For many Rapid City and area shoppers an affordable holiday - budgeted and paid for - or one filled with years of debt is only 23 shopping days away.

In the short month between counting a family's blessings and finding a treasure trove of gifts beneath the Christmas tree, a financial expert wants consumers to carefully consider what sort of yuletide experience they expect for their family this coming Christmas.

For Lisa Stradinger, the only surprises for her family will be wrapped in Christmas paper.

The Rapid City wife and mother studies the sales ads and clips coupons as a way of saving money at the cash register, but she always has a price in mind when shopping for her husband and two teenagers. "I don't do surprises," she said.

This also means when opening the bills in January. Everything will be accounted for and paid off that same month, which will also pay cash back for the Stradingers when using the credit card. If they can't afford the item, they won't buy it, she said.

"Our kids are teenagers and they don't like surprises. They want what they want," she said.

She makes a list of choices with a set of priorities about spending at retail and discount stores. She also will look at sales racks for the best bargain buys.

"I'm a wheeler dealer," she said.

This is holiday music to Terry Mills' ears.

The Education and Community Outreach Manager at Consumer Credit Counseling Services said too many South Dakotans, with an average credit card debt of $5,000, are not getting the best value out of their wages and earnings.

"It's about choice," he said.

Some people believe every emotion, enticement, success for your child's future career and happiness is somehow tied up to that ill-afforded gizmo that will be wrapped up and shoved under the Christmas tree, but don't believe it.

Over the years, he has counseled millionaires as well as those who make minimum wage and they have had to change how they approach spending their salaries and savings.

"Change your spending habits and lifestyle and it will have a far greater effect on your money than the amount of income that you earn," Mills said.

Before hitting the boutiques, box stores and malls this Christmas, take a little time to get organized and prioritized, he said.

1. Take a list and stick to the list.

2. Calculate the true cost of items you want to buy, using a payday loan, credit card or layaway may push the ticket item up two to three times the true cost of the gift.

3. Realize that jeans, razors, electronics, sports shoes or designer clothing will not make you beautiful, athletic, rich, smart or young-if you can't afford this stuff, you'll look like a chump.

4. Break the habit of impulsively buying what's on cashier's shelves - the most expensive items in a store are hip level to the cart creating an easy transfer from the shelf to the cart. "If you go to the back of the store, those items will be cheaper," he said.

5. Money is both emotional and stressful, but knowledge and information will take a lot of anger and stress out of spending.

6. When shopping use checks, debit cards and keep receipts to track where money is spent-cash is much harder to track.

7. The less processed foods are, the less they cost.

8. Carry lunch to work using leftovers, it will save $3,000 annually

9. Cut down on eating out, smoking, drinking or gambling.

10. Use coupons, study sales ads and comparison shop-it will save $100s over the year.

For the Stradingers, who drive old cars and maintain a budget, it is a simple lifestyle choice of staying debt free that will pay off their home in three years.

"We live within our means," Lisa Stradinger said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.