During the holiday season, many people feel pressured to spend
beyond their means. This becomes a problem in January, when the
bills come due. With higher interest rates on credit cards,
higher minimum payments and higher late fee penalties, the last
thing anyone wants is a credit card problem. Here are some tips
that will help you keep your bills in check this holiday season:
*Make a budget - and stick to it! The last thing you want to do
is get caught in a contest with others over gift giving. Gift
giving is a choice, and you should give only what you can
afford. Before you start shopping for anyone and everyone, make
a list of everything you need to buy and set a budget for how
much you can afford to spend. And stick to it. If you can only
afford to spend $300 this holiday season, then that's what you
have to spend. Learn to make do with the resources at hand.
*Shop all year long. If you find something in March that may
make a nice Christmas gift for Aunt Sally, then buy it and put
it aside. When it comes time for holiday shopping, you'll have
Aunt Sally's gift already purchased. Finding the right item at
the right time is far more frugal than rushing out at the last
minute, determined to find something suitable. That's a recipe
for throwing something expensive on the credit card just because
you don't have a better solution.
*Got a large family? You might try pulling names out of a hat to
see who gives gifts to whom, rather than having everyone give a
gift to everyone else. That eases the financial burden on
everyone and that makes the holidays happier for everyone. You
may not be the only one in your family with a tight budget, so
this may be worth mentioning to other family members. You might
be able to ease financial burdens for others in your family, as
well.
*Be creative. Home made gifts can be just as useful as those
from a department store if you are the creative type. So do
cookies, cakes or homemade candies. The list of things you can
make for gifts is limited only by your imagination. The Internet
can come in handy as a resource; there are endless sites devoted
to homemade crafts and gifts. Besides, clever, thoughtful gifts
are often more appreciated by friends and relatives than if they
received another tie or scarf.
The holiday season can be a stressful one for almost anyone. The
last thing you need is to have the additional stress of added
debt with no idea as to how you will repay it. Instead of
spending recklessly, give some serious thought to your holiday
spending, keep a budget, and stick to it. You'll be happier for
it, especially in January when the bills arrive in your mailbox.
About the author:
Talbert Williams offers debt consolidation referrals and
advice. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable
resources on debt solutions, visit this site:
http://www.1debtfreedom.com
