Beware when you go holiday shopping with your sweetheart. It is Black Friday and everyone is going to the stores in search of bargains. This is the unofficial opening of shopping season. And your sweetheart has suggested that the two of you go shopping together. This may sound like a good idea but there are pitfalls in the path to holiday shopping with your sweetheart. For example, does he or she want to point out the present that you should get? Of is this a test to see what you suggest or what you buy as an immediate surprise present. Or does he or she repeatedly walk past the jewelry store with the engagement ring display? Holiday shopping with your sweetheart can be a treasure and it can be a quagmire. Here are our thoughts on holiday shopping with your sweetheart.

It Can Be a Good Thing

The two of you have moved on from a hot first date and are building a happy relationship. It is an appropriate time to go shopping together, buy things for his and family members and even decide on a gift for the two of you. And, in fact, if it is time to aim for a more permanent relationship buying an engagement ring on a holiday discount sale can be a blessing for a couple on a tight budget. So, where are the pitfalls in holiday shopping with your sweetheart?

Gold Diggers

A couple of years ago we wrote about dealing with gold diggers.

The first part of dealing with gold diggers is to identify them. More important for the person who finds himself or herself in a gold digger relationship is to believe that you are a worthwhile person aside from your money. All too often the person who successfully handles his business life and his investments finds himself believing that he needs to buy love and affection. The best advice for dealing with gold diggers is to avoid showing off your wealth. Go out and have a good time. Date for fun. When you find someone that you want to spend more time with move into the relationship a step at a time. If your boyfriend or girlfriend threatens to break up with you if you don’t pay for things it is time to find someone else. Remember that you are a good and attractive person aside from your money.

If you suspect that your new friend is more in love with your money that with you, keep this information in mind when you go holiday shopping with your sweetheart. Setting a budget for shopping is a good idea both for the day and for the future and so is talking about shopping for what you came for instead of shopping on impulse. Having said that do not get all hung up on the idea that you need to be frugal all of the time. After all shopping malls are essentially money separation zones, similar to Disney vacations and large family weddings. There comes a point at which it is better to just get out the checkbook and smile.