Bills can kill the Xmas spirit

29 October 2009 - 02:00
By unknown

CHRISTMAS shopping can be fun, but the holiday spirit might be a bit soured once the bills start rolling in after the spending spree.

CHRISTMAS shopping can be fun, but the holiday spirit might be a bit soured once the bills start rolling in after the spending spree.

It's important to decide how much to spend on gifts ahead of time.

Take a serious look at your financial situation and decide how much you can realistically afford this Christmas.

Though people might want to get everyone everything they want for Christmas, it should not mean carrying around a huge debt for the rest of the year or longer.

Write down how many gifts and how much needs to be spent on each person. Tally it all up. If the total is too much to afford, revise the list and see if you can shave off the number of presents or amounts budgeted.

Keep this list handy when out shopping so that it can help keep you within budget.