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Watch holiday spending, look for deals
Saturday, November 14, 2009

It's no fun having the January Blues.

Still, some people get so caught up in the Christmas spirit that they overspend and then get depressed when the bills come due at the beginning of the new year.

"It's tempting to overspend during the holiday season in order to make everyone happy," said Guy King, co-founder of RetailMeNot.com. "Although the economy is showing signs of recovery, a recent poll of our users showed us that 70 percent are not in a position to spend any more this year than they did last year."

In a difficult economy, it's more important than ever for consumers to spend within a budget during the holiday season -- although how much anyone can afford varies from one household to the other.

Sometimes it's not easy to determine what that number is, but Huntington Bank has created an online tool to help users spend more wisely during the holidays called the "Checkin' It Twice Calculator," which can be accessed at www.huntington.com/checktwice.

Visitors to the Web site are asked to enter their savings, income and the amount of any bills they have due between now and Dec. 15. After hitting "enter," the amount they have available for holiday spending will be provided.

"It's designed to help our clients and families in the region manage their money better," said Dave Hammer, president of Huntington Bank, Pittsburgh region. "Hopefully, if they use this tool they can make their family's holidays much brighter as well as their own."

With Black Friday approaching, now might be the best time to create a gift-giving game plan that could help prevent the holiday bills from piling up.

One option to consider is coupons and discounts.

It seems clipping coupons is back in style, according to Mr. King whose online company is a top consumer destination discounts and promotional codes for merchandise, groceries, travel and other services.

A recent poll of 2,000 RetailMeNot.com users found that 73 percent do not plan to spend more on gifts this year.

"Consumers are getting savvier each year when it comes to finding the holiday bargains, and in response retailers will be offering more discounts than ever this season to entice budget-conscious shoppers," he said. "There are deals everywhere. Consumers just need to look in the right places."

Tim Grant can be reached at tgrant@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1591.
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First published on November 14, 2009 at 12:00 am