SALT LAKE CITY — With Christmas Eve just one day away, many shoppers are making their final dash to stores despite months of planning ahead. A survey conducted by Tesco reveals that 2 in 5 people will brave the crowds in the last 48 hours before Christmas to fulfill their gift-giving needs.
In the hustle and bustle of last-minute shopping, it's easy to impulse buy or overspend during this stressful time.
Dave Nellis with America First Credit Union emphasizes the importance of shopping with the right mindset, especially during the holidays.
"But don't shop when you're depressed or looking for something. Go shop when you're in the right mindset. Spend money when you're in the right mindset to spend. That way you don't get caught up with those impulse buys that maybe make you feel good, but later on you see the balance and you're like, Oh, why did I do that? Because you're less likely to take that item back. You've already made a trip. You're not going to take it back. So have the right mindset also when you shop," Nellis said.
Financial experts recommend a simple strategy for staying on budget: only take a set limit of cash when shopping. Once the cash is gone, the shopping trip is over. This method eliminates the urge to overspend and prevents reliance on credit cards that can easily accumulate late fees and finance charges.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
