CHRISTMAS shopping is something we all vow to tackle early but almost invariably leave to the last minute.
Our reward for doing so is to be thrown into frantic crowds, forced to compromise with our choices of merchandise and to risk forgetting someone vital on our gift list.
Further results of leaving this special shopping to the last minute are tiredness, irritability, disenchantment with the whole business and annoyance with oneself for being so very lax.
Even more importantly, you can spend more money than you intended. First because panic buying nearly always causes you to spend more.
And because you may have had to compromise with your choices, you will probably have bought two gifts when you intended only to buy one, or you had to buy something more expensive to make up for the things you went out to buy no longer being in stock.
Time is another victim of last-minute shopping because there will be many more people about town and in the shops who will get in your way and hold you up.
Public transport will be full and roads will be jammed almost to gridlock.
And when you arrive, where will you park?
By the time Christmas Day dawns, you will be so disillusioned, Christmas will have been completely spoilt for you.
Shop early however and it will be a completely different story.
You will be able to plan your buying. You will be able to compile shopping lists and stick to them.
You will find the shops only moderately crowded, certainly nothing you can't handle.
You'll find shops well stocked and anything you can't buy over the counter can be ordered because there will still be plenty of time.
You won't want to stint on your spending, on the other hand there will be no need to spend more than you budgeted for each specific gift.
Most important of all, with a wide choice of goods available, you can buy the best available in your range.
When it comes to travel you'll find buses and trains no more crowded than usual. They will be running to their normal timetables. There will be plenty of room for you and your shopping. And if you decide to go by car and drive yourself, the roads won't be too full and there should still be plenty of parking.
Shopping early for Christmas should be a pleasurable experience, not a torturous chore. You can plan your buying carefully, both for gifts and personal consumption.
You can set a budget for each purchase and with ample time at your fingertips, you can afford to shop around. Indeed with careful shopping, you might even manage to save a few £s here and there.
And if things aren't quite right when you get them home, you'll be able to take the offending articles back to the shop with every expectation of a substitute being supplied or another item being ordered in time for a comfortable pre-Christmas delivery.
If in the past you've left things to the last minute, do things differently this year. Do yourself a favour, shop early for the best selection and the energy you'll need to really enjoy Christmas when it comes.
FINANCE
SET aside money for Christmas in a separate account. Some companies run a savings scheme for the season.
Join now, and even leave money in for next year. Set yourself a budget for food and presents.
You're bound to exceed it, but it gives you something to work to. Try to get agreement among family members to spend an equal amount on gifts, say £10 each.
Buying some presents and non-perishable food items early, helps spread the cost.
Use credit cards for purchases, particularly if you shop late. You will get a few weeks free credit (as long as you pay the bill off in one go).
Companies also offer some protection, including breakdown cover, for anything bought over the value of £100. Afterwards, the bills will help you work out how much Christmas cost.
BUYING PRESENTS
ENCOURAGE children to compile a realistic present list that's not full of £100 trainers and expensive computer games.
Suggest they ask relatives to combine and contribute towards a big present.
Make sure they realise it's about giving as well as receiving, and they have a list of presents they need to give.
Homemade gifts – sweets, biscuits, jam or a child's painting – are far more personal than a shop-bought treat.
If present giving in the office is a tradition arrange a fixed price.
Use brown or crepe paper and colourful ribbon for wrapping, which is more stylish and far cheaper than gift wrap.
We each send on average 82 cards, so allow for that £20 plus on postage as well as the cost of your cards.
DECORATING YOUR HOME
FOLLOW the rule with decorations – less is more effective. Pick a theme or colour and revamp existing baubles by spraying a new colour.
Use what is in the garden. Spray and arrange ivy, mistletoe, twigs and pine cones.
Don't forget to look in the January sales for discounted decorations and cards for next year!
AND FINALLY...
IT'S not compulsory to spend a fortune.
Christmas is really about time with family and friends!