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November 25, 2004 05:28 AM

Smart Holiday Shopping


Excerpt: Are you worried about a debt hangover this holiday season? Here are 5 tips to help you shop smart.


While the average consumer expects to spend $702.03 over the holidays, just 4.5 percent more than last year, plenty of us will spend more than we can afford.

Are you worried about a debt hangover this holiday season? Here are 5 tips to help you shop smart.

1. Do the math.
Decide how much you can comfortably and realistically spend on everything for the holidays. When you're making the list, don't stretch and don't rely on the Christmas bonus you haven't yet been given.

Make a list of all the expenses you can conceivably think of, and not just gifts. There's also the cost of wrapping paper, cards, bows, gift bags, decorations, entertaining. If you're an online shopper, you'll have to pay shipping on the items you buy.

The bottom line is the costs can add up VERY quickly, so be prepared ahead of time.

If you're really worried you can't control your plastic habit, leave the credit cards at home and pay cash. Having limited resources at your disposal may force you to stick to your budget and will make it less likely you'll buy that extra gift for yourself or others.

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Tips For Stretching Your Holiday Budget (November 26, 2004)
Savvy shoppers are expected to do comparison shopping online this year. And according to a recent study from JupiterResearch, there are a lot of smart shoppers out there. If the study is correct, online retail holiday sales this year will reach $21.6 billion. A rising ...
Meet The Bargain Hunters: Three Everyday Experts Share Their Tips (November 26, 2004)
Think you're thrifty? Top this: Malysa Niederkohr of Mill Creek spends $50 a week on groceries for her family of four. Including diapers. Shelly Watanabe of Burien — a self-described "thrift queen" — once scored a $200 beaded cocktail dress for $4.99. Mara Phipps of ...
Some Shoppers Find Fewer Happy Returns (November 07, 2004)
WASHINGTON - Darlene Salerno considers herself a loyal customer of the Express clothing chain, shelling out roughly $2,000 for its trendy outfits each year for the past decade. On a recent shopping trip, she bought a tank top, a button-down shirt and some khaki pants ...

Read all 21 posts in the same category of Spending:

Cell Phone Calls In Flight? - Dec 09, 2004
Holiday Tipping - Dec 09, 2004
Tunes Coming To Callers? - Dec 08, 2004
Electronic Ways to Pay Eclipse Checks in Number - Dec 07, 2004
The Trouble With Rebates - Dec 07, 2004
Customers Tire of Excuses for Rebates That Never Arrive - Dec 07, 2004
'Phishing' Attacks Surge In 2004 - Dec 06, 2004
Bush Signs Internet Tax, Special Ed Bills - Dec 05, 2004
The Wide World Of Online Shopping - Dec 04, 2004
Shopbots: Your Own Automated Shopping Assistant On The Web - Dec 04, 2004
Traveler: Know Your Options - Dec 04, 2004
Worried Merchants Throw Discounts at Shoppers - Dec 04, 2004
Regifting 101 - Dec 02, 2004
Health Costs Up 7.5% - Dec 02, 2004
5 Popular Holiday Shopping Scams - Nov 30, 2004
Slick Tips for Holiday Shopping - Nov 28, 2004
Give Gifts That Give Back - Nov 28, 2004
Tips For Stretching Your Holiday Budget - Nov 26, 2004
Meet The Bargain Hunters: Three Everyday Experts Share Their Tips - Nov 26, 2004
Some Shoppers Find Fewer Happy Returns - Nov 07, 2004