During the holiday season, many people feel pressured to spend beyond their means. This becomes a problem in January, when the bills come due. With higher interest rates on credit cards, higher minimum payments and higher late fee penalties, the last thing anyone wants is a credit card problem. Here are some tips that will help you keep your bills in check this holiday season:

*Make a budget - and stick to it! The last thing you want to do is get caught in a contest with others over gift giving. Gift giving is a choice, and you should give only what you can afford. Before you start shopping for anyone and everyone, make a list of everything you need to buy and set a budget for how much you can afford to spend. And stick to it. If you can only afford to spend $300 this holiday season, then that's what you have to spend. Learn to make do with the resources at hand.

*Shop all year long. If you find something in March that may make a nice Christmas gift for Aunt Sally, then buy it and put it aside. When it comes time for holiday shopping, you'll have Aunt Sally's gift already purchased. Finding the right item at the right time is far more frugal than rushing out at the last minute, determined to find something suitable. That's a recipe for throwing something expensive on the credit card just because you don't have a better solution.

*Got a large family? You might try pulling names out of a hat to see who gives gifts to whom, rather than having everyone give a gift to everyone else. That eases the financial burden on everyone and that makes the holidays happier for everyone. You may not be the only one in your family with a tight budget, so this may be worth mentioning to other family members. You might be able to ease financial burdens for others in your family, as well.

*Be creative. Home made gifts can be just as useful as those from a department store if you are the creative type. So do cookies, cakes or homemadecandies. The list of things you can make for gifts is limited only by your imagination. The Internet can come in handy as a resource; there are endless sites devoted to homemade crafts and gifts. Besides, clever, thoughtful gifts are often more appreciated by friends and relatives than if they received another tie or scarf.

The holiday season can be a stressful one for almost anyone. The last thing you need is to have the additional stress of added debt with no idea as to how you will repay it. Instead of spending recklessly, give some serious thought to your holiday spending, keep a budget, and stick to it. You'll be happier for it, especially in January when the bills arrive in your mailbox.

About the author:

Talbert Williams offers debt consolidation referrals and advice. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable resources on debt solutions, visit this site: http://www.1debtfreedom.com
Written by: Talbert Williams