There are so many people having trouble with the current economic situation. With everything we buy costing so much and our wages being so little, everyone is feeling the hole in their wallets grow.

For some, this means not being able to put back as much money as they would like to for holiday spending. As some of the bigger holidays role in, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, don’t spent your time worrying about what you are going to do. This can be a simple answer.

A few things that you can do are layaway, small spending and separate shopping trips. At one time or another during a month, a family normally has some extra money. It is through these times that you can pick a family member or two to buy a gift for. That way you are not putting out all of your extra money at one time trying to buy all of your gifts.

This works out well too when you are trying to buy lots of food for hosting family during the holidays. It is easier to start early and buy the non-perishable items first and stock them away then to wait until you need to cook dinner to go out and buy everything at once.

If you and your family get together and talk things through, you might even do something as simple as draw names for who you are going to buy a present for this year. If everyone draws a name then at the time of opening gifts or at the time of cooking dinner everyone has brought in the items needed instead of putting the burden on each individual. Working as a family can help make the holidays better.

We may not all be able to spend a lot of money and we may not all be able to lend money to family members to get them through the holidays but we can all spend the holidays together and that is what makes the holiday memories count.

– Ashley McCartney is a news writer for The Clanton Advertiser. Her column appears each Thursday. She can be reached at ashley.mccartney@clantonadvertiser.com.