{"id":184,"date":"2015-11-15T18:26:05","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T18:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/holidays\/?p=184"},"modified":"2016-04-22T13:39:00","modified_gmt":"2016-04-22T13:39:00","slug":"a-tale-of-two-shoppers-making-tough-decisions-at-the-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/holidays\/2015\/11\/15\/a-tale-of-two-shoppers-making-tough-decisions-at-the-register\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tale Of Two Shoppers: Making Tough Decisions At The Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pressure to buy gifts during the holidays can cause tremendous stress for folks living on the financial edge. According to<\/em>\u00a0WalletHub, <\/a><\/em>the personal finance website, one-third of Americans have already blown this year\u2019s holiday spending cap.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

This time of year, you see\u00a0huge markdowns and deep discounts. On Black Friday,\u00a0the Old Navy in Arlington boasted 50 percent off everything in the store. The winding checkout line with scores of customers proved the sale was\u00a0working.<\/p>\n

Tosha Hightower braved the crowds to put a big dent in her Christmas list. Her sister has nine\u00a0kids \u2014 that\u2019s a lot of nieces and nephews to shop for.<\/p>\n

Hightower lives in Arlington and works as a postmaster. Her 20-year-old daughter, Danielle, was home from college and tagged along for the\u00a0shopping adventure. Their goal was to get each niece and nephew a small present to go inside Tosha\u2019s famous \u201cGift Box.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tosha Hightower, a postmaster who lives in Arlington, shopped at Old Navy in Arlington with her daughter, Danielle. For Hightower, her budget is top of mind during the holidays. Photo\/Courtney Collins<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIf I can\u2019t buy it cash, I don\u2019t get it and it\u2019s that deep for me. It\u2019s that deep financially for me.”\u00a0
Tosha Hightower, holiday shopper<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n

The Box has been a Christmas staple for five years now. Hightower always makes sure each child gets one thing just for them, like a scarf or a T-shirt. Then she adds in small toys, treats and even toiletries — and lets the kids claim their spoils.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou pick out girl toys and you pick out boy toys and then you just put them in the box, and then when they dig in, they pick whatever they come up with first,\u201d Hightower said.<\/p>\n

\"Old

Old Navy in Arlington. Photo\/Courtney Collins<\/p><\/div>\n

This approach to gift-giving is a huge hit with her family. She started\u00a0the tradition because she was newly divorced and couldn\u2019t afford a big present for each child.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom two to one income, you can\u2019t do what you used to do,” Hightower said. “And that\u2019s how it really got started.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s been a joy to continue, she said.<\/p>\n

As she sorted through the racks of clothes with her daughter, Hightower explained her shopping philosophy: Set a budget per person ahead of time, and no\u00a0credit cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can\u2019t buy it cash, I don\u2019t get it and it\u2019s that deep for me,” she said. “It\u2019s that deep financially for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Hightower hit the checkout line, she had\u00a0a gift in hand for all nine kids \u2014 gloves for the little ones, hats for a couple of the boys, and a pair of shoes on super sale for one of the teenagers.<\/p>\n

The total was $67.88.<\/p>\n

At $7.54 a kid, Hightower was pretty happy.<\/p>\n

Texans Have Big Holiday Budgets<\/h4>\n

Setting and sticking to a holiday budget isn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to figure out how much to spend, said Jill Gonzalez, a spokesperson for WalletHub. It’s even harder to come up with a plan when you exceed\u00a0that budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been harder and harder to really keep these budgets on track, because there\u2019s just more time to be buying,” Gonzalez says.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez said\u00a0holidays shopping deals started in early November and will continue through Christmas Eve. The convenience of shopping — from your phone, work computer or tablet — means there’s even more temptation to buy.<\/p>\n

Experts at WalletHub researched maximum holiday budgets<\/a> for residents in nearly 600 cities across the country — and found that some Texas residents have among the biggest budgets.<\/p>\n

WalletHub looked at monthly income and compared that to monthly expenses, a well as savings and debt.<\/p>\n

Palo Alto, Calif, topped the list. Right behind at No. 2: a town here in North Texas — Flower Mound.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir budget is around $2,600, so far over what the average consumer spends this season,” Gonzalez said. “And that all goes back to having one of the highest monthly incomes in the country at around $10,500.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fort Worth residents have a maximum holiday budget of $927, according to WalletHub, and Dallas residents have a budget of $742.<\/p>\n

On average, Americans plan on spending about $800 per person.<\/p>\n

\"Lee

Lee Crump, with his wife Glynn and daughter Eleanor, shopped on Black Friday at Half Price Books in Dallas. Photo\/Courtney Collins<\/p><\/div>\n

Finding A Strategy For Spending<\/h4>\n

In Dallas, Chastity Lopez decided to brave Black Friday to do some book shopping with her youngest daughter Bella.<\/p>\n

She was relieved Half Price Books wasn\u2019t crowded, and said she\u2019s almost abandoned in-store shopping completely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing a lot more online this year,” she says. “We woke up early this morning, we’re getting some online stuff before we came out here to Half Price Books.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chastity

Chastity Lopez and daughter Bella shopped on Black Friday at Half Price Books in Dallas. Photo\/Courtney Collins<\/p><\/div>\n

Lopez says online shopping is much more convenient — she\u2019s able to find better deals online, too. Lopez and her husband set a Christmas budget every year and work hard to stick to it.<\/p>\n

If they don\u2019t, they\u2019re in for an unhappy new year, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality doesn\u2019t hit sometimes until after the holidays,” Lopez says. “The financial toll takes a strain on people, I think, in January.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lopez family has a few other shopping strategies, too. One is spending money on things like memberships and passes, so the whole family can enjoy the zoo or art museum all year long.<\/p>\n

The Lopez family tries to stress the importance of learning experiences and family time. They try not to emphasize stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the sad part of the whole rush of buying gifts and the holiday season,” Lopez said. “Sometimes, you lose the whole meaning of it.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to get swept away in the blizzard of \u201cspecial offer\u201d emails and TV commercials touting gadgets. Finding your way back is just as tough.<\/p>\n

\n

BIG HOLIDAY SPENDERS<\/h4>\n

Wallethub calculated maximum holiday budgets for residents in cities across the country. These Texas cities made the top 10:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
    \n
  • No. 2: Flower Mound $2,624<\/li>\n
  • No. 3: Frisco $2,444<\/li>\n
  • No. 4: Sugar Land $2,422<\/li>\n
  • No. 7: Allen $2,186<\/li>\n
  • No. 8: Pearland $2,162<\/li>\n
  • No. 9: The Woodlands $2,158<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/div>\n

    \u201cThe reality doesn\u2019t hit sometimes until after the holidays. The financial toll takes a strain on people, I think, in January.\u201d
    Chastity Lopez, holiday shopper<\/div>
    <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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