Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

No Need To Go Broke This Holiday Season

Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D.

Clark County Extension Agent

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Services

Every holiday season the message is the same: Buy, buy buy!

It's everywhere: in the store displays, newspaper ads, radio and television commercials, and of course in children's urgent pleas for the latest, hottest toys. And every year American spend themselves into oblivion, and in many cases, into a financial bind.

What are we to do? "Resist," says Wanda Shelby, district family resource management specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas.

That's easier said than done. Shelby points out that there are a variety of reasons why we overspend on Christmas gifts. Pressure from children, the desire to make others happy, feelings of quilt, or a need to "keep up" with our friends may push us into spending more on presents than we can afford.

If you're getting ready for this Christmas and you're still paying for last Christmas, then you've gone overboard. The key to avoiding a Christmas crisis may be to eliminate impulse purchases. And the best to do that is to be systematic about your shopping.

Begin by deciding who to buy gifts for. Then set a price limit and stick to it.

Each shopping trip should be carefully planned. Prepare a list, including color preferences, sizes, etc.

Avoid peak shopping hours, such as weekends, nights and the day after Thanksgiving. Dress com-fortably to reduce the chances you will purchase something that costs too much simply because you're tired. If you use a credit card, be careful. You should know your credit limit and how much you owe at all times.

By planning ahead you may have amassed a Christmas gift fund. If you did not do it this year, think about a plan for next year. There are a number of ways to save for the holidays. They include:

• contributing to a gift fund as if it were a bill that had to be paid each month;

• saving loose change;

• breaking a habit that may cost more than you realize; give up the soft drink you've been buying every day at work, limit snacks or stop smoking; take your lunch to work rather than eating in restaurants; and

• giving up "frills" such as movies and trips to the mall for a week or a month; save the money to spend on Christmas presents.

Ask friends and relatives what they really want. Sometimes their request will be less expensive than the purchases you were considering. Can you make a gift, using your time and skills rather than spending so much money' Or in a card write a promise to provide a service: clean your sister's house, bake your friend his favorite cake or pie, mow your parents' yard, provide baby sitting.

Take care to curb your spending and you just may find the holidays are less stressful and more enjoyable.

For more information on family financial management, contact the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service at 246-2281.