Make sure the big bucks you spend on holiday gifts is money well spent

Make sure the big bucks you spend on holiday gifts is money well spent

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Story Published: Nov 6, 2008 at 5:09 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 5:14 AM PDT

By Good Housekeeping

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Holiday gift buying can take a big bite out of your wallet. But Good Housekeeping says you can save a lot if you know how to avoid buying features you don't need.

Todd Kent, senior test engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute, says if you know how to shop, you can save 50 percent or more on big-ticket holiday gift.

"You don't need to go overboard and buy things that your recipient isn't even going to use," he said.

Take digital cameras for example, Kent says.

"One of the popular terms is mega pixels, which refers to how much information the camera is saving about the image. If your recipient is only going to be printing four-by-sixes or eight-by-tens, you can spend $100 and get a five mega pixel camera, and your prints are still going to be great."

When it comes to mp3 players, Good Housekeeping says compare Apples to others.

"If your recipient isn't going to have a huge library, don't spend the extra money on gigs they're never going to use," said Kent.

Here's a simple way to save on a coffeemaker.

"Don't look for one that grinds beans. It can cost as much as $200. Plus, it takes longer to brew. It's more complicated. There are more parts to break," said Sharon Franke, the institute's kitchen appliances director. "For only $30, you can get a basic model that will do a very good job, and you can even get one that's programmable, so you can set it the night before."

Here's another money-saving tip from Good Housekeeping: If you'll be shopping for a digital camcorder as a gift, only spring for a high-definition model if you know the recipient has a high-definition TV. Otherwise, you'll be paying extra for video quality that won't be seen. A standard camcorder runs about $450, but a high-def version could cost $800 to $1,400.

If you want to buy a laptop computer as a holiday gift, Good Housekeeping says $400 can get you a good, basic model. You may not need to spend thousands of dollars for a souped-up version if the person getting the computer won't need dazzling video game graphic capabilities

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