7 Ways to Stick to Your Holiday Budget

Organize Your Home to Save Money Entertaining during the holidays gives you an excuse to restore order to your house, which may help your budget in surprising ways. While cleaning, you may find items to re-gift, wrapping paper, ribbons and decorations you bought but didn't use -- or even gifts you stashed away and forgot to retrieve.Search for that wrapping paper and ribbon you bought on sale last year after the holidays so you don't make duplicate purchases this year. Look for holiday greeting cards left over from years past. Then create a designated space for holiday items so you don't lose track of them again.Finding money you didn't know you had can also be a benefit, says Monica Friel, founder of Chaos to Order, a professional organizing company based in Chicago."We recently found $1,200 in bonds at a lady's house we were working on," Friel says.While purging closets and drawers of unnecessary items, you may also discover items to sell. List them for free on eBay Classifieds or Craigslist, or have a yard sale.

Prepare a Budget and Know Your Limit Write down how much money you can afford to spend for each person on your gift list, including teachers, co-workers, friends and family. Factor in the cost of decorating, greeting cards and entertaining into your budget. Also add in the cost of travel and shipping of gifts, says Glass."If you're traveling by air, don't forget to add baggage fees into your plan," Glass says. "All those expenses, in addition to gifts, can add up."One of the best ways to stick to your spending plan and save money is to put the cash you have allotted for the holidays into a separate account -- and don't touch it until you're ready to buy something on your list.

Be an Educated Customer

"A good deal is something on your list and within your budget," says Ellie Kay, author of "The Little Book of Big Savings."

To save money, comparison shop on your computer before setting foot in a store, says Kay. Use search engines like mySimon.com or Bing.com. These are popular, reputable and safe sites that categorize items by type (electronics, books, clothing, etc.) and price. Consumers find them easy to use and thorough because they search the entire Web.

To find the best price for an item, look for coupons from the manufacturer's website or on sites devoted specifically to coupons such as CouponCabin.com, RetailMeNot.com and DealHunting.com. If you plan to order online, search for free shipping offers.

Use this same strategy with your holiday food shopping. If you're baking or cooking for a family gathering, check with CouponMom.com for what's on sale at grocery stores and drug stores near you. Get coupons from the site to use at those stores.

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