Do you buy bday gifts (for friends) now to take advantage of holiday deals?

[SoCalMommy]

DD recently turned 4 yrs old so most of the birthday parties we will attend will not be until summer/fall next year (for a 5 year old). I have seen some great deals on games, Melissa&Doug, etc. this holiday season and thought about buying some for future bday gifts but not sure that is a good idea. I usually try to buy something with each individual child in mind, but wondering if this might be a great way to save some money. Thoughts?

[ourbabygirl]

I'm torn on this because I'd love to buy some stuff ahead of time, but you really don't know what the kid will like at the time, and more importantly, you don't know if they already have the item, and I like to give gift receipts after having a few experiences (with cousins & our own kids) of getting duplicate gifts. I'll sometimes buy books/ book sets ahead of time for the gift closet as like baby gifts, but there again I don't know for sure that the parents don't already have those books unless they're kind of a random find. Or I'll buy some personalized Disney blankets, for example, that go on sale around Black Friday every year, to give to new baby cousins, etc.

[mikala]

I would wait. I have a 5 yo and in the past year he has started to really want to pick gifts for his friends. It's a good exercise in thinking of what someone else would like and sticking to a budget. Gift receipts are a nice plus too. I try to keep one or two pretty universal things around in case we get a last minute invite but the gift closet just doesn't seem to work for us right now.

[lizzywednesday]

No.

Not only do I not have the storage, but DD has really loved picking out storybooks to give her friends this year. The great thing about books is we can always find something fun and within budget.

[Tenasparkl]

I've done it and I'm not going to anymore. I just donated most of my stash to a toy drive at school.

[abh5e8]

I do. I like to have a few gifts on hand, for a variety of ages. But i'm pretty careful with finding ACTUAL good deals (ie. no so much the amazon LD this year) and only buying tried and true favorites.