It's that time of year when stores use every tactic in the book to lure holiday shoppers.?Take a careful look at how much money you have available for holiday spending before you get caught in the holiday buying frenzy.?



Ideally, you would have planned and budgeted for the holidays all year. If you started last January by developing a holiday budget ? determining how much you wanted to save by the end of the year and setting it aside monthly ? you'll be ready to head to the mall.

But in reality, most of us don't start thinking about how much we are going to spend and where the money will come from until the holiday decorations begin to go up.

With no spending plan or budget what is assured is that seasonal expenses strain our personal finances.

It can be especially hard for some people not to overspend during the holidays because of an emotional need to express love, appreciation and friendship.?You can avoid stress and strain on your budget by following a few simple tips on holiday money management.

• Create a written plan for holiday spending and gift giving. Include possible gifts, dollar amounts and alternative choices.
  
  



• Establish spending limits for gifts for each person on your list, and start looking for bargains early.
  
  



• If it has been a challenging year financially, you need to shrink your holiday gift list. Talk with those you exchange gifts with, perhaps suggesting not exchanging gifts or at least mutually observing much lower dollar limits on gifts.
  
  



• Look for and ask about upcoming sales. Take full advantage of discount and sale items.
  
  



• Spend cash and avoid using credit cards. Charge cards tend to promote impulsive spending.
  
  



• Instead of giving money, especially to younger children, give U.S. Savings Bonds. They cost one-half the face value, will not be immediately spent.
  
  

Always keep your budget in mind,and shop carefully to get the best selection and price.

Having control over holiday spending helps avoid seasonal stress.