6 Holiday Budget Busters and How to Avoid Them

Don't let debt ruin your holidays this year.

ByABC News
November 28, 2014, 3:25 PM
Don't let your generosity override your budget this holiday season.
Don't let your generosity override your budget this holiday season.
Getty Images

— -- With holiday sales expected to reach $ 616.9 billion this year -- a 4.1-percent increase over 2013 -- according to the National Retail Federation, retailers will be pulling out all the stops to get you to spend more money than you initially planned.

It's easy to get carried away with the spirit of the season and to overspend when shopping for gifts. Here are six ways you can bust your budget without even trying.

Don't make a list

And don't check it twice. If you don't know for whom you're shopping or how much you're going to spend, you're basically playing Russian roulette with your finances -- maybe you'll have enough to cover your costs and maybe you won't.

"The easiest way to avoid overspending is to sit down and make a list of everyone you are going to buy a gift for," says Jan Dahlin Geiger, author of "Get Your Assets in Gear! Smart Money Strategies."

"Decide first how much money you are willing to spend overall, then make an allocation by person."

Of course, you've got to stick to the list for it to work. If you find a great deal and can buy the perfect gift while spending less than your allotted amount on the person, don't rush to spend the money you saved -- consider yourself ahead of the game.

Act like Santa Claus

Sometimes we get carried away with the spirit of the season and start buying gifts for friends and relatives we haven't seen in years. Once you've made your list of people you want to buy gifts for, and the amount of money you intend to spend, don't change it.

Inevitably, someone you didn't plan to buy a gift for will buy one for you. But Geiger says, "Just because someone else gives you a gift doesn't mean you are obliged to reciprocate. If you feel strongly about doing something to acknowledge the generosity of others, come up with another way to do so that doesn't require spending a lot of money. Bake a huge batch of cookies or brownies and give them to those you feel obligated to give a gift to, but don't really want to."

Or, head off that problem in the beginning by suggesting to friends and family members that everyone refrain from exchanging gifts this year and plan to spend time together after the holidays instead.

Go overboard with gift cards

If you think giving loved ones gift cards so they can find items that appeal to their own tastes seems like a great idea, you're not alone. "Many of us spend more on a gift card than we would otherwise because it says the dollar amount right on the card," says Sally Herigstad, author of "Help! I Can't Pay My Bills."

With consumers spending an average of $213 per year on gift cards, according to GiftCards.com, not only could you likely save money by finding a more sentimental -- and less expensive -- gift, you may save your loved ones money as well. According to GiftCards.com, gift card recipients spend an average of 20 percent more than the value of the card upon redemption.

Look for deals

If you have a lot of items to send a good distance away, look for ways to cut costs. For example, look for flat-rate boxes, which may benefit those who have a lot to ship to the same location.

With a flat-rate box, you pay one rate no matter where it's going or the weight of the contents, according to USPS.com. Likewise, local pack-and-ship companies may offer holiday deals to better compete with the post office and the national companies.