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Thanksgiving's over. Time for THIS...

It's hard to believe today is the day after Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday replete with delicious food, big smiles, and countless laughs.

Now that Turkey Day is behind us, it can only mean a couple of things.

For one, we can expect a myriad of families to put up their holiday decorations today.

Secondly, there's no denying that, arguably until after New Year's, retailers from Macy's to Victoria's Secret will be barraging us with holiday ads, whether on TV, in the newspaper, or online.

It's really a shame that the holidays have become so highly commercialized. My coworkers and I were fretting the other day over the fact that many stores now sell Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff alongside their Halloween items. That means you can stock up on Christmas decorations as early as October.

While doing so may save one money in the long run, coupling all three occasions does little to build anticipation for the latter holidays. When I was little, I couldn't wait until Thanksgiving was over so that I could start to see Christmas-themed ornaments in stores. Kids nowadays are getting Christmas shoved down their throats two months in advance.

It seems this trend may have begun with the recession in 2008. Consumers hit tough times and had no choice but to cut back on non-essentials like Christmas trees, lights, and stockings. Perhaps putting their Christmas inventory on the shelves in October buys retailers more time to sell them. Once the holidays are over, the stories try to get rid of what remains by marking the prices down tremendously.

It goes without saying that this holiday season, you shouldn't spend more than you have. Guard against the impulse to run to the mall and shell out thousands on things you may not necessarily need or want.

Stick to a budget and leave no stone unturned when it comes to scouring the papers and internet for discounts. You're bound to snag good deals on Black Friday (today) and Cyber Monday. But just because there's a sale doesn't mean you have to take advantage of it.

If you feel more motivated to purchase something only because you're getting it at a discount, you may still end up spending a boatload of cash. Once you start tallying up all the stuff you're buying for yourself, relatives, friends, and coworkers, it starts adding up.

Remember, the ultimate goal of the retailer is to incent you to part with your hard-earned money. Even if you buy something at a discounted price, you're still spending money you might otherwise not have purchased had the store not given you a discount.

Shop wisely and Happy Holidays!
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