If the holiday season puts you in a giving mood, it can be easy to go overboard with spending. By following our holiday budgeting tips, however, you can save money while still having a great time and putting a smile on people’s faces.
Set Your Holiday Budget
Setting a budget before you shop is one of the best ways to keep your spending under control. Remember that it may not just be extra money for gifts you should account for, but also decorations, office parties, family gatherings, and travel.
The important thing is that once you set a budget for each person and event, stick to it. Keep track of all your purchases, and if you manage to spend a little less in one category, then you can allocate the leftover funds to another one.
Set Up a Holiday Fund
You may love giving gifts and seeing smiles on all the special people in your life; just make sure you don’t spend money that you need for rent, mortgage, car payments, or utilities on holiday happiness. There are many ways to save money on the right gift without breaking the bank.
Planning ahead with targeted savings for the holidays is one smart way to make sure you don’t spend money on gifts that you actually need for important necessities. Police FCU offers a Holiday Club Account that allows you to earn dividends on the money you stash away. Come November 1st, your holiday savings are released, and you’re ready to ring in the season!
Use Coupons and Coupon Codes
Sales aren’t the only way to get great deals on the things you want to buy. You can search online for coupon codes from your favorite retailers. Sites like Dosh are designed to save you money this way. You’ll be surprised at the deals you can find and just how many of them are out there.
Also, before you go shopping at the stores, comb through the coupons in the flyers in your mailbox, and see if you can find any deals. Many retailers may offer a dollar-amount discount after a certain-size purchase or in-store cash back that you can put toward future shopping trips.
All it takes is doing a little research and seeing what works best for you. Before you know it, you’ll be saving money.
Comparison Shop
Black Friday is not the only time you can find deals during the holiday season. Sometimes you just have to do some homework. Retailers have gotten creative with their sales and expanded the time window when you can find Black-Friday-worthy deals.
Price comparison engines like Price.com or the Shopsavvy app can help you price shop and find the best deals before you go out and spend your hard-earned money. They help you find the retailer with the lowest price for the gift you want and are a great place to start.
Holiday Help with Budget-friendly Credit Card Options
It’s never too early to get started on your holiday shopping, especially with our holiday budgeting tips as your guide.
Police FCU also offers several credit card options tailored to meet the diverse needs of our members. Some things they all have in common:
- Premium, low, non-variable rates
- Grace periods for purchases
- No over-limit fees
- 24/7 fraud detection — plus much more!
Check out all our credit card options, and easily apply today. Happy shopping!