It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...


Snow! Alot of Snow! I'm ecstatic. As you can see, we took advantage of the weather and built a few snowmen. This brings to mind the upcoming Christmas season and how to shop frugally.

Here are my tips and hopefully ones that I will employ with rapidity :P

Start earlier – Do it from now
The reason is the store is not too crowded and the amount of goods still lot, so you can be more free to choose the gifts you want to buy then you can choose good quality goods with reasonable price.

Conduct research
Find ideas about the kind of gift that will be given to the people you care about by browsing to the online store, reading magazines, watching TV, and chatting with friends. So you will get idea bout the right stuff to give.

Gift List
Create a gift list before shopping. Write the name of the person you want to give a gift, type of gift, and the store where the gift is sold.

Do not over-budget
Don’t let the amount of money you spend beyond the budget that have been made. Of course you don’t want to start 2010 with a lot of debt right?

Don’t forget to compare
Check the online store in advance about the specification and price of goods you want to buy, and then compare it with the offline store. Considering the discounts offered too. If the price of goods at the online store can be much cheaper, then you don’t have to bother to go to the shopping center.

Special wrapping
If the stores offer special free wrapping service, I recommend to use this service, because it can save a little money to wrap the gifts.

Make gifts

Shop Good Will-ONLINE!

Tis the season to be giving, but don't give to the point of financial ruin. Consider Secret Santa parties where you draw names and are responsible for one gift rather than two thousand. Or give the gift of food--minus the fruit cakes. Or donate to a charity as a family--Ronald McDonald House of El Paso, www.candlelighterselp.org(donate clothing that doesn't fit anymore this holiday season!), to name a couple.

Sure it feels good both to give and to receive, but think of the Christmas's to come when you are more financially stable and able to give the way your heart desires. Those holidays will be possible because you made a simple sacrifice this year.

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