The Holiday season is fast approaching and with it is the need to shop for holiday treats that you will give to your loved ones come Christmas day. However, this holiday spending spree can sometimes go awry for some people, so here are the most important tips so that you could survive the Christmas rush, and survive it gracefully.
Set a Budget
Try to set a stricter-than-usual budget for your shopping “needs”. A lot of people have a tendency to spend way over what they can afford, often ending up with piles of debt by New Year’s time. Research shows that a lot of people tend to spend so much that the accumulated debt will take the rest of the year to pay back. This is the last thing that you would want to happen.
Estimate the total amount that you are willing and able to spend for the whole holiday season. Afterwards, list down the people that you need to buy gifts for, and allocate the budget accordingly. Furthermore, do not forget to include other holiday “musts” like food, ornaments and even potentially higher utility bills.
Protect Your Belongings
The Christmas season is a season of cheer, but not all people feel this way. With the onset of the global financial crisis, more and more people – even in developed countries like the US – are living a life of poverty. Unfortunately, with poverty comes the not-so-desirable reality of pickpockets, robbers, and fraudsters.
As soon as your shoes land on a shopping street, always keep an eye on your valuables. Try not to wear any flashy clothes or jewellery. Even if you risk looking less glamorous than what you would have wished, avoiding untoward incidents is not that bad of a trade-off.
Be Wary of Identity Thieves
Most working people today are always on the go, and they may have less time for shopping in the recent years. Because of this, a lot of us turn into the internet so that we can do all the Christmas shopping online. Usually, we use our credit cards for purchases, or maybe some other escrow utility like PayPal.
But then, this added convenience comes with a very big risk: your personal information can be stolen by online identity thieves, who can use it so that they could make purchases for their benefit and to your detriment. Thus, be sure to enter your personal information only in sites that you trust.
As a rule of thumb, look for certifications issued by VeriSign or Web of Trust in the home page. This will lessen the likelihood that the stuff that you would pay for are only those that you have received.
Smart Shopping!
The first thing that usually comes into mind when one hears the word “shopping” is going to the most luxurious store that your mind can fancy. This leads to unrealistic spending patterns that do not only hurt your finances, but can also cause much despair on your part as soon as you receive your next credit card billing statement.
You need not flock the posh malls just to get the best gifts for your loved ones. Instead, there are many other alternative outlets where you can purchase the same thing for a lower price. Read blogs about special offers or look around your city and go to shopping places that you rarely visit. More often than not, a few extra steps will let you save lots of money.
Moreover, you can also create your giveaways yourself. After all, the spirit of gift giving is about letting your loved ones know that they matter, and not so much on the price tag of what they would receive.