“… Making A List and Checking It Twice …”

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, or another holiday, the holidays are a time of gift giving.  For some, the temptation is there to spend more than the budget really permits.  Here are some tips for managing gift giving expenses.

  • Make a list of those for whom you intend to buy gifts and set a dollar limit for each one.  The price of the gift is never indicative of your love or respect for the recipient.
  • Shop early … don’t wait until the last minute to go shopping.  Shopping early and often gives you the opportunity to comparison shop and make certain that you are obtaining the best price on the product you’re purchasing.  It also affords you the luxury of not being pressured into buying “what you can get” rather than “what you want to get”.
  • Large, extended, families may decide, as a group, to draw names and only buy a gift for a limited number of people (perhaps only one person) rather than for every family member.  My friend Brenda tells me that her family elected to do this; and, that it allows each family member to give a special gift to each person on their exchange list rather than having to give small inexpensive gifts in order to stay within budget.

As we move into the month of November, Santa is not the only one who should be making a list and checking it twice.  A little bit of planning now will empower you to enjoy the spirit of holiday giving without fearing the costs.