How to stick to a Christmas shopping budget and avoid festive financial stress

dailyrecord.co.uk:

When the Christmas shopping frenzy is in full swing, it’s all too easy to blow the budget.People often feel under pressure to tick things off their "to do" lists – and countdown clocks, discount codes and “limited time offers” can make it very tempting to press the "buy" button immediately and add up the costs later.

Adam Bullock, UK director at TopCashback, says that keeping a list of the items you actually need to buy can help you to stay focused.

Knowing what you require in advance can also help you to do a bit of online price research beforehand, so you can sort the true bargains from the duds.Once you’re on a roll with your shopping, try not to be distracted by other "bargains" being waved in front of you.Bullock says: "Small impulse buys can quickly add up and result in unnecessary spending."To further reduce the risk of overspending, as well as having an overall budget for your Christmas shopping, you could break this down further into a budget for each person, Bullock suggests.It could also be worth having a couple of potential gift options on standby for each person, he adds, so you can consider cheaper alternatives if some options are too pricey.Buy now, pay later (BNPL) options, can also be particularly tempting at this time of year, as households see their costs ramp up.An array of BNPL choices frequently appear at online checkouts – and, under the right circumstances, they can be a way for people to spread their costs over a longer period, interest-free.But remember that even small purchases made this way can soon add up, leaving you with less wriggle room in your budget when the post-Christmas bills start landing.Take a pause to consider how you’ll pay back any buy now, pay later spending and whether this