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Money and Finance:
How to Curb Holiday Spending and Minimize End-of-Year Debt
No matter where you are and how you celebrate over the holidays, it seems that there is one common tradition across faiths, cultures, and individuals. That tradition is growing ever greater with each passing year. The special thing we all have in common - a huge debt from holidays spending.
As stores open earlier, remain open later, and offer 24-hour online shopping, along with holiday discounts, early holiday clearance sales, and one-time only coupons, most people are thinking about how much they’re saving during their holiday shopping. It isn’t until January when the credit card bills start coming in that we realize how much we’ve actually been spending.
Overspending is an affliction that is as challenging to break as smoking or a drug dependency, and it’s just as dangerous. Many people spend to meet unsatisfied emotional needs, but at this time of year, who needs an excuse to keep heading out to the shops and spending just a little bit more on that special someone?
However, remember that no matter how much fun you want to have over the holidays, the spending realities will always come back in January. Remember what last January felt like, and you vowed that you wouldn’t do that again this year? Remind yourself of that moment of wisdom every time you consider picking up another decoration, stocking stuffer, or brand-name hat-and-glove set they’re advertising in your favorite fashion magazine.
Clear thinking this year will leave you with a much more manageable financial situation after the holidays are over. Keep these tips at the front of your mind throughout the month of December:
- Make a spending budget for every element of your holiday spending. This should include food, decorations, gift wrap, gifts, clothing, travel, entertaining supplies, long distance phone charges, and charity. Make a reasonable budget and stick to it.
- Make lists when you head out to shop. Start your shopping early, so you don’t feel pressured to buy things out of desperation. Decide how much you can afford, come up with ideas, and don’t break your budget. Spend cash, instead of using your credit cards, and avoid impulse shopping.
- Adopt the mindset that if you can’t pay it in cash, then it isn’t something you can afford. By paying with cash, you do a lot to help yourself avoid new debt. This is another reason to begin your holiday shopping early, so that you only need to spend a bit at a time, and the cash will be more easily available to you.
- To avoid the false sense of financial security that credit cards can leave by keeping a careful record of all of your credit card spending. By writing it all down as soon as you get home from shopping, and keeping this running tally, you’ll have a much more realistic view of where you stand financially.
The holidays are supposed to be a happy and peaceful time of the year. Don’t let yours result in an unpleasant start to your new year. It takes only a bit of planning and some self control. You know you can do it.
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