5 ways to avoid overspending this Christmas

Yeey! Christmas is here again. The festive season is already knocking on your door and before you know it, youre already receiving gift items from family and friends.

Christmas season is a spending season but if you're not careful you'll be tempted to overspend on food, gift items, decorations and travel.

Remember January always seems very long, and you won't like to go through the month broke. So, to avoid putting yourself in a situation that'll prompt you to begin the new year with debt, you need to avoid everything that'll make you overspend.

Here are five ways to avoid overspending this holiday season.

1. Set a budget

Doing your Christmas shopping now helps you save money. ece-auto-gen

Before you begin your Christmas shopping, you need to set a budget to determine how much you're going to spend on gifts, decorations and food. Make a list of everything you need to buy and make get the cost of each item and make sure you don't spend out of the budget.

2. Use Cash

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Once you make a list of everything you want to buy and set a budget for it, then get set to do your Christmas shopping.

At this moment, you won't need to use your ATM card to buy anything. Just go to stores with cash, the exact amount you'll need at the stores.

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3. Never buy on impulse

Understanding how you make and spend your money is very important to your financial safety ece-auto-gen

Impulse buying is a tendency to buy a product or service without planning in advance. During this festive season, you'll most likely get tempted to buy more than you need because they are available at discounted rates. Be mindful of your budget and stick to it.

4. Take advantage of discounts

Another way you can save money this festive season is to look out for stores selling gift items, clothing and other things you'll need at discounted prices.

5. Save on gifts

It's Christmas, it's a season of gift sharing. However, if you decide to give out presents to family and friends, it's important you limit your gift giving. You can spend less on gift items if you give out family gifts instead of individual gifts.