Managing the Holidays in a Period of Economic Uncertainty

If there's a silver lining to all the troubling economic news this holiday season, it's that it may actually temper overspending. As foreclosures, gas prices and bankruptcies climb, the stock market remains volatile and home values continue to plummet, maybe people will spend less and save more.

So how can you make sure you don't go into debt this holiday season?

As I wrote in last Sunday's column, there are strategies to keep you within your budget (and I do hope you have one), but first you need to identify what kind of shopper you are. Do you fit into any of these shopping styles:

The types include:

* The plan-ahead shopper: Many have already finished their holiday shopping.

* The impulse shopper: These shoppers don't make a list. They buy on a whim.

* The inspirational shopper: These shoppers also don't have a plan. They let the spirit and a good sale guide them to the right gift.

* The non-shopper: These consumers loathe shopping and may just pick one store to do all their gift-buying.

* The last-minute shopper: These shoppers may be in the most danger of spending too much because the holidays sneak up on them and they find themselves in the stores in a panic.

To learn how to shop smarter, read my column.

But I fear many people won't scale back. Thanks to aggressive marketing by the stores, the number of consumers hitting the stores since Thanksgiving has increased by 4.8 percent, according to a story by Ylan Q. Mui, The Washington Post's retail reporter.

That statistics even contradicted what the National Retail Federation predicted before Black Friday, despite the fact that retailers are spreading out their discounts and promotions throughout November and December, rather than reserving them only for the day after Thanksgiving.