Top 10 Christmas Shopping Mistakes

Today is Black Friday. That means the Christmas shopping season is now in full swing. Dave Ramsey offers this warning in his latest newsletter:

We’ve all paid “stupid tax”—making costly decisions with zeros on the end. A lot of those decisions happen when we’re caught up in the emotion of the Christmas season and procrastinate a little too long.

Make this year different!

Here are the top 10 Christmas shopping mistakes and how you can act differently:

Not prioritizing.
Instead of getting stressed out with all the parties, baking and shopping, in addition to your normal daily life, set some priorities before you’re bombarded with a million requests. Think about which things are “must do” and which are “would be nice to do.” It’s all right to say no to keep yourself sane. Shopping for gifts is more fun when you’re not completely stressed out.
Not using a budget.
Before you make a gift list and head to the mall, set aside a reasonable amount of money for gifts. Make a commitment that you won’t add $20 to the fund every week just because you saw something cute that your niece would love.

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