Talk to any financial advisor and they'll tell you one of their busiest times of the year is the first 2 weeks of January, the time that the first credit card and charge card bills start to land on doorsteps and people realize the financial extent of thier Christmas giving and Christmas cheering. On average people spend 2 and half times a months salary on gifts, decorations and celebrations. Its the time of year that gift deals can be found and the most luxurious gifts are bought. Last year one of my clients told me how he bought a new dishwasher for each of his 3 sisters!, just because he saw a great deal and felt in a good mood. He spent the rest of the year paying off this credit card debt.
So my pre Christmas shopping advice, before it gets out of hand, is to think before you buy, go and compare prices on dishwashers if thats what your going to buy, think before you pull out the plastic because you will spend a long time regretting it.
The internet is full of shopping comparison sites so its worth spending some time researching before spending that hard earned cash.
