The holidays are upon us, but for many, there are a few not-so-joyous holiday sights (a purse overflowing with credit card receipts) and sounds (the Ka-ching! of the cash registers marking escalating debt).

These negatives can easily outweigh all that we love about the holiday season, especially during this less-than-prosperous economic period.

“Overall, the Great Recession brought about a renewed dedication to saving,” said Eric Tyson, author of “Personal Finance For Dummies, 7th Edition.”

“Before the recession, our national personal savings rate was close to zero, and now it’s around 3 percent. But it is very important that you not let your holiday spending zap all of the saving progress you made during the year,” he said.

Tyson provides great tips on how to keep your holiday spending in check:

Find an alternative to gift-giving during the holidays. Many people feel they have to give gifts during the holidays, either because it’s a family tradition or because they know their friends and relatives have gotten gifts for them.

“Instead of exchanging gifts, your family members might want to pool their money and spend it on a holiday outing,” said Tyson.

If you must buy gifts, cut your expenses elsewhere as necessary. Perhaps dine out or go to the movies less often.

Set a budget and keep tabs on what you are spending. While you’re doing your holiday shopping, your new best friends should be your checkbook register, credit card statements and all of your receipts. “When you start to add up everything you’re spending, you may be shocked at what all those expenses from this store and that store add up to be,” said Tyson. “And don’t forget about all those ‘necessary’ holiday extras. Most people don’t budget their shopping and don’t realize that by the time you buy all the presents, plus wrapping paper, cards, decorations, etc., it’s added up to a ridiculous amount.

Plan what you are going to buy, and don’t get any extras. Particularly during the holidays, companies pull out their most appealing packaging in hopes of snagging the eyes of shoppers. That’s why along with your budget, you’re going to want to take an exact list of what you want to buy for your gift recipients. Don’t go shopping for someone’s gift until you know exactly what you are going to buy.

Use the season to set a good example for your children. Your children learn about money from you. And if they see you spending left and right during the holiday season, the lesson they come away with isn’t going to be a good one.

Watch out for deals that seem too good to be true. Retailers run all sorts of specials to induce consumers to buy now, and the holidays offer these companies easy prey in the form of deal-seeking, cash-strapped consumers. For example, furniture stores frequently offer that if you buy now, you don’t have to pay for a thing for a year, and you might even get free delivery.

“This is just one example of how stores coax in shoppers,” said Tyson. “Always remember that free financing for, say, a year is not a huge cost to the dealer, but it is a cost, and if you forgo it, you should be able to negotiate a lower purchase price. Retailers find that buyers are less likely to negotiate the price if they are getting a short-term financing break. Read the fine print on any deal you are considering taking before you go to the store to make the purchase. It can be even harder to say no once you get to the store, so you’ll want to know what you are in for before you get there.”

Leave the plastic at home. Many of us can explain away spending so much on gifts because we simply charge everything and reason that we can pay it off gradually after the holidays. This is a great way to create a never-ending cycle of consumer debt for yourself. It only creates unnecessary financial stress for you after the holidays.

Invest in your children’s financial futures. It may not seem as exciting to your kids as a new iPod, but a contribution to their financial well-being will be appreciated long after such expensive “toys” are obsolete.

“Have the grandparents contribute to a college tuition fund or savings account rather than buying them more stuff they don’t need,” suggested Tyson. “Or make one of your gifts to your kids a stock fund portfolio that can start accruing now.”

Remember that meaningful gifts don’t necessarily have a big price tag.

“Sure, it might be nice to give your mom a brand new TV, but there are other things out there that will be even more meaningful and enjoyable for her — like a photo album with candid shots of the grandkids or something they’ve made for her themselves,” said Tyson.