Let the holiday shopping begin! Isn’t it amazing that the day after Halloween, everything orange and candy was gone and the Christmas decorations were up?

Major retailers are open on Thanksgiving – attempting to lure us in for the “spendiest” season of the year.

The average family spends $786 dollars on holiday gifts and every store is in a race for those dollars!

So before you head to Walmart at 2 in the morning or make sure that you are the first into Macy’s on Thanksgiving Day, here are three tips to make sure you are ready to go and will have smooth spending this Holiday season:

Ready, set, go to Make your gift-giving magical!

1.  Ready. (Make a list.)

Join Santa and “make a list and check it twice”. Want to make the best list? Make your holiday shopping list with THEM in mind, not you! There are 5 different ways we receive gifts.

• Don’t want you to spend a lot of money (Savers)
• Like the lavish gifts (Spenders)
• Enjoy something different (Risk Takers)
• Welcome gifts that are practical (Security Seekers)
• Value gifts that foster your relationship (Flyers)

Also, don’t forget to take your loved one’s Secondary Money Personality into consideration too. (If you haven’t already, be sure to take our Money Personality Assessment).

2.  Set

Set expectations with your spouse or significant other. If you are sharing a pocketbook then you need to be in agreement. Who is getting what and how much are you going to spend. Also, be sure to set expectations with family members.

If this has been a trying money year then there is nothing wrong with a little “warning.” Your “warning” could go something like this, “Been a little rough this year so we are going to be going a little lighter, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love you a ton.” Nothing says “Bah Humbug” more than money fights and broken expectations during the holidays.

3.  Go

If you have completed “Ready and Set”, you are now ready to go and enjoy buying and giving your gifts.

We want you to have a great holiday season. Everyone knows a budget is a good idea but don’t forget the “other side of money” –  the relationship side.

Be sure to let us know what your favorite Christmas Gift tip is – we can all learn from each other. We hope and pray your Money Relationship brings you hope, laughter, and peace this year!

Taylor & Megan Kovar

The Money Couple

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