remember them – but that got crazy messy after only a few short years….
The difficulty was that everything was in random places and not to hand when I needed it.
Pinterest came along, and it really was the answer to this issue (I’m sure that’s where the idea for it came from….)
It simply collates everything you want to keep, perfectly!
Think of it like a set of virtual notice boards that you can create and pin ideas to – just like you’d pin to a physical board in your home/office.
You create your own boards and then attach (Pin) pictures that take your fancy when browsing the web.
The beauty is that anything you pin will have the link to that website saved as well. You can literally look through your board – see what you need, and click on it to get the info.
Easy peasy!
People create boards for literally anything they are interested in – including wedding planning, foods to try, pictures of interiors to take inspiration from, articles to read – and much much more. I can’t recommend it enough!
Take a look at the Organise My House boards HERE for ideas of how it can be organised and used. The boards here are, of course, all related to what I talk about on this site – and it’s a fantastic source of inspiration for me each and every day.
So – long ago, I decided that it would make perfect sense to create a board specifically for present ideas for people – and it’s cut my present shopping time down considerably (though of course not the thought or effort that I put into finding the right gifts as much as I can).
How to collate gift ideas easily
First things first – you need a Pinterest account – simply go to Pinterest and sign up – it’s free.
From here you can set up boards, and I suggest that you create a private board for your gift ideas, as the last thing you want to show to your followers (who may well be your friends and family) is what you are thinking of getting them!
After you have set up your private board, you can then go looking around the web and pin anything that takes your fancy for anyone you need to buy a present for.
Most shops now have the Pinterest button on each item so you simply press that and add it to your board – you can add a description of the item and here I would suggest adding in who you are thinking of getting it for, and any other details that are useful to you.
NOTE: Some places don’t have the Pinterest button but you can download the Pinterest button to your browser and then you can literally pin anything you find on the web (taking care of adhering to copyright of course)
What are the benefits of using a Pinterest board for this?
#1 – You not only save the item – but also the link to the shop to buy it
The main benefit is that when you look at your board at any time you can simply click on the picture that you have saved and it will take you straight back to the shop that the item was pinned from – so you can quickly and easily buy it.
#2 – You can use the mobile app when out and about
Accessing your Pinterest boards via your mobile phone when out shopping is really handy – as you have your shopping list to hand wherever you are.
Great for inspiration or a reminder of what you were thinking of buying.
#3 – You can create one for yourself!
Myself and my hubby have a secret board that we pin things we like onto when we see them.
That way we can go in and take a look at what the other would like, and it can still be a surprise to each of us.
#4 – You can browse ahead of time – for everyone.
Having a board per person makes it easy when you’re online and suddenly come across something that would be perfect for someone, but you don’t have time to stop what you’re doing and explore.
Simple pin for later on the board that’s for them – and voila!
I love using a free evening to browse shops online and see what’s available, pinning things as I go from favourite shops – a much more pleasant and time saving way of doing your shopping!
#5 – You can share a board with someone else
This is perfect for when family members want ideas for your kids.
You can either pick something and send it to them, or let them have access to the board to see what they fancy getting.
ideas for present boards you could create
Other than a simple and more general present ideas board, there are lots of ways that Pinterest can help with organising your gift ideas:-
- Create a board for ideas that you would love to receive – your partner will then always have ideas of what to get you, or what to tell others to get you if they are ever asked.
- Get your spouse/children/friends etc… to do ones as well that you can take a look at for inspiration from them directly without having to tell them what they are getting.
- Create specific present boards for different occasions – especially useful for things like Christmas – similar to the way a wedding gift list is created (in fact it would be perfect for that as well!).
Are you inspired to give Pinterest boards a try for your present shopping?
I hope it’s given you new hope for gift idea tracking in the future, and that it makes it easier for you in your already busy life…
P.S – Don’t forget to follow Organise My House on Pinterest for loads of Organising ideas to make life simple! – just click on the box below….
P.P.S – If you want some actual ideas to add to your Pinterest boards – then head HERE next
