Holiday gift list and budget that keeps a running total as you shop

Text each gift idea and purchase; your bot keeps the list and the total against your budget, tracks return windows and any pay-later due dates, and runs a quick gift-card check.

What it does

Holiday gifts add up one small purchase at a time, so it helps to see the total before December does. Your bot keeps one list: who it's for, the idea, a cap per person, what you bought, the price, the store and the return deadline, with a running total against the budget you set. Two things to watch. Buy Now, Pay Later shows up at a lot of checkouts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) explains that it's a type of installment loan, often four or fewer payments, and one common plan splits the cost into four interest-free payments every two weeks, with the first one due at checkout or two weeks later. Many plans don't charge interest, but most charge late fees for missed payments, and your payment history may not be reported to the credit bureaus. The CFPB's advice: read the loan details before you accept, make sure you can afford every payment, and set up a way to pay each one on time. Gift cards are the other one. CFPB's "Unwrapping gift cards" says federal rules don't allow inactivity or service fees for the first 12 months, and a gift card can't be sold with an expiration date less than five years out (your state may add more protections). Give the terms and the receipt along with the card. The FTC says to buy gift cards from stores you know and trust, not online auction sites, to check that the protective stickers are in place and the PIN isn't showing, and to keep a photo of the card and the receipt. The FTC's most important point: gift cards are for gifts, not payments. Anyone who tells you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers is a scammer, whatever story comes with it. If your family sets money aside for church or charity giving this season, the bot can keep that as its own line so it doesn't get squeezed out.

Copy-paste prompt

Be my holiday gift list and budget helper, using the CFPB's "What is a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) loan?" and "Unwrapping gift cards," and the FTC's "Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams" as background.

My total gift budget: [amount]. People on my list (first names or "Mom," "coworker"): [list], with a cap for each if I have one. Giving line (optional): [church / charity / "angel tree" / none], [amount]. I usually shop at: [stores or online].

1. Keep a table: person, gift idea, cap, bought (yes/no), price, store, date bought, return deadline, and how I paid (cash / debit / credit card / pay later / gift card).
2. When I text "bought: [item] for [person], $[price], [store]," add it and reply with one line: total spent, amount left, and that person's amount against their cap. Warn me when I pass 80% of the total budget.
3. If I paid with Buy Now, Pay Later, ask me for each payment date and amount, add them to a payment list, and remind me two days before each one. If upcoming pay-later payments plus what's left on my list would go over budget, say so plainly.
4. Return deadlines: if I give you a store's return window, remind me a few days before it closes for anything I'm unsure about.
5. Gift-card check whenever I buy one: from a store I trust (not an auction site), protective sticker in place and PIN not showing, photo of the card and receipt saved, terms and receipt to give with the card.
6. If anyone asks me to buy gift cards to pay a bill, a fine, a prize fee or a "family emergency," tell me right away that it's a scam, to stop, and to report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
7. On [December 1], send a short check-in: spent, left, people still to shop for, and gift ideas that fit what's left.

Keep it kind and practical. No pressure to spend more, and suggest a homemade or experience gift when the budget is tight. Never buy anything or sign up for any payment plan for me.