How to Set a Holiday Shopping Budget and Stick to It

These easy steps will keep you from getting so swept up in the spirit of giving that you go into debt.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ribbons
• Comfortable Shoes
• Shopping Lists
• Calculators
• Yarns
• Calculators

1. Write down the names of everyone on your mental Christmas/holiday list.

2. Cross off the names of anyone for whom you don't absolutely have to buy a gift.

3. Decide how much money you can afford to spend.

4. Decide how much you want to spend on each person and write that amount next to his or her name.

5. Add up all the per-person amounts and make sure the total does not exceed the amount you've allotted yourself to spend.

6. Take that much money (plus $20 for things like sales tax, lunch and parking) out of your bank.

7. Leave your credit cards and ATM cards at home. This way you won't have to exercise restraint or resist buying something for yourself.

8. Ask for a free gift box and tissue whenever you buy something.

9. Take advantage of free gift-wrapping whenever it is offered.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're doing your shopping over several weeks, keep your list with you and make yourself stick to it. It's much easier to fall into the trap of buying several gifts for someone if you make several different shopping trips.
• You don't have to buy gifts for everyone ' not even all the people who buy you gifts. Instead, bake several batches of holiday cookies. Arrange them on festive plates covered with colored cellophane and give them as presents.
• Beware of gift bags. They seem like an easy way to wrap a gift and some of them are adorable, but each bag costs several times what it would cost to wrap a present with paper and ribbon. A nice gift bag plus tissue paper can cost $6. If you're buying eight presents, you could spend almost $50 on packaging alone!

[1trout]

on 12/2/2008 Instead of wandering around inside a store with a blank look on your face, go in with a list of possible gifts for a specific individual and your maximum price range. Also have a list of their sizes if you need that information.

on 12/16/2005 Not all gift bags are expensive. Dollar stores are your friend! And gift bags almost always get reused. Be environmentally friendly!

on 11/22/2005 Go to your local dollar store and buy some gift bags for a dollar. Some dollar stores have really nice gift bags. I even bought some of the small bags for 50 cents each. I also bought my wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbon, and boxes at the dollar store.

on 11/22/2005 If you tell everyone you know (with a mass e-mail or something) at the beginning of the holiday shopping season that you DON'T want, and I repeat, do NOT want any gifts, you will not feel obliged to buy anything for anyone else.

You get no gifts, but who really wants all the stuff anyways? I mean, you probably buy enough stuff for yourself during the course of the year anyways.

on 11/22/2005 one way to get the bags cheaper is to go to a craft store and buy the small bags in bulk then decorate them yourself with ribbon and craft paint.