Single and Sexy with Renee Rayles
Single Mom on a Mission: Holiday Shopping
Single moms often find it hard to find the time to shop alone without their children.
This lack-of-alone-time often makes it hard to find gifts in the few spare minutes you have alone at lunch or before you pick your children up for school.
So here are a few tips on how to accomplish your holiday shopping without your son seeing you slip a toy into your cart (yes, I’ve tried it before):
*Check out your local YMCA. If you cringed hearing those words you may not have visited the Y lately. Many YMCAs have had a major overhaul or built new buildings that provide a great experience for the whole family.
Most YMCA’s offer a Drop ‘N Shop. These are designated days in December that children can come and make crafts and/or play sports for a few hours while mom gets some shopping done (for a small fee per child – a steal compared to an hourly babysitter rate). Even if you aren’t a member, no need to worry. Often non-members pay an additional fee of around $5 per child. To find a YMCA in your area check out www.ymca.org.
*Toys ‘R Us, Wal-Mart, Amazon and other retailers often offer free shipping after spending a certain amount of money online after Thanksgiving through December. Generally, during the holidays the minimum purchase for free shipping is quite a bit lower than in other months. You’ll save gas and time.
*Pawn shops (for real!) are places moms can check out quickly during a lunch hour. With the economy in distress many people are selling items to pawn shops to make some fast money. This means great deals for you. The efficient part is they don’t have long lines like major retailers so you can get in and out.
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