Holiday shopping: Plan ahead to turn your financial fear into cheer

Oct. 25 marks two months until Christmas.

A new study by Bankrate says 28% of people are already stressed out about the cost of holiday shopping, and we still haven’t faced the scare of Halloween.

If you are anxious about the cost of holiday shopping, take a deep breath because you’re smart enough to be thinking ahead.

Ted Rossman, a senior industry expert at Bankrate, said make a budget and stick to it.

He said this is especially important as the average American is sitting on $6,300 in credit card debt right now.

Don’t add to it. Look for coupons and deals and strategize your spending. Get an early jump on shopping to spread out your cash flow.

“Take this opportunity to set a budget, make a gift list. You probably still have five paychecks between now and the end of the year, so saving money from each of them can really pay off,” Rossman said.

The National Retail Federation said the average holiday shopper spends about $900.

But you also don’t have to spend that much.

Bankrate said you can change your spending habits during the holidays, but it doesn’t have to be joyless.

Rossman said to use your unused gift cards. A Bankrate study says on average, people have almost $250 on them unused.

Are you crafty or a good cook? Make something.

What about making gifting a memorable competition: who can gift the coolest thing from a thrift shop?

NBC CT Responds Consumer Reporter Caitlin Burchill goes grab-style gifting on both her side of the family and her husband’s.

Each adult is buying for just one other adult in the family. They’ve already picked names and capped the cost of spending.

Plus, she says it makes the gift you purchase a lot more special, instead of haphazardly spending hundreds of dollars on potentially thoughtless presents for all your family members.

Burchill loves using the website Elfster to pick gift-grab names.

You can set rules so you don’t have to buy for your partner in the exchange, or the same person you bought for last year, for example.