Christmas Is Coming! Spend And Save Your Money

Another year is coming to an end. As it does so, the great Christmas shopping spree is about to start. For many people, this time of year is the most difficult. There is a cultural pressure to buy gifts for all the family. Children in particular often make a wish-list of what they want and if Santa does not provide the required items the parents often feel guilty for letting the kids down. Very often these days gifts are of a ''high-tech'' nature and have a correspondingly high purchase price. People therefore rush to use their credit cards disregarding logic. The bills have to be paid but this can be worried about in the future. The problem arises when the future catches up and the bills and statements drop through the letterbox.
At the present time there is a lot of doom and gloom regarding both national and personal finances. The National Growth Rate is low and unemployment is rising, particularly in the younger age groups. The country is bordering on dipping back into recession. The Euro is in trouble and some European Union countries are being supported by loans to avoid defaulting on debt repayment. People are worried about holding on to their jobs and ongoing price rises in food, fuel and utility costs. Pensions are increasing areas of concern and the dates from which pension payments can start are being delayed.

The Christmas period is certainly one which can be difficult. Some people continue to spend as if there is no tomorrow. Buying gifts temporarily takes the mind off everyday worries. For much of the rest of the year other things distract people from their financial worries such as football, the pub, alcohol and regrettably social misbehaviour. The Christmas lights and decorations in the stores draw shoppers to them like moths to a flame to go and spend their hard-earned money. The choice of what to buy for family and friends can occupy the thoughts for some time before decisions are made.
Various questions may be considered before the final shopping list is compiled. What kind of gift is suitable? How much do items cost? How much money is available to spend? These days it is worth considering using price-comparison websites to look for the best deals. Savings can sometimes be made by buying online. The spending period can cause frayed nerves and family stress. Some people would happily use up one wish asking the genie from Aladdin's magic lamp to sort out all the shopping and do the purchasing for them. Even this does not take into account the concerns on the social side of the holiday season. Who is doing the cooking? Who should or should not be invited over? What programmes should be watched on television?
It might be a good idea to plan Christmas shopping and expenditure on paper rather than act randomly reacting from the maze of confused thoughts inside the head. Make a list of who is going to get a gift and what kind of item the person might like. At this point the costing can be researched and noted. There are so many purchasing areas to consider whether it be items of food, drink, clothes, vouchers, perfumes, jewellery or numerous forms of electronic gadgets.
Sometimes it is not necessary to purchase something as a Christmas surprise. A novel idea or a start-up subscription can make a nice impact. An example of an uncommon type follows and may get the imagination working ''outside the box''. A friend who works from home uses the computer to email prospects and clients. Doing this manually takes up a lot of time. Last Christmas he was advised to subscribe to an auto responder and the initial payment would be subsidised as a gift. This turned out to be of great value in terms of saved time and effort. As a mini product review, an auto responder is computer-software which automatically sends out a series of pre-written emails at set time intervals.
Happy Christmas to everybody! Spend and save wisely. The following website and its links review various ways of saving and earning money which may bring some cheer to your finances over the Christmas period. www.moneymakers-moneysavers.com

The current global economy is in a fragile state and runs the risk of a catastrophic ''meltdown''. There is an ever-increasing risk of unemployment and financial hardship. However, it is not all doom and gloom. People can take responsibility for their own financial security. There are resources available both to save money and earn extra money from home. Readers from countries around the world are invited to peruse the money making and money saving options on the following website and take action to improve their personal finances. http://www.moneymakers-moneysavers.com