Do you want to avoid Christmas debt? Think before you spend when buying presents for starters. Do you really need to spend all that money on your niece or nephew, for instance? Not to be a cheapskate, but people would prefer to get a gift that really means something as opposed to the cost of said gift. So give yourself a few minutes and try to match the gift to the person without running up your credit card.
Do you want to avoid the credit card blues come January? Being proactive before the holidays when shopping makes all the difference. Remember, you still have your own life to live after the holidays, and those bills don’t stop coming in just because it’s Christmas or Hanukkah. So think before you spend and pay with cash whenever you can.
Speaking of cash, why don’t you forget about using your credit card? Okay, if you’re one of the small percentage of folks that pay their bill off in its entirety every month, then by all means charge it, but sadly that’s not the case. It’s a fact that people lose sight of what they are spending when they use the plastic. It’s a helluva lot tougher to part with cold hard cash than to hand over a piece of plastic. So if you are planning to go to the mall, why not leave the credit card at home? You’ll be doing yourself a big favor, and when January rolls around you can open up your credit card bill without fearing it.
Fear! Isn’t that what you experience when you know you spent way over your head. The fear of opening the mail when you see the MasterCard or Visa or American Express logo on the envelope. “I forgot how much I spent! I can’t remember that I bought that! Oh sh-t, my significant other is going to kill me if they see this!” These are very common worries come post-holiday time, but you can avoid every one of them if you plan your spending wisely, and not using your credit cards should be at the top of your list. That is, if you even have any credit limit left on them!
Review your shopping list and who you have to buy for. Sometimes it’s just not warranted to buy presents for some people who ignore you, for one reason or another. It wouldn’t hurt to really think about who’s on that list, and if you have to cross them off, then so be it! Don’t worry about what people say about you if that’s what you’re worried about. The holidays should be about much more than gift-giving, shouldn’t they?