24 Weeks Left to Shop for Winter Holidays
AICCCA Advises - Start Now
Fairfax, VA - July 5, 2006 —
During the dog days of summer may seem like a strange time of year to begin your winter holiday shopping, but consumers who begin shopping in July will avoid stress and likely save money.
"Many people spend a thousand dollars or more on holiday gifts and other related expenses," said Dave Jones, president, Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. "When consumers begin shopping early, they can pay as they go and avoid adding to their debt loads."
AICCCA offers the following tips to benefit from starting your holiday shopping in July:
Start with a list. Just as you would later on in the season, you need to begin by deciding what gifts you need to buy for whom. With extra time to shop you might list a broad category of gifts for the persons on your list if you don't have a particular item in mind.
Don't forget to budget. Just because you have more time to shop, doesn't necessarily mean you have or want to spend more money. Have a good idea of your total holiday shopping budget before you start buying gifts.
Pay as you go. One of the benefits of starting your holiday shopping early is that you can buy gifts as you have the money to pay for them. Do not spend more than you have the cash, check or money to pay the credit card bill when it arrives.
Keep your list with you. When you are on vacation or a business trip this summer, you may find just the right gift for someone on your list. In addition, you may find you have extra time to shop you did not have planned and will not need to go home for your list.
Shop online and save time and money. With gas prices continuing to rise this summer, shopping online will save you the expense of driving to stores. Also, some online retailers will gift wrap your purchase for free and hold delivery until the date you request in December and ship directly to the recipient, saving you an additional shipping charge.
Remember homemade and second-hand gifts. Summer is a great time to find unique bargains at garage sales and resale shops. A used item is a perfectly acceptable gift especially if it is a hard to find item that the person on your list will enjoy. Another inexpensive gift alternative is to have your children - who are bored this summer - make something for the people on their lists. Grandparents love to receive artwork and other homemade gifts from their grandchildren.
Founded in 1993, Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA) is a national membership organization, established to promote quality and consistent delivery of credit counseling services. AICCCA and its members are focused on improved creditor relations, efficient processes and advanced technology to best serve clients and creditors. AICCCA members are independent nonprofit agencies that advocate for debtors, counsel millions of consumers annually nationwide and provide debt management services to consumers with excessive unsecured debt. For more information or to contact an AICCCA member office call (800) 450-1794 or visit www.aiccca.org.
