Welcome to the second edition of the cash-only holiday challenge. This week I’m writing on the importance of shopping with a list. We at ACCC have written about the importance of a shopping list when grocery shopping, well the same goes for holiday shopping as well. Without a list you can easily stray from you budget and end up knee deep in credit card debt because you need to buy all of those must haves.
Avoid credit card debt with ACCC’s cash-only challenge.
Six weeks until Christmas, my holiday of choice, and I’ll be honest I have only decided on gifts for half my list. I have set a goal to complete my list on or before Thanksgiving. Why do work on a holiday? Well, it’s a great time to talk to your family members about what they need and want this year. Maybe your father will casually mention he and your mother are dying to try a new restaurant in town or maybe your brother will show you that he’s worn a hole in his running shoes. For friends, I’ve been stalking their recent pins on Pinterest to gauge what they are interested in this season. So while watching Christmas movies and eating round two of turkey dinner I will be finalizing my list and preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While I don’t plan on joining the masses at the mall, I will be scouring the ads for deals on the gifts on my list.
I also took a picture of my list on my cell phone (oh the powers of a smart phone!) so that no matter where I was I would always have my list; because I’d rather go without shoes for a day than forget my cell phone at home! It’s important to always have your list on you so that you do not stray. Our holiday shopping checklist also includes what your budget is so you are always aware of what the bottom line is as well a check box to mark off when the gift is complete. Who doesn’t like crossing things off a to-do list?
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