MACON, Ga. — Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or something else, all that holiday gift-giving can add up.
One Macon grandmother, Charlotte Hardy, said it's hard to keep up with all the expenses, on top of paying for her grandson J.J.'s birthday.
"Well tomorrow is his birthday, so main thing is we're just trying to get was his birthday party straightened out - but also shopping for his sister, and whoever else we saw something for," Hardy said.
J.J. is turning three, and loves toys. She said just like most kids, he's asked for a lot of gifts this year, and they've had to prioritize which ones to buy him - and other family members on their list.
"Try to pick out the main things, and what people like, and what they mostly need," she said.
Over at Macon's Better Business Bureau, President and CEO Kelvin Collins said he recommends checking your credit balance after each use.
"It's easy to throw the credit card down and, and buy something. But those bills do start coming to you in January, and, and you have to pay those off," he said. "You don't want the sticker shock to hit then."
Collins said options like rent-to-own and layaway can be a great way to stick to a budget, but he recommends folks always read the terms and conditions before they sign off.
"If you end up not paying it back, or paying it off in a certain amount of time, do they put the product back on the shelf, do you get your money back, is there a re-stocking fee?" he said.
And he recommends using your debit card if you're shopping in person at a store, but using your credit card if you're shopping online.
"You have certain protections for that credit card that you can dispute the charge and things like that. You do have most of those same protections with a debit card but in the meantime, someone has a direct pipeline into your checking account," he said.
His main message this holiday season is keep track of your spending by looking over your statements as often as possible. He also said over-shopping can get the best of many folks this holiday season.
If you've got a big family, it can be hard to keep track of who you've already bought for. That's why he recommends making and updating lists, instead of going by memory.