Saving for the holidays!

Everyone  feels  under pressure to get into debt and buy gifts they cannot afford.  When it comes to January they do not want to open their credit card statements and end up paying for the gifts months after the season.

1. Plan it.  Decide on an amount you want to spend this Holiday season.  This needs to  include the cost of food  and drinks and gifts.       
2.  Make a list of the people that you want to buy a gift for, not who you should buy a gift for. 
3. Let family/friends know ahead of time that you are on a budget and will not be buying as many gifts this year.
4. Buy things on sale throughout the year, have a stash of gifts and when you come to the time, you will have almost all the gifts.
5. Don’t buy last minute gifts, your will pay more because time has run out.
6. Look in the flyers now for early gifts, check out warehouse sales.
7. Check out the craft fares, in November/December you can buy really inexpensive very unique and personal gifts. It can also give you lots of ideas for gifts you can give.
8. Use social media. Before you start shopping, start following your favorite retailers on Twitter and Facebook. Many companies offer discounts exclusively to their Twitter followers and Facebook friends. A quick search of their recent posts may reveal money-saving discount codes.
9. Check the internet for coupons and offers. 
10. If you are short on time, order online, they may have discounts and free shipping.  Your time is money, it will allow you to plan and save time and gas driving to malls and stores.
11. There is a website called dealfinder and it gives daily deals in your area and  you can buy coupons for family and friends at a great discount, it call be everything from a meal/massage/spa/autoshop/fitness.
12. Bring on the envelopes, chuck the credit cards. Leave your credit cards and debit cards at home.  Allocate an amount of money for each gift, and put that money in separate envelopes marked with the recipients’ names.
13. Give group gifts. When exchanging presents within large groups of people,   A Secret Santa strategy, or going in with co-workers on a gift for your boss.