Video: Tips to Help Last Minute Shoppers

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — We are 1 week till Christmas and if you still haven’t checked everyone off your list, don’t panic there are ways you can get what you need while without blowing your budget.

If you’re braving the holiday shopping crowds and need to stick to your budget , it’s all about the plan.

“Typically encourages you to get out there sooner to look for those items, and hopefully you get them at a better deal, those sales early on. So when you have a plan, you know what you’ve got to buy, you know what you’ve got to spend, so it kind of gives you an idea of what you parameters are when it goes out to go shopping,” says Scott Ferguson with Financial Concepts.

Scott Ferguson with Financial Concepts says sticking to a plan will help your 2016.

“The worst thing going into my mind into Christmas shopping is to dig that deep hole that you can’t get out of and you start that new year off on a bad foot because your already under water,” says Ferguson.

and shopping sooner can also help guarantee you’ll get what you want.

“The sooner you know, the better selection, we may have 20 of something, but we may not have a large or a medium in it. So the sooner the better, is the best mantra to go by,” says Lex Jackson with Reed’s.

Planning ahead also includes being prepared to wait as lines of cars and people get longer as Christmas gets closer.

Reed’s in Columbus has prepared for the extra traffic with extra staff on hand.

” We have plenty of employees and so we have people that can still actually help you, and suggest to you, you know be there for any kind of suggestion,” says Jackson.

So if you still have names on your list, following these suggestions can help snag the perfect gift without breaking the bank.

If you are still shopping keep in mind that many places do free gift wrapping which can help your last minute gift not look so last minute.