Quick playbook guide to gift giving this holiday season - optimize for money, time, and value

Creative holiday shopping tips that go beyond "just get what they say they want" or "gift guide" lists with basic, sponsored products from media sources and influencers

Let’s get right into this.

Here's your quick go-to guide for holiday shopping for any of the following situations, such as when…

• You don’t know what to get

• You want to save money

• You can’t get what they’re asking for

• You want to be creative

• You don’t have time to shop

• You’re shopping last-minute

• You have to give someone unexpected a gift

I’ll get into these holiday shopping scenarios one by one with mini step-by-step playbooks on how to navigate them and survive this holiday season with the most bang for your buck. I might be leaving out the obvious tips or missing some really good ideas, so feel free to add your own tips in the comments.

You don’t know what to get someone for the holidays

Run through this list step by step until you get an idea of what their gift can be. If nothing comes to mind, move on to the next step. In the order it’s written, you’ll go from the most specific to the most generic gift ideas.

1. See if they even want or care about a gift; otherwise, you both can agree to not do…