When most people think about Christmas shopping, many of them plan to use their credit card in order to buy gifts for everyone on their list. But what if you could survive Christmas without using a credit card? It can be done easily and save you some stress when it comes to paying off that monthly credit card bill. This is important especially if you are working hard to get out of Debt. These easy tips can help you get through the holiday season.
Start Setting Aside Cash Before Shopping Season
I’m sure everyone has seen in movies and on TV that stash of cash that moms tend to keep. Those stashes can come in handy for emergencies and for saving up for the holidays. This will help you to guarantee you have set enough cash aside to buy gifts for everyone on your list.
Set aside your budget for each person that you want to give a gift to to start out. This will let you know the amount of cash that you will need to set aside so that you aren’t caught off guard.
Join a Rewards Program
Because you’re going to be paying with cash or using your debit card, then you will want to look for the best deals or ways that you can get some cash back as well. There are sites such as Ebates and MyPoints that can help you reap the rewards from all that shopping you plan on doing. This helps make up for some cash back rewards that come with many of the credit cards you may already have. This will help you be less tempted to bust out your credit card when it’s time to check out.
Also look for store loyalty programs and sign up for those as well. Many are free but be sure to recognize the ones that require sign up fees.
Intangible Gifts
Maybe you’re really talented at knitting or baking. You can always offer to teach someone your hobby or you could even bake a treat basket up to give as a gift instead. More often than not these handmade gifts and the gift of time are more appreciated than material items anyway.
You can easily avoid using credit cards and make it through your holiday season with a little planning. Instead of worrying about credit card bills you’ll be getting in the upcoming months, you can focus on the real reason for the holiday’s which is spending time with family and friends.
Andrea is the Chief Chick of Smart Money Chicks. After filing BK twice (once because she panicked, second time because the pro messed the first time up), she realized that it all could have been avoided if she understood more about how her Finances worked and the options available. At that point, she wanted to help as many as she could never make the same mistakes again. Our Promise is that all the content you read on here is created or edited by Andrea