How often have you received a last minute invite to a birthday party or realized that you have to attend a baby shower and forgot to buy a present? Unless you are a super-organized person, this has probably happened to you more than once! This article will show you exactly how to avoid this problem and never be stressed out over a party or shower again!

The first thing you need is a large box. This can be a plastic box with a lid, or just a regular old cardboard one. If you want to make it look nice, cover the outside with contact paper. This is where you will be storing all of your advance gifts.

Now, you will need several plastic bags or smaller boxes to categorize the gifts. On top of this, you should have everything you need to present the gift right there in the box so you won’t be cursing yourself for not buying Scotch tape at the last minute.

Start off with wrapping paper. You will need about five or six sheets. At least three of these should be very generic, so you could feasibly use them for a wedding gift or a bar mitzvah gift. Red, light blue and yellow are perfect colors for this purpose. You can also go with stripes, polka dots, etc. which are fine for any occasion and work with either sex. The best idea is to have all the paper generic, but you may want to throw in some fun birthday paper with balloons or a baby paper with rubber duckies. Again, avoid specific genders.

Also include a Ziploc bag with tape, scissors and a glue stick. And don’t forget tissue paper in red, white and yellow. This can be used inside of several gift bags that should also be included in your box. They can be generic as well, in plain colors or with simple designs, like a teddy bear or a bird. Avoid flowery bags and try to have a few different sizes available.

Lastly you will want to collect gifts in several different categories. You can add or eliminate categories depending on what type of events you are usually invited to. The gifts for each category need to go into a box or bag that is clearly labelled.

Baby Shower: booties, stuffed animals, onesies, baby hats, sets of baby soap and shampoo, blankets or receiving cloths, etc.

Kid’s Party: paint sets, board games, craft kits. Aim to have something for each age group, but particularly the same age groups as your own kids.

Wedding: Candlesticks, napkin/placemat sets, vases, picture frames

Adult Birthday: Facial cream, nice wallet, scarf, board game

You can probably think up a few more categories. The idea is to always have something on hand for those emergency gift situations. There you go, gift stress eliminated!