DAVE SAYS TAKE CONTROL

Don’t let it sneak up on you. Start planning as soon as possible by putting aside money each month to cover the cost of your gifts, extra food, travel and decorations. There’s not a magic number for how much to save. If you want to give a lot, save a lot. Think about how much you want to spend, divide that by the number of paychecks you’ll receive, and that’s how much you need to save each pay period.

Do a Christmas budget. Make a list of everyone you’re buying gifts for, and assign a dollar amount to every name. Then, total it at the bottom. You can also check out mychristmasbudget.com, a free online budgeting tool to help you stay on track. Mall and specialty stores have elaborate plans to get your money this time of year, so you need a game plan for your shopping to keep you from overspending. There’s no excuse for financing Christmas.

Pay cash. Put the total amount of cash from your budget in an envelope, and when the cash is gone, stop spending. It’s as simple as that. That will help keep you on budget, because if you overspend on Aunt Sue it means Uncle Harry won’t get a gift. Just stick to the plan, and make sure no one gets left out.