Don’t go broke over the holidays

Christmas is just around the corner, making this the perfect time to figure out how to play Santa Claus on a shoestring budget.

The following five tips can help you get the job done.

■ Make your shopping list the Clark Smart way: Come up with a total dollar amount you feel comfortable spending. Then write out the names of everyone on your list. Put specific dollar

amounts by each name to indicate how much you’ll spend on each person. Once you’re

done, add up all those figures.

If you are over your budget, start marking people off the list or scaling back the dollar amounts next to each name until you’re within budget. Take that paper with you when you’re out shopping. Keep a running tally as you make purchases.

■ Go to the dollar store: Consumer Reports took a close look at dollar stores in its Money Adviser publication and revealed what’s a deal and what’s not. Get gift wrap, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper, and tape at dollar stores — especially at Dollar Tree and the 99-Cent Only, where everything is $1, no exceptions. But even bigger ticket items can be a deal, particularly at Dollar General.

■ Try layaway: Layawayis something old that’s become new again at many retailers.

Here’s how it works: You go in to a store a ndputdowna deposit that’s typically $10 to $20 or 10 percent to 20 percent of the purchase price (whichever is greater) for an item you want. Then you make installment payments every 14 days until the item is paid in full. Kmart, Walmart and BabiesRUs/Toys RUs have all done layaway for the past few years and are doing it again this year.

But be careful: If you don’t pay in full before mid-December, you don’t get the item.