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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2008
Sumve Hi Holiday Shopping Season
• Pay in cash. Much of the stress associated with
holiday shopping surrounds a shopper’s bottom
line. With credit and even debit cards, it’s easy for
shoppers to stretch their budgets and overspend,
Holiday/ Shoppings &j Safety’ lip Yqu Ne^d
(MS) - While the holidays can be a
joyous time for adults and children
alike, they may also bring a
smile to the
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fore, the word most associ
k ate with the holiday season
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mas” or “joy” or even
“vacation”. Instead,
Jr many people are sim-
ply hoping to “survive”
once the holiday sea
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-1 • ticularly when it
comes to holiday
BIL shopping.
Surviving the stress
es of holiday shopping
), is no small task. How
, ever, the following tips
should help make this
Mr season more about “joy”
and less about “survival”.
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Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed in the spirit of the season.
Follow these tips, and you won’t.
which greatly contributes to the stress of the sea
son. To avoid overspending, make all of your holi
day purchases in cash. Visit the mall with cash
in hand, leave your credit cards at home and tell
yourself you’re only capable of spending what’s
in your wallet. You can’t spend cash you don’t
have, so making purchases in cash could be your
way of policing your purchases and reducing the
stress that finances create come the holiday sea
son.
• Shop early. The earlier you start your holiday
shopping, the less stressful it’s likely to be. While
everyone seems to know at least one person who
begins their holiday shopping in summer or fall,
that’s not really necessary. Instead, think about
criminals. That’s because amid
-the excitement and confusion of
holiday shopping and travel, many
people leave themselves susceptible
to theft. Willing thieves are waiting
in the wings to lighten your holiday
shopping load.
To ensure the holidays will be as
happy as possible and not spoiled
i, by criminals lurking in the shad
r ows, consider these safety' and
comfort tips.
jt BE ALERT & CONFIDENT
Hk;'" Distraction and the element of
SfcSfisurprise are key tactics in any
scheme. Pickpockets’ fa-
places for action are on
llkrowded lines, in elevators, on es-
and when going through
revolving doors. Always be aware
of your
Be sure to keep careful watch environ
over your children and teach ment and
them safety tips listed here those
around you. Do not shop while talk- possible. Remember to keep gifts in
ing on a cell phone or while listen- the car out of view, so a trunk is the
mg to your MP3 player. Keep your best place for storage,
eyes and ears open and project a Never flash your money conspicu
confident and alert posture. ously and keep your wallet or pocket
book dose to your body at all times.
PLAY IT SAFE If you’re paying with cash primar-
There is safety in numbers, so ily (keep in mind credit and debit
heading to the shopping center with cards are safer), it is wise to spread
a group of friends or family and out the money in differ- e n t
sticking together makes you less of pockets or locations ibr o n
a target. If shopping after dark, al- your person. This jr %
ways park your car as close to the way if you are f’ \
entry of the store as
possible and find a
spot that is under a
light so the car will
be visible and illumi-
nated.
If you are bogged down by tons of
packages you may not be able to re
act in the event of a theft. Therefore,
space out shopping and deposit your
purchases in your car periodically to
keep your hands free as much as
starting in November or commit to shopping in
early December. By getting an earlier start, the
lines are likely to be shorter at the stores; park
ing will be easier to find; and the stores are more
likely to have what you’re looking for.
• Use technology. For many, the Internet’s
greatest gift is cutting down on the time they
used to spend waiting on line while doing their
holiday shopping. Shopping online greatly reduc
es the time it takes to buy gifts for all those on
your shopping list. And since the Internet never
closes, you can do your online shopping at your
leisure without having to worry about what times
the stores open or close. If you plan on doing your
shopping online, you 11 want to do so sooner rath
er than later. Shipping is always an unpredictable
variable when it comes to buying online, so leave
plenty of time for your gift to arrive before the big
day.
• Look for sales. While comparing and con
trasting prices can take some time,, it can also
save you substantial amounts of money. Having
more money than expected at the end of the holi
day season is not only rewarding, but goes a long
way toward lessening the stress associated with
the holidays. Oftentimes, bigger chain stores al
low you to buy discounted products on their Web
site and then go pick the items up in the store,
where they’re listed at full price. So comparison
shopping can even be done between a physical
store and its virtual self.
Take cumbersome packages out to
the car instead of lugging around,
as pickpockets & thieves will
be less tempted by you.
robbed, JM|
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won’t
be lifted
SEE SAFETY,
PAGE 6 j
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