Spend Wisely This Holiday Season
It’s hard to believe another year has gone by and we’re planning for the holidays again. Getting caught up in the rush of shopping for gifts, entertaining and hopefully giving to charities is so easy to do. Although I rarely recommend paring back on charitable giving, I do recommend being cautious with other spending this holiday season.
This Black Friday was the first ever that I dared to trudge out of the house looking for bargains at seven o’clock in the morning. If the rush at the Century III Target was any indication of holiday spending amounts, it should be a pretty good year for businesses! It truly was like a mob scene. Highly discouraged, I left the store and decided to go home and shop on line as I usually do. After about two hours of browsing and getting the “hot” items I needed, I realized how easy it is to overspend money sitting in my home office just shopping away. That made me think there are probably hundreds of thousands of people out there doing the exact same thing. I just hope that we are all cautious spenders this year.
The following are a few suggestions to help keep you on track for your holiday budget.
Create a shopping list with a budget before you start shopping … and stick to it!
Just because something is marked down, don’t buy it if you don’t really need it. If you wouldn’t have bought it otherwise, you are not saving any money at all.
Stick to the people on your shopping list. If you are tempted to buy for yourself, chances are it will be even cheaper on December 26.
Balance your check book and/or review your credit card transactions daily. With technology today, it’s so easy to keep an eye on your daily spending. If you let it go until you get the bill, you are likely to be unpleasantly surprised.
Suggest grab bag type gifts when buying for groups.
Shop around for deals. Most merchants offer various types of reward programs for frequent shoppers.
If you are shopping on the internet, look for businesses that offer free shipping with a minimum purchase. Bundle your gifts whenever possible to qualify for discounts.
Lastly, stay within your budget! January can already be depressing enough without those nasty credit card bills coming in.
Following these few simple steps will hopefully make you spend more wisely this holiday season. And remember – it’s the spirit of the season that is important so limiting stressful shopping will help you to enjoy the true meaning of the holidays!
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