December 6,2006
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How Not To Break the Bank This Holiday: Part 1 of 3
Call it the spirit of giving. The staunchest of us are vulnerable to overspending our Christmas/holiday gift-giving budgets, thanks to alluring sales and nonstop TV commercials urging us to shop more, more, more. It is true that most people try not to over-use their credit cards in gift buying, but no-one wants to be considered a scrooge. With the month of December and the inevitable kick-off of the holiday buying bonanza looming, now is the time to make a strategy for your spending this season. You will find that you can be generous and celebrate the season stylishly, without spending every last penny to do it.
Step One: Make a Plan.
Decide how much money you can realistically afford to spend –total- this holiday. Write it down, commit to it, and stick with it. The best way to do this is to plot out your spending. How many people did you buy for last year? How much did you spend? Looking at trends from the past year may be key to setting feasible goals this time around.
Continue on to Part Two to see how making a list (and checking it twice!) can help you from spending naughty amounts of money.