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It鈥檚 the most wonderful time of the year to shop for gifts. But if you鈥檙e not careful, you could receive an unwelcome surprise: an overdraft error in your checking account. Here鈥檚 how technology plus smart shopping can keep you from spending your way into the red.

Sign up for mobile banking alerts

Many banks and credit unions can send a text message if your balance drops below a level that you set. If your institution offers the service, take advantage of it.

Text alerts can also help you quickly spot other account problems, such as unauthorized charges or direct deposits gone haywire.

Understand your overdraft protection options

Say you make a debit card purchase that causes your balance to dip below zero. Your financial institution still may approve the transaction, if you鈥檝e given them permission. But the institution would probably charge an聽, sending your already-negative balance even further below zero. The national median is $34 per overdraft.

To avoid the fee, consider opting out of overdraft coverage. The drawback? A debit card purchase would be declined if funds weren鈥檛 available in your account, and that could be embarrassing at the checkout counter. But at least you wouldn鈥檛 be charged an overdraft fee for the transaction.

Keep tabs on your balance, however. While you can opt out of overdraft coverage for debit swipes, the bank doesn鈥檛 need your permission to cover checks or automatic payments that cause your balance to dip below zero 鈥� and that can still trigger an overdraft fee.

You can also avoid overdrafts by selecting a linked account, such as a聽聽or line of credit, to serve as a backup. Your bank or credit union would transfer money from the backup account to your checking account if you overspent. Some institutions charge a transfer fee of about $10, but that鈥檚 still lower than overdraft fees.

Consider prepaid cards

Patrice Williams, the author of 鈥淟ooking Fly on a Dime,鈥� a budget guide to thrift-shop fashion, isn鈥檛 worried about overdraft fees on her聽, because she plans to use a聽聽for her holiday spending. 鈥淚 know how dangerous it can be to just swipe my debit card and possibly overspend,鈥� she says.

鈥淚nstead, I buy prepaid debit cards. If I know my budget is $500 for the holiday season, then I add $500 to the card. Since it鈥檚 prepaid, there鈥檚 no way I can overspend,鈥� Williams says.

Because prepaid cards aren鈥檛 linked to your checking account, you鈥檒l avoid overdraft fees. But they can come with fees of their own, such as purchase fees and fees to add cash to the card.

Curb impulse buys

You can avoid unplanned purchases by creating a holiday shopping list of what you plan to buy and how much each item costs. If you think you won鈥檛 be able to resist a surprise sale, such as a Black Friday deal, add a budget line item for last-minute buys.

You also can try using a mobile financial app, such as Mint or Level Money, while you shop. It can help you keep track of your spending in real time, so you鈥檒l know how much money you have left. If you鈥檙e shopping and see something you want to buy but didn鈥檛 budget for, slow the urge to splurge by telling yourself you may 鈥済et it later, just not now.鈥�

These tips can help make sure your checking account balance stands up to your shopping. An account that stays out of the red is one you can enjoy long after the holidays are over.

Margarette Burnette is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:聽mburnette@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by聽.

The article聽聽originally appeared on聽.