Sharon Durling - Speaker, Money Coach and Author of "A Girl and Her Money"

	I've one simple secret to reduce the average shopper's holiday spending by 31%, and the average man's holiday spending by 51%. It's about strategy: (think war strategies, sports strategies, dating strategies). If you don't have a plan, you can't win. According to the International Mass Retail Association, the average holiday shopper spends 31% more than she estimates. Why? She doesn't follow the secrets to smart, successful, and satisfying holiday shopping: Planning, planning, planning.

You think you're going to have a debt-free January by going with the flow, waiting to see what retailers have laid out to sell to you? You think Winston Churchill led his country to victory by going with the flow, waiting to see the lay of the land? Not a chance! He began planning for war years before it arrived. You want a little victory in your January? -you need to plan.

Successful Shopping Strategies and Tactics:

1. PLAN for whom to shop: Shorten your list. Talk to family and friends and set expectations. They'll probably be relieved, anyway. Don't inflate your list based on who gifted you last year. Gifts, by definition, are not owed, so get over the obligation thing. (Author Bill McKibben points out that we're celebrating the birth of a man who told us to give all we have to the poor by showering one another with stuff like motorized tie racks??) Don't omit planning for yourself: much spending goes toward special holiday entertainment, travel, party clothes, home décor items, food, and alcohol for parties you'll give. Create a spending plan for these.

2. PLAN what to give: Make a list and check it twice. Don't wait until you're in the stores; you'll be hyper stimulated, fatigued, forgetful, and run over with guilt, envy, and confusion. Some folks truly prefer a thoughtful note of kind words, and an elderly person, gifts of time and errands run. Others would love a gift such as a hand-made book of pictures, stories, quotes, and clippings. If you're unemployed this year, you may have extra time to create such a loving, heartfelt gift. Never buy on the fly: Impulsive purchases are not only high-margin purchases, they're inflationary: once you pick up something extra for one person on your list, you just inflated what you'll need to buy for the others. That giant sucking sound you hear? A tornado-force spiral into downward debt.

3. PLAN when to shop: The time of day and your frame of mind effects what you buy. Start early in the season, early in the week, and early in the day. You'll get better selection, lower your stress, avoid crowd fatigue and mitigate panic purchasing. Never shop when rushed. If you plan, you won't have to. Panic purchases are always high-margin purchases and often regretted purchases. Order early for timely delivery and to avoid express shipping charges. Don't succumb to the ease of tossing in specially offered items with your order unless it's in your plan. Agree to delay spousal gifts until after the holidays when prices are lower and you can relax and actually find a parking space.

4. PLAN how to shop: As much as possible: in one fell swoop. Avoid back-tracking to the same stores. Before you hit the stores, research via catalogues, newspapers, and the Internet for ideas, selection, and prices. (I prefer amazon.com, ebay.com, consumerreports.org.) Check that list and consider drawing a shopping map.

Plan to pay cash; you'll spend less.

Check your motivation before you leave the house: Never shop out of guilt, to impress, for obligation, or depression. Do shop for the pleasure of giving, helping, sharing. Jot the amount you spent as you check off each item on your list. Also keep a running total of all expenditures. Mark the amount you spent by each person on the list. This information is your best defense and most powerful motivation against the seduction of cutesy extras not in your plan.

5. PLAN where to shop: Get smart: start with the large warehouse stores and next, the discount stores (pick up giftwrap, party food and décor items and hostess gifts you'll inevitably need, early and in bulk.) then on to the upscale department and specialty stores. Avoid boutiques and convenience stores-they are just that-convenient for the bulging wallets of the owners, pocketing profits from high-margin items. The truly crafty will shop at pawn and resale shops. So fellow shoppers, I urge you to stick to your plan as if your financial future and retirement depended on it: in fact, it does.

Ask: Do you wanna retire while feeble or fabulous? It's your choice, and you can head in the right direction this holiday season, finding yourself in a secure and happy January.

Why strategize for leisures such as holiday shopping? Honey, it's a battle out there: You think those sweet, smiley, lilting-voiced shop girls wait upon you only to satiate your shopping needs? Think again, oh smart shoppers! They're all about snatching your wallet and cracking into your retirement plan. How you shop this holiday directly impacts your financial future.

Think like Churchill, create your strategy, and make like a winner. Victory is hardly elusive. It's simple, possible, and even probable. Begin drafting your plan this minute because now you're on to the false seductions and true pressures of holiday ads, specialty shops, and Christmas cheer.

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