Consumer Watch: Ways to stick to your holiday budget

photo Ellen Phillips

Q: I plan to start my holiday shopping the week before Thanksgiving to take advantage of early holiday sales. What advice can you offer to help me stick to my budget?

- Geraldine Gifter

A: Dear Ms. Gifter: As I'm sure you know, gift-giving can cause havoc if a shopper indulges too much - especially on impulse - and goes way over an allotted goal.

Before setting out, make a detailed list of recipients' names, their gifts, and the amount to spend on each. If you plan to buy Aunt Lucybelle a scarf, be sure to set a price on paper, such as $20. This way, even if you see a big sale advertising two scarves for $49.95, you won't be as likely to pop out your credit card and spend more than twice your planned amount.

By the way, the list is a good weaning point before hitting the mall. Once you've written all the names, strike through as many as possible. Must you really buy that Hanukkah gift for Great Uncle Bertram and his fifth wife? And what about that Wine of the Month subscription idea for your sister? Rather than overspending on 12 mediocre bottles, why not research a couple of really special ones?

I once read a great suggestion in Good Housekeeping magazine about a prime purchasing mistake: The more one touches, the more one buys.

Boy, is this true or what? Whether a cashmere sweater that slides through your fingers or a glamorous ring that slides on one of them, resolve to touch items as little as possible to avoid feelings of possessiveness. If you absolutely must caress something, race to a less expensive department to avoid seeing, touching and then buying the higher-priced piece.

Along this same line, be careful what you read. No kidding. Holiday ads via email are ultra-tempting - so much so, in fact, that consumers who receive and read these types of ads are reported to spend 83 percent more when shopping. The best solution, advise experts, is to unsubscribe to the mailings, at least until after December.

During this time, I usually write a giftee/gifter column around more DIY presents. Whether this year follows suit or not, one piece of advice always holds true: extravagant gifts don't always hit the mark; often "handmade" originality is better than spending a bunch of money, particularly if you must go in hock to do it. For instance, a romantic "massage" for your husband or wife is a grand "message." Consider an evening of babysitting so your adult kids can enjoy a night out on the town and, even better an overnight so their parents can sleep later. My mother always raved about a gift I created one year. I typed 100 reasons I loved her, each on a separate little piece of paper, folded them in half, and popped them into a pretty container. Each morning, she opened one up to read that day's message. For example, "I love you because you made delicious hotcakes (pancakes) when I was a child." Because Mama was by then living alone in an assisted living facility, this gift gave her something to look forward to each day, and she and I both had a wonderful time re-living beautiful memories.

So as you shop during this holiday week and beyond, be sure to have a safe and savvy Thanksgiving!

Ellen Phillips is a retired English teacher who has written two consumer-oriented books. Contact her at consumer watch@timesfreepress.com.

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