Certified Financial Educator (CFEd) and the author of ‘How Money Works’ Tom Mathews joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom with ways to save money during the holidays.

Here are tips from Tom Matthews:

•  Plan ahead: Make a list and check it twice. Before you head to the store or hop online, make a list of each person you need to buy for and allocate a certain amount of money for each of them. Don’t overspend by even a dollar. This is important because if you start overspending by a few dollars here and there, it quickly adds up and you can easily accumulate debt. 
 
•  Be honest: Do you really think your friends and family want to see you go into debt by purchasing them a gift you can’t afford? Of course not! There’s no shame in telling people that this year will be a lean holiday season when it comes to exchanging gifts. People will appreciate your honesty and attention to your finances.
 
•  Don’t get caught up in the moment: It’s easy to get consumed by all the holiday décor and spirit of the season. But if your shopping cart is overflowing, step back, regroup and make sure you can really afford everything you plan to purchase. While your spouse might really like that $1,000 necklace, is that really the smartest move if you don’t have the money?
 
•  Be wary of huge savings: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday shopping season offers some incredible deals on everything from electronics to jewelry and more, but don’t fall for marketing campaigns that make you feel as if you’re getting a great deal when you’re really not (i.e. buy it today – pay for it tomorrow, all sales final). Always read the fine print.
 
•  Don’t pull out the plastic: Don’t even think of using a credit card unless you are 100% sure you can comfortably pay it off at the end of the month. The last thing anyone needs is to get hit with high interest rates and a blemish on their credit score. Would you rather have the short-term satisfaction of expensive material possessions, or the long-term results of financial freedom and abundance?

•  Learn from the past: Did you overspend last holiday season or the year before? Remember how it set you back financially? Remember how bad it felt when you opened up your credit card statement and realized you couldn’t pay it all? Revisit that pain and how miserable you felt before you start shopping this holiday season.

You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at 2pm on WFLA News Channel 8.

Bloom is now part of DBTV Network Seen In Over 300 Million Households worldwide, including Roku TV, and Amazon Fire.

Bloom also airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.