Holiday shopping havoc: With prices rising, here's what experts say consumers should know

It may seem hard to believe, but Christmas is 100 days away. 

Now, with the price of just about everything going up, the question is: should you get a head start on your holiday shopping? 

It's not uncommon this far out to see Christmas displays at places like Macy's, but if it still seems too early, you are not alone. It seems to come earlier and earlier each year, so is it officially time to shop? 

"Ready, set, save," said retail expert and co-founder of Threadneedle Alley Foundation, Trae Bodge. "I would say I don't think it's the right time to jump in and start buying gifts, because we're not seeing really strong deals just yet, but it is a really good time to build a holiday shopping fund." 

Bodge said to find a high-yield savings account and let it grow. She recommends putting in $100 to start, and then saving every little bit until you're ready to start shopping. 

"Saving instead of shopping," she said. "The beauty of it is, when you're ready to shop, you have some money to spend." 

That also doesn't mean waiting until the last minute or waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. 

"The beginning of the holiday shopping season, in my opinion, is early October when we have those big sales from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Macy's, all the big guys out there," Bodge explained. 

She also said she expects personalized gifts to be hot this year, and said it's because we're looking for an antidote to all the stress we've been experiencing. 

"Anything cozy and comforting, I think, will be very strong," she said. 

Of course, like so many things, expect it to be a bit more expensive this year. Bodge said to wait for the big sales, look for coupons, cash back offers, and to sign up for loyalty programs. 

Finally, if you're using a credit card, she recommended using cards that have cash back rewards or let you build airline mileage. 

The first big day to let you know when the holiday shopping season has begun is Oct. 6 and 7, Amazon Prime Day. 

After that, other retailers will follow suit, and the deals will begin.