MaryBeth Matzek column: Planning ahead can help ease holiday shopping, spending headaches

There are 104 shopping days left to Christmas.

Once you let that sink in, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to pay for all those gifts going under the Christmas tree.

Just a disclaimer here, this column isn’t for the ones who were ahead of the game last January when they opened a Christmas Club at their local financial institution. Or for the people who have been buying gifts throughout the year. This is for the people who head into the mall with credit cards in hand and wind up in January with a huge financial headache.

The first step to making this holiday season financially doable is to figure out a holiday budget, says Kay Bidwell-Aronowitz, assistant director of Financial Information & Service Center, a Goodwill agency in Menasha that counsels people with financial problems.

The budget should not include just gifts, but also decorations, cards (don’t forget the postage) and special clothes and food for holiday parties. “There’s a lot to include. It’s not just gifts,” she said.

For most people, gifts make up the biggest part of their holiday budget. In my case, this includes about 40 people including 10 kids under the age of 10 (two of which are mine) and my 89-year-old grandma “who doesn’t need a thing.” Figure out how much you can spend total on the holiday — or what your budget will be — then decide how much you will spend on who, Bidwell-Aronowitz said.

Bigger isn’t always best. Bidwell-Aronowitz said if you ask most people six months after Christmas, they’ll likely be unable to remember all the gifts they received.

“I’m always in favor of a gift exchange where maybe you pick someone’s name and buy a gift for just one cousin instead of all the cousins.

Or you could set a $10 spending limit, which forces people to get more creative and that turns to be more memorable,” she said. “Less is sometimes more.”

After the budget is set, come up with a battle plan for your shopping trip. Scour the ads, shop the sales and try to find the best price possible on your gifts. Make a list and check off people as you purchase their gifts.

“Be purposeful. Say, ‘These are the things I need to buy and these are the stops I need to make,’” Bidwell-Aronowitz said. “The more time you spend shopping, the more you will wind up spending.”

And don’t worry that if you start now, you’ll miss out on some big sale come December. Let’s be honest, most stores begin their holiday sales in October. For example, Fleet Farm opens its Toyland some time in mid-fall.

“Some people say that it doesn’t pay to shop early that you miss out on too many deals, but often if the prices are lower you may wind up buying more than you had projected,” Bidwell-Aronowitz said.

And finally, head out with just enough cash to cover your planned expenses. If you are wary about walking around with a couple hundred dollars, you also can opt to take along a debit card or one credit card as long as you promise yourself not to overextend your pre-set limit.

If you do take along the debit card, remember to write all expenses in your check book so you can track just how much you’re spending, Bidwell-Aronowitz said.

By planning now, you can avoid those hefty credit card bills come January.

MaryBeth Matzek can be reached at 920-993-1000, ext. 292, or by e-mail at mmatzek@postcrescent.com