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During the holiday season we are bombarded with holiday gift options on a daily basis, whether it is through internet or email ads, sale papers, television, or the fully stocked store shelves. All of this combined with a lack of time and planning can lead a person to get carried away with holiday spending. Fortunately there are a lot of ways in which you can keep your spending under control and save money on your holiday shopping.

Price Comparisons. The most obvious way to save money on gifts is to compare prices in sales ads and on the internet. In fact, in some ways this is the best time of year to buy electronics and other goods because stores are vigorously competing for your business.

Coupons. Several retailers offer discount coupons for a single item or an entire purchase. You can find these online or in a Sunday newspaper.

Use Customer Rewards and Discount Cards. How many people get a customer rewards card and then rarely ever use it? When doing your holiday shopping, go to a store where you already have a customer rewards account. This way you get a discount or rebate, or you earn points toward future purchases. Also, some stores will offer a discount on your purchase if you open a new customer rewards account or fill out a credit card application.

Buy with Gift Cards. A vast majority of people who receive gift cards do not use them. Either they forget they have the gift card, they lose it, or the gift card is for a store where they do not shop. I suggest that if you receive a gift card for a store that you do not like, or if you go to redeem a gift card and you cannot find anything you want to buy, then you should use the gift card to buy presents for other people. A gift card is really money in another form, and if you already have it, you might as well use it, so it does not go to waste.

School fund raiser items for gifts. Nearly everyone is asked to buy something for a school, church, or sports fund raiser. Whether we actually want the product or not, we usually end up buying something in order to support the kid and the organization, but actually a lot of the items that are sold in these fund raisers make great gifts. When studying the order form, keep the holidays in mind and select a candy tin, a pie, or a magazine subscription that someone on your list will like. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Pay with cash. Unless you have a credit card with a really good rewards program, you should avoid using your

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