Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidaysAreCalling #CollectiveBias

Over the years, I’ve never really been one to have it “all together” when it comes to the holiday season.  Never have I been on time with anything.   If the presents were wrapped, the cookies were not baked yet. If the menu was planned, the house wasn’t cleaned. But recently I have vowed to get better at being a little more organized.  Baby steps, right?

Now that my kids are a little older I thought it would be easier to get everything planned out.  Wrong!  My oldest is all over the place with her school activities, sports and church commitments and travelling and the other two are just as busy with school and daycare. Increased responsibilities at work and planning family gatherings and shopping for gifts can get rather crazy.

With the holidays right around the corner, how do you stay on top of your to-do lists, wish lists and shopping bargains?  I’m going to be honest here, my phone has a HUGE part of my organizing this year.  Here are 5 ways I am staying organized this holiday season.

5.  STAYING ON TRACK WITH SLEEP AND EXERCISE:  Just because I have a lot going on and things to remember and do, I make sure I am going to bed at a decent time and exercising at least 5 days a week. There is no way I would survive the stress without getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night and running off a bit of stress on the treadmill.

4. SHOPPING ONLINE: I do love supporting our small businesses in our community and I do quite frequently physically go into a store, but there is nothing easier than shopping online. And most businesses do have a website to order from in this day in age. Since I usually spend quite a bit of time online anyways, I do compare prices on competitive retailers and snag up some good deals.

3. LISTS: I always keep a handwritten list. Keeping a list makes me feel as if I have some control of my mind and what is even better is the feeling when you get to cross a task off the list. Another helpful tip is to have lists for each task you are working on. For example, you can have a gift giving checklist, a card sending checklist, a baking checklist, etc. Each list will help you stay on track to help get things done more efficiently. A gift giving checklist, for example, should have separate columns — name of recipient, budget, gift idea, store where to purchase gift, etc. This list will help you stay on budget and let you monitor who you still need to buy for.

2. SET A GIFT GIVING LIMIT: If you have a large family, consider drawing names or buying just for the children. Set a price limit so everyone spends the same amount. Sometimes buying for everyone in your family can get outrageously expensive and overwhelming. My philosophy is that Christmas isn’t about the gifts. The real gift is spending time with each other! Right?

And now for the finale…big drumroll please! The number one way I am staying organized this holiday season is…

1.  MY PHONE:   I have found that my phone is my third hand, from voice reminders to keeping notes as they pop into my head. Heck there are even some pretty cool apps out there such as Google Calender or Remind me to help me put in events and other notes to keep myself on track.

And now, we had been debating on getting our daughter her own phone and have finally budged thanks to Walmart Family Mobile, an affordable and easy-to-use mobile service. So we are now able to track her down without having to call Jim Bob’s cousin’s cousin who has a daughter on the same team as my daughter’s basketball team.

The Walmart Family Mobile service is $34.88/month for Unlimited Talk, Text, & Web ($29.88 for the second line) and it comes with 5GB of 3G Data.

They are also currently featuring some pretty cool smartphones on rollback right now so you are not limited to just a couple options:

Alcatel One Touch Evolve 2 – $49.88 (was $59.88)
ZTE ZMAX – $179.00 (was $199.88)
LG L90 – $119.00 (was $179.88)
Nokia Lumia 635 – $99.88 (was $129.88)
Samsung Galaxy Exhibit – $79.88 (was $99.88)
Nokia Lumia 530 – $49.88 (was $69.88)

And if you decide to snag up a Samsung Galaxy Avant between 12/14-12/27, there will be a $40 Walmart Gift Card promotion with purchase.

Lola really likes Autumn’s new phone and is trying to make a few holiday phone calls.

What are some ways you keep organized during the holiday season?