Christmas Shopping Blues: Money Saving Tips

Christmas shopping is in full swing, and for many, a season to loosen the belt of financial discipline and spend deeper into debt. Like food, eat now and worry about the extra fat later.

The ultimate Christmas shopping money-saving tip is to Be Yourself. Determine upfront what you want to spend on , and make your list fit. Each item has to either shape in or ship out. It is as simple as that. Gift-giving is fun and rewarding, but if you cannot afford it, it is not worth the trouble. What is the point buying what you cannot afford right now, only to feel resentful for buying an item that was not much appreciated as you expected, when the choice was yours in the first place?

The moment you decide to be yourself, the relentless pressure subsides. Have a gift budget and stretch it as far it can go. If some things don’t fit into your budget, too bad. If friends and family love you less because you cannot afford certain gifts, you are better off remaining in their bad books. Loving you to debt is not what you need to remain in sound financial health.

There are different ways to make your money go-round:

• Make a list and stick with it
• Determine a price range for your gifts. Don’t exhaust your budget on a few items
• Give a gift voucher where appropriate. The recipient gets to choose the gift, and you get to determine the budget
• Cast lots for who buys a gift for who rather than everyone buying for everybody
• Tell your kids Santa got hit with the credit crunch this year, hence they should not expect something as fancy as last year’s gift
• Cut down on Christmas cards and send e-cards instead. Have the children hand-make cards for Grandparents etc.
• Take an inventory of unopened gifts before you start shopping. This can take items off your list.
• Do comparison shopping
• Pay with cash so that you can stay within your spending limits
• Browse money-saving websites for more ideas

After all is said and done, remain in control of your finances, and stick with your plan. Christmas is not a time to cast off all financial restraints. Stick to your budget and have fun

Merry Christmas!

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