SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – With the holiday shopping season officially beginning after Thanksgiving, it’s important people don’t break the bank to find those perfect gifts.

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D) said there are plenty of things people can do to make sure they don’t spend too much.

She said a key is setting and sticking to a budget. It’s also important people don’t wait until the last minute to buy those holiday gifts. Stores may not have the perfect gift available and express shipping for online purchases costs more.

“It’s set the budget, try to keep to the budget, keep track of the budget and then take advantage, of course, of as many sales as possible,” Mendoza said.

She also recommended people holiday shop throughout the year. If they see something that would be a good gift for an affordable price, it’s OK to buy it any time of year.

Mendoza said it’s also a good idea shoppers pay with a credit card because they have better fraud protection than debit cards. It is important people pay off their credit card purchases before accruing any interest.

She also said it’s important holiday shoppers be wary of potential scams. They should only shop at reputable businesses. They also should be wary of texts and emails offering unbelievable deals especially if they come with a link to click, which could be a phishing attempt. People should also be wary of potential fake delivery alerts that can also contain phishing links. It’s best to track a package by going directly to the company’s website.

“Right now, there’s all kinds of little pop-ups that’ll pop up on your cellphone or on your computer, and a lot of those unfortunately sometimes lead to scams,” she said. “Sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.”

Mendoza also said people should be careful about buying big-ticket items they can’t afford. Whether it’s a car or a new appliance, if they don’t need it, they should only buy it if they can afford it, regardless of how much it could be on sale.

“Even if you want it, if you can’t afford it, even with the discount, you probably shouldn’t get it. You can wait until you’re in a better financial situation to afford these big purchases,” she said.

She also said people should take advantage of sales for big-ticket items if they need them. An example would be a dishwasher breaking.

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