Begin the Holidays Early

Ah, yes...'tis nearly that time of year again. Halloween just ended but hints of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's and everything in between have already crept into the stores. And this can fool you into panicking too soon. Are you already busy selecting gifts and painstakingly wrapping them? Are you searching for the perfect outfit to wear to the office's holiday party? Maybe you're already researching cookie recipes, knitting scarves and mailing out family newsletters. But don't let the gingerbread house kit displays and Christmas carol lyrics overwhelm you yet. It's too early! Relax and gradually get into the spirit...but don't procrastinate. A little planning now will make the rest of the season a lot more enjoyable.

Begin the gift hunt early---slowly, step by step!

1. Create a realistic gift-giving budget now and vow to stick to it! Remember to include gift wrap, bows, and greeting cards in the costs.

2. Start window-shopping to get ideas of this year's selection and price ranges; many stores have already begun putting out holiday merchandise.

3. Keep a gift journal to make notes for each of your future recipients. Try to list several possibilities with slightly different price ranges for each person in case something sells out or you later discover that you have a little more or less room in your gift budget than you thought.

4. Monitor those coupon inserts and look for special discounts online. Some stores don't put coupons in newspapers and magazines so ask for a few on site.

Top Four Ways to Make the Holidays More Affordable

1. Start shopping early to snag the best deals.
2. Always comparison shop. Flip through coupon books, catalogs and look online for prices that fit your budget.
3. Think before you spend! While it may be tempting to grab anything cute or stylish, consider each and every purchase. Ask who would like the item as a gift, whether you can use the item at a holiday party, or if it somehow fits into your holiday plans. If you can't justify it, don't buy it or you'll reach your budget before you know it.
4. Shop alone when you're not hungry or upset. Thanks to peer pressure, friends can convince you to buy something you don't want or need and an empty stomach will make buying every holiday treat seem like a splendid idea. If you're angry or sad, you might feel tempted to buy something just to cheer you up so wait until you're in a better mood.

Alternative Gift Giving Games

Maybe Secret Santa's getting a little old in your circle of friends, family, and co-workers. Here are three alternatives; try one this year:

Santa's Stolen Sack: The idea of this game is that you and your friends somehow got a hold of Santa's gift sack and you all have to guess what's inside of it. The day of the gift exchange, everybody puts their unwrapped gift in a communal sack. Then you take turns reaching into the sack. When it's your turn, someone puts a blindfold around you so you can't see what you've pulled---but everyone else in the group can! You then have five tries to guess what it is. This game is most fun when the gifts are ridiculously absurd and oddly shaped or strangely textured.

Santa's Guessing Game: Everybody wraps up their gifts and places a sticky note addressed from Santa on the front. The sticky note must contain three clues about the gift so the recipient can guess what it is. Go around and have each person read the clues associated with his or her gift. The whole group---save for the person who wrote the note---can help the recipient guess what the gift is. When writing out your clues, try to come up with something creative, like a funny poem or a silly diagram.

Rudolf's Dollar Rama: This game is really simple. Nobody in the group is allowed to spend more than $1 on a gift! Bonus points if you wrap your gift up in newspaper. See who can be the thriftiest and cleverest in this frugality competition.