Organize Your Christmas Shopping

photo credit: Randy Son Of Robert

Grab a notebook. Grab a pen. It's time to get serious about your Christmas shopping by making your list (and checking it twice).

Make a list of the people you'll be buying for this year. Leave space between each person’s name. Now go back through the list and write down gift ideas and a rough dollar amount you’re willing to spend on each person.

Example:

1. Aunt Fran - Collects lighthouses, loves golf - $30.00

2. Beth - Candles, bath and body products - $20.00

3. Joe - Something for his new truck, loves fishing - $50.00

Bring your notebook shopping with you. It will help you to stay focused on who you need to shop for, a general idea of what you're looking for and your price range. Making a detailed list like this will prove invaluable in keeping you organized and on budget with your Christmas shopping. As you shop, cross off each person on your list. Be sure to keep an eye open for bargains and grab a few extra gifts - there's always that visitor that shows up that you didn't anticipate.

Set holiday shopping goals for yourself and jot them down in your notebook.

1. I will have all cards in the mail by December 10th.

2. All of my major shopping will be done by December 15th.

3. I will not go over budget!

Making lists and setting goals for yourself this holiday will save you time and stress and allow you to enjoy the season for what it really is. If you haven't started your shopping, start now. It's not too late to get on track. The first step is starting your notebook, making your list and getting a plan of action.

After the holidays, store your notebook away somewhere (perhaps with your decorations). It will serve as a great reference when you're ready to start your shopping next year.

Happy Holidays, Happy Shopping...and by keeping a Holiday Notebook - Happy You!

Money At Christmas - Surviving The Festive Period Without A New Year Financial Hangover

photo credit: hlkljgk

Money always seems to be tight. Every year at Christmas the financial situation always seems to get worse. Increased electricity and heating bills to pay, expensive party food to purchase, presents to buy, travel costs to visit relatives, the list seems to be endless, while finances are certainly not. It is the season to be jolly, whilst trying to forget the long-term costs which will emerge in the New Year.

What can be done to reduce the New Year financial hangover?

Firstly, ensure your incoming finances are being maximised.

If you are in work, is there any part time or freelance work that you can do? Often jobs such as supermarket shelf stacking can be made to fit in around other commitments, while websites such as Dobiz ( http://www.dobiz.net ) have started springing up to get freelancers and businesses together. Selling on eBay or simply returning unwanted gifts can help recover some of your own expenditure.

If you are not working, then obtaining a job is the most important thing to do. Use the facilities that are available. The Jobcentre can provide some help, but it is frequently better to sign up with several agencies who specialise in your own area of expertise. A quick geographically based Google search will normally locate appropriate organisation in your area. As well as using specialist agencies, it is always a good idea to sign up to a couple of general agencies in order to get some form of temporary work, as these can often provide short or long term contracts to keep your finances above water, and they can be given up without much of a period of notice and they look better on a CV than a period without any work at all. If you need help with CV’s or interviews, then internet searches can provide many sites that will be able to help, like Capita ( http://www.capitapd.co.uk ) or Jobseekersadvice ( http://www.jobseekersadvice.com ).

Regardless of your employment situation, you also need to maximise the money you have already. If you are using store cards to make your purchases, don’t. Unless you always pay off the entire balance every month, you will be paying more than you have to. Store cards usually have a very high rate of interest, and you should be able to get a much better rate if you use a credit card. If you are using a credit card to make most of your purchases, what is the APR of that card, and could you get a better rate? Many credit cards currently offer introductory 0% transfer rates, and the increased competition to handle your finances is leading to lower APRs all round. If you have a loan, could you get a better deal? Are you getting the best return on your investments? Comparison websites like Moneynet ( http:www.//moneynet.co.uk ) or Fool ( http://www.fool.co.uk ) are there to enable you to check these details for free, quickly and easily, in order to make your money work for you.

The next thing to do is to try to reduce your outgoings. Budgeting is a good way to reduce costs. By highlighting how much your regular incoming and outgoings are, it is often easy to spot areas that can make huge differences. Most people find that instead of having very little money to spend each month, they are actually frittering away small amounts all the time. This pattern of small spending rapidly mounts up, and can leave little left over to spend on the things that you feel are really worthwhile. Keeping a daily record of your spending is a simple step to take but it can also show where important cuts can be made.

Other ways to reduce costs at Christmas include recycling last year’s decorations, only buying food that will be eaten, rather than obtaining large quantities that will end up being thrown away. Do most of your shopping online to save money on presents. Due to the lower costs of running a shop online, the price of goods can be considerably lower than in the High Street. Sites such as Kelkoo ( http://www.Kelkoo.co.uk ) and Pricerunner ( http://www.pricerunner.co.uk ) enable you to compare prices from various suppliers and find the cheapest. Even if you prefer to buy on the High Street it can still be worth going armed with prices from these sites as many High Street shops will discount if they know they are beaten on price.

If you don’t win the lottery in the New Year and still feel that things have got out of control then you need to seek advice from one of the free advice organisations that are set up to help. The National Debtline ( http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk ) and the Foundation for Credit Counselling ( http://www.cccs.co.uk ) are two non-profit making charities that can help with guides and free personal advice.

Regardless of whether you are trying not to shed those few extra pounds, or recover from debt problems, a few small actions like this can make a large difference to your New Year.

Disclaimer:
All information contained in this article, is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as advice under the Financial Services Act 1986.

You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice before entering into any binding contracts.

How Not To Blow Your Budget This Christmas

photo credit: WTL photos

Every year thousands of families make a fresh decision to start living by a budget. They set up accounts on their home computer, begin to track everything they spend and set limits designed to help them save more and spend less.

Gwen Mathews is the Mother/Chief Accountant in one of these new budget conscious families. She and her husband Pete set up some ambitious financial plans with the goal of paying off their credit card debt. They split their family income up into categories and were doing just great. That is until the holiday season came along.

As Gwen scanned the family Christmas list she realized that the ‘gift giving category’ her and Pete had agreed to early in the year wasn’t going to cut it.

Pete, Gwen and their three children sat down after dinner that night and laid out the situation. Christmas was a month away and the budget was clearly not going to buy the family the kind of presents that they were used to. They needed to make some decision together as a family. What did they want more? Expensive Christmas gifts or a shrunken credit card balance?

The secret to keeping a budget during the holidays is to:

A. Have a clear vision of your priorities. Remind yourself and your entire family of the reasons you had for getting on a budget in the first place.

B. Make a complete gift shopping list and then prioritize it according to your relationship with that person. Immediate family comes first, extended family, friends, co-workers, etc. Start at the bottom and cross off any names that absolutely don’t need to be there – then assign a portion of your budget to each of the remaining names.

C. Get creative with your gift giving. A day in the kitchen with the oven at 350 degrees will take care of a lot of people on your shopping list. A plate of home made Christmas cookies is a welcome and touching gift.

D. Give up keeping up with the neighbors. The surest path to a blown budget is to start comparing what you’re doing with what someone else is doing. Remember, they’ll likely be crying come January.

E. Don’t start shopping too early. Many a Mom has spent their entire holiday budget before Thanksgiving thinking she’s a smart cookie to get it all out of the way. Then the Christmas sales kick in and she’s kicking herself and thinking ‘Well I can spend just a little bit more can’t I?”.

F. Final rule: No impulse buying. If someone gives you an unexpected gift, it doesn’t mean you have to run out and buy them something – that’s what 'Thank You' is for.

By keeping their goals in mind and recruiting the support of their children, Pete and Gwen survived the holidays within their budget. As their gift to each other they wrote an extra payment to the credit card company. If they keep that up, they’ll be celebrating a debt free Christmas next year.

Christmas Holiday Shopping Online: 5 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Online Shopping Experience

photo credit: C.S. 2.0

Christmas is just around the corner and many people are turning to the internet for their Christmas Holiday Shopping to save time, money, gas, and avoid the crowds. Can a good deal really be found online? Is it safe to purchase online? Where are the best places to shop online? Keep reading for some tips to make your holiday shopping online a little easier.

Great deals on the net…

Can a good deal be found online? Most definitely yes! Most large retailers have an online store and many run internet only specials, that translates into savings for you. Many stores are only found online as the cost to run an online store is less expensive than a brick and mortar store. Since these stores don't have the high overhead they can provide some great deals that will only be found online. Price isn't the only factor to consider when shopping for an item though. When searching for that special gift you will have a greater selection online and you won't have to travel or beat the crowds. Instead of the local mall you can shop the world, all from the comfort of your own home. You are bound to find unique gifts online!

Shopping online is not only convenient it is safe when you follow a few simple rules.

5 Tips to Keep in Mind When Doing Your Christmas Holiday Shopping Online

1). Comparison shopping is a must, just like in regular stores. Don't just think you are getting a good deal - know you are!

2). Know the shipping and handling costs before you make your purchase. Some stores may offer a great price only to make up for it with the shipping and handling charges. On the other hand, many stores offer free shipping!

3). Make sure the online store is reputable. Do they have a return policy and a privacy statement that you can live with? Do they offer secure purchases? You should only make online purchases through a site that offers secure purchases. Most sites that offer secure purchases will display it. For those that do not, look for the http: in the address bar to change to https: on the store's shopping cart or the page where you put in your credit card number.

4). Make sure the online store includes complete contact information, including a phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address.

5). It's best to make your online purchases with a credit card. A credit card offers you an extra level of protection in case something goes awry and the online store is not handling the situation to your satisfaction. Most credit card companies will reverse a charge if you dispute it for good reason and have tried to resolve the problem to no avail.

Holiday shopping can be stressful but by doing your Christmas holiday shopping online you can have an easier time of it. The World Wide Web offers many benefits to online Christmas shoppers such as, no lines, great deals and the widest variety of products. Go ahead, give it a try you may just be pleasantly surprised at how stress free your holiday shopping can be.