But with many Americans still worried about rising costs, resale or 2secondhand shopping is becoming a more popular way for finding value and meaning in gifts.
"What we're finding is that consumers are ready to spend nearly 40% of their holiday budgets on secondhand, which is up 3significantly from last year."
Alon Rotem Tim of ThredUp, an online 4thrift store, says the 5stigma around buying secondhand is starting to disappear with it becoming more 6mainstream.
"Because value is king with consumers, this is a great way for them to 7extend their dollar and get more for their money. Secondhand is also a way to sort of cut through the noise of the ordinary and find more unique items — items that tell a story, items that are more personal."
Other ways to save: Start early to 8take advantage of end-of-summer clearance sales. Don't wait until Black Friday. Use reward credit cards, taking advantage of cashback or points.
And to keep your holiday shopping from turning into a financial horror show, remember for your debit card: know your balance, don't 9overdraft, and suffer fees. For your credit card, even if you have a high limit don't spend beyond your 10budget.
And with 11buy-now-pay-later options, try not to use them for 12discretionary spending that can quickly 13add up.
"Very easy to forget, say, two out of the 20 small purchases with different payment due dates that you made from a few months ago and once you have missed payments, they may get reported to the 14credit bureaus."
