Plan now to avoid post-holiday debt

No need to be a Scrooge to keep Christmas spending in check Claudia Buck The Sacramento Bee Comments Purchase Image Zoom Diana McNary/The Detroit News) Shopper alert: There are just 22 shopping days ’til Christmas. The best-organized shoppers, of course, pick up gifts all year long so they’re not plunged into last-minute, frenzied shopping outings. But let’s assume you’re not one of those. As of two weeks ago, the majority of consumers — 61 percent — had yet to start their holiday shopping, according to The NPD Group Inc., the Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm that tracks seasonal spending. Just 2 percent of Americans aid they had completed most of their gift-buying. For many...