by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: December 04, 2009

The Christmas holiday season is a time during which retailers go out of their way to advertise and to try to lure shoppers into their stores or onto their websites. As would-be holiday shoppers brave all of the advertising, stresses, traffic and other inevitable distractions, it is easy to lose sight of the things for which you were shopping in the first place. A likely and potentially inevitable result of these distractions is impulse purchases.

It is possible to avoid these impulse purchases, but you have to be very methodical and organized, and you have to avoid distractions and plan ahead. Here are some suggestions that can help you avoid impulse buying.

*Create a budget -

It doesn't matter whether you are shopping for food or for Christmas gifts. By creating a budget, you set limits for yourself and your goal is to ensure that you stick to those limits. You will have to make that budget cover all of the things you need to purchase. It forces you to make priority decisions or to purchase a cheaper item.

*Don't use credit cards -

When you use a credit card, you don't have to face the cold hard facts about how much money you have in your wallet or in your bank account. You may not even know how much you owe on the credit card. When you make impulse purchases or exceed your budget, you will wind up having to pay that much more on your monthly credit card payment. If you exceed the limit, you'll be charged a penalty for that.

*Never shop when you're hungry -

Anyone who goes grocery shopping when they are hungry puts themselves in the position to buy all sorts of things on impulse, simply because your hunger will make you want something right now. Eat before you go grocery shopping because that will keep you from being tempted to purchase junk food and other impulse purchases.

*Shop with a list -

Always make a list of the things for which you intend to shop. If you can force yourself to focus on that list, check things off as you get them, you'll likely be too preoccupied to look for other things, and this will undoubtedly limit those potential impulse purchases.

*Plan menus for the week -

If you plan your menus for the week, you can put the ingredients you need for the things you intend to cook that week on your grocery list. Focusing on the ingredients you need for the recipes in your menu plan will keep you from getting sidetracked and tempted to purchase things on impulse.

*Steer clear of displays -

Stores typically create displays

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