(NAPSA)—Whether you’re a planner or procrastinator, the holiday season often means entertaining, shopping, and dealing with the financial aspectofit all. While overspending and lack of time can create holiday stress, nearly 40 percent of respondents to a recent survey have no specific budgeting or organizational process for the holidays. With a little pre-season planning, you can alleviate some of the stress that may dampen yourholidays. “The holidays are a wonderful time of year but they also can be the most stressful,” said Candace Bahr, co-founder of Women’s Institute for Financial Education (WIFE.org). “To reduce financial stress start early, makea list, prioritize and budget your moneybefore you hit the malls and get tempted to start spending impulsively.” Bahroffers the followingtips to help you make the season more enjoyable andrelaxing: Track it—try using free online holiday organizationaltools at PracticalMoneySkills.com to keep track of your holiday spending. Tools such as the Gift Tracker allow you to list everyone you need to buy for and an estimated budget for each person. Once you’ve purchased gift, fill in the actual amount spent, so you can see if you are staying on budget or need to make adjustments as necessary. * Budget it—set a budget based on how much you have to spend, andconsider purchasing a pre-paid Visa card for that amount. This way, you can use onecard for all of your holiday spending, track expenditures and stay within your pre-determined budget. To save time, consider giving prepaid gift cards. The Visa Gift card enables recipients to purchase just what they want. Gift and other shopping can be more fun and less stressful whenyou get organized. Map it—before leaving the house to spend the day shopping, know where each store is located and which store you are going to go to first. Also, put a time limit on how long you spend in each store, so you don’t catch yourself browsing and shopping for people not on yourlist. Ship it—commit to buyingall gifts for out-of-town relatives and friends online. You can haveit wrapped and shipped direct, benefit from the convenience of shopping online and save time waiting in line at the postoffice. It’s also a great way to avoid the hassles of traveling with gifts, but be sure to check the retailer’s shipping deadlines to make sure your packages arrive on time. Plan for it—consider hitting the after-holiday sales and purchase decorations and wrapping paper for next year at significant savings. You also should begin saving for the next holiday season by tucking away a set amount of money each month—you'll be surprised how much you'll have at this time next year.
