Every year there are reports on the news about how deeply in debt people become every Christmas. It is possible to have a nice Christmas without maxing out the credit cards. Here are a few simple tips that could save you a bundle:

Make a list! Sit down and make a list of all the people you would like to give gifts. Once the list is made, stick to it. Decide how much to spend on each person and write it beside each name. Then when you go shopping there will be a price range for each gift. It will help avoid overspending. Even a dollar over expected spending can add up if there is a large shopping list.

Draw names! Many families, including my own, help cut back on holiday spending by drawing names. Each person in the family only shops for one other person whose name they have drawn. Instead of buying several gifts, even if they are inexpensive, each person can get one nicer gift. This makes shopping easier too. Instead of trying to fill a huge list, just take your time and focus on getting that “perfect” gift for just one person.

Shop ahead! This can help you get organized and be ready for Christmas long before it’s here. By doing this you can purchase Christmas gifts all year round, taking advantage of after Christmas sales, out of season and clearance sales. Go ahead and wrap and label the gifts. This helps keep people from seeing what was purchased and you won’t forget which gift was for whom. Make sure that you have good hiding places!

Lay-Away! Another great way to shop ahead and spread out your spending is to take advantage of lay-away. Some stores offer a lay-away program, so you can pay a little at a time each month. By doing this, you can budget things out over a period of time. By combining this with the list and budget plan, you can cut out the interest incurred using credit cards and still make a monthly payment.

Hide the credit cards! If only it were that easy! However, by not using credit cards you are already a step ahead of the game. There’s no worry about the interest and all those payments that come due after the first of the year. If you are already using credit cards carefully you might be able to continue using them for Christmas gifts, just be sure to pay it off when the bill comes due.

Gift cards! These are a favorite of mine to both give and receive. For gift giving, they are easy and convenient to buy and you can spend an exact amount. Gift cards can also help you shop on a budget, if shopping ahead of time. You can purchase the gift cards to stores that you like to buy gifts from in the amount you can afford each week or month. Then tuck them away in an envelope in a safe place until you have the amount needed to purchase the gifts. You can keep an eye out for sales on certain items this way, as well. Be sure to check to see if the cards have an expiration date. Some expire after a certain time once activated and others have no expiration date at all. Some are even “rechargeable” and more money can be added as needed.

No matter what plan you choose, the best thing is to get organized and plan ahead. Spur of the moment shopping is the worst for anyone’s budget. It’s too easy to just grab something on impulse and blow the best of intentions.

Happy Holidays and remember MommyAuctions.com this holiday shopping season when buying for the little ones! You can find some truly great gifts for cheaper prices on items that are both new and used. Mommy Auctions has great toys, clothes, and so many other gifts for babies, kids, and mom.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 at 1:17 am and is filed under A day in the life of being a Mommy!, Good to Know, Mommy Auctions, Money Savers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.