Smart Holiday Shopping

With gift-giving season swiftly approaching, it's easy to become filled with stress and anxiety instead of peace and joy.  CB&S Bank is here to help with these seven smart holiday shopping tips to aid you with your holiday spending:

1. Start saving early for your holiday shopping.  One way to make saving for the holidays quick and painless is with CB&S Bank's Christmas Club Savings account.  With the Christmas Club Savings account, you can choose to have automatic transfers from your CB&S Bank personal account making it easier to save a little each month to make the holiday season less stressful and more pleasant.  Think about starting one for the upcoming year so you can enjoy a stress-free Christmas next year.
2. The first step to smart holiday shopping is to create a list of individuals that you need to purchase gifts for and to also create a holiday shopping budget.  Once your budget is in place, be sure to stick to it.  Also, don't forget to factor in smaller holiday shopping costs, such as, wrapping paper, holiday cards, etc.
3. It's so easy to get caught up in the competition of gift-giving and feel that you need to buy gifts that are bigger and better than what you gave last year, however remember that the holiday season is not about trying to outshine each other, but rather about togetherness.  Keep this in mind and your budget will thank you.
4. Make sure to do your research before purchasing items.  It's a good idea to browse the web, check out newspaper ads, and even to call around to local stores to ask about pricing for various gifts.
5. Doing your holiday shopping online is an excellent way to save time and sometimes even money.  By shopping online it is easier to browse different sites to do a price comparison... not to mention, you'll have a better selection of items to choose from.
6. If you are going to be doing some online shopping, never complete your order without searching for a promo code first.  You can save a certain percentage of your order, free shipping, or other deals by simply looking for a promo code.
7. If you run out of time or just simply cannot think of the perfect gift, cash or a gift card is always a foolproof gift option... people appreciate money more than you think and a gift card can help the receiver purchase an item that they've been wanting while saving their own money.