• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

National Debt Relief

National Debt Relief - A+ BBB Accredited Business - Get Relief From Credit Card Debt, Medical Bills And Unsecured Loans

Talk to a debt counselor toll free:

800-300-9550

Get Relief From Credit Card Debt

Medical Bills and Unsecured Loans

  • Apply Now
    • Qualifications
    • Is This Right For Me?
  • Proven Results
    • Debt Relief Benefits
    • Credit Card Debt Relief
  • Debt Relief
  • Credit Card Debt Relief
  • Debt Consolidation
  • Login
HomeBlog Personal FinancePainless Ways To Manage Your Holiday Spending
Video Transcript

Free Debt Consolidation Quote

By clicking "Get Free Quote", you agree that the phone number you are providing may be used to contact you by National Debt Relief (including autodialed and prerecorded calls, as well as text/SMS messages). Msg. and data rates apply, and your consent to such contact is not required for purchase.
  • National Debt Relief, LLC BBB Business Review
  • McAfee SECURE sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams

Painless Ways To Manage Your Holiday Spending

November 13, 2014 by National Debt Relief

Decorated Christmas tree and giftsI know the holiday season must be here because the day after Halloween I saw Christmas decorations at our local Walgreens. It feels like Thanksgiving kind of got lost in the mix but be that as it may, holiday time is at hand. Most of us will soon be embarking on our Christmas shopping and that’s where the danger lies. We all want to do great things for our family members and friends but this can come at a severe price – if we’re not careful about our spending. So here’s the dichotomy – how do we do everything we want to do in gift giving without breaking the bank? Here are six fairly painless things you could do to manage your holiday spending.

Keep records of your spending

There are a number of smart phone apps available that will c versus your budget so that you’ll know how you’re doing. We like Mint.com as it’s very easy to use and will both track your spending and help you develop a budget. If you overspend in any category – whether it’s gift giving or grocery shopping – Mint will send you an email alert so that you can adjust your other categories accordingly. When you keep track of your spending, you will better manage it and also keep from duplicating gifts or, worse yet, not having enough money left in your budget to buy a gift for an important relative or friend.

Plan ahead

Check out your debt before you make your shopping list. Do you have some savings put aside or an emergency fund? It’s best to start your holiday shopping by understanding what you owe as this can help you determine how much you can afford to spend. If you haven’t done this recently you should sit down and spreadsheet your debts with their minimum monthly payments, due dates and balances. You might find that you could pay down some of them, which would reduce your monthly payments and free up additional money for gift buying.

Once you know where you stand financially, make a budget and a shopping list that will keep your gift buying under control. That way you won’t wake up on January 1 with a “holiday shopping hangover.”

magnifying glass on credit reportNote: If for some reason you think you might need additional credit to fund your holiday shopping be sure to first get your credit score free on a site such as CreditKarma.com or CreditSesame.com. While this won’t be your true FICO score it will be close enough for you to know how potential lenders would view you.

Cut out some of the people on your list

We understand it’s tough to cut kids off your gift list. Christmas is just such a special time for them. However, you might be able to cut some of the adults off it. For that matter, if you have limited finances, you could ask your adult family members and friends if they would consider a gift drawing where you put everyone’s names in a hat and then each person draws a name and buys a gift for that person. This way instead of having to buy small gifts for, say, 10 people you could buy one really nice gift for one person. Or you could suggest forgoing gifts entirely with some of your friends or “minor” relatives. You might be surprised to find that they think that this is actually a very good idea.

Don’t buy until you’ve browsed

Once you’ve made your gift list, go online and browse your favorite stores. Use this information to make a gift budget. Next, you will need to decide exactly how much you’re willing to pay for every item. For those gifts that are “must haves,” you might have to buy before Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday and Cyber Monday to get both selection and price. And when you’re figuring out your budget don’t forget to include holiday entertainment and holiday meals.

Buy online

If you’re not buying at least 50% of your gifts online, you’re losing money. Sites such as Amazon.com, eBay and Overstock.com usually have better prices than what you’ll find at your local retailers, plus you probably won’t have to pay your state’s sales tax, which could be as high as 7% – depending on where you live. If your state sales tax is just 4%, do the math. If you spent $500 online vs. buying locally, you’d save $20, which might be enough to buy something for your great aunt Martha. Be a careful shopper and you should even be able to get free shipping.

Cut your other spending

It’ll be easier to buy gifts without breaking the bank if you cut your other spending so you have more money for Christmas. This could be easier than you think if you follow these six tips.

Comparison shop on the spot with tools such as RedLaser

Comparison shopping is always a good idea and thanks to today’s smart phones it’s now easier than ever. There are apps available such as RedLaser that allow you to comparison shop right in the store. It’s available for free on Android, Apple and Windows phones. All you do is scan the product’s barcode and RedLaser will show you where you can find the lowest price – online or in stores. We know of people who say this little app has saved them thousands of dollars.

Dine out less

You can have more money available for holiday shopping without busting your budget simply by eating out less. A $10-grass fed hamburger at your favorite pub is really enough to buy about six hamburger patties you could cook at home. If there is some reason why you must eat out, use coupons.

Cancel unused memberships

If you stop to think about it you might remember that you have some memberships you are no longer using. They might be for a gym, a health club or some online service. Canceling them could save you $50 or more that you could then use to purchase a special gift for your spouse or partner.

Buy store brands

We learned some time ago that grocery store brands can be just as good as their more expensive counterparts but cost far less. If you don’t believe store brands can be just as good as big-name brands, consider this. In one recent study 80% of those surveyed said that these brands were “just as good as national brands.” And the savings that you gain when you buy them adds up. In fact, this can be as much as $30 a week on $120 grocery bill. You can also save a bundle at the grocery store by using  coupons. Here’s a short video courtesy of National Debt Relief, with the Coupon Coach that shows how to save with coupons …

Download your music from Amazon or buy used CDs

iTunes is a fun and easy way to download your music. However, it’s much costlier than Amazon. In fact Amazon downloads generally average 78% less than the same music on iTunes. Another way to save money on your music is to buy used CDs then transfer the songs to your iPod, iPhone or your other music player. This will save you about 50% off retail. And if you don’t mind listening to periodic commercials, there is Pandora where you can create “stations” based on your favorite artists and listen to music all day for free.

Choose generics at the drugstore

You don’t have to buy brand-name stuff at the drugstore any more then you need to buy brand-name groceries. Drugstore generics work just as well as the higher-priced name brands. You should be able to save big on items like ibuprofen, vitamins, mouthwash, vitamin E and so forth. For example, the name Acetaminophen might be a real mouthful but it’s the same as Tylenol but a lot cheaper.

Do you qualify for debt consolidation?

National Debt Relief
National Debt Relief

National Debt Relief is one of the largest and best-rated debt settlement companies in the country. In addition to providing excellent, 5-star services to our clients, we also focus on educating consumers across America on how to best manage their money. Our posts cover topics around personal finance, saving tips, and much more. We’ve served thousands of clients, settled over $1 billion in consumer debt, and our services have been featured on sites like NerdWallet, Mashable, HuffPost, and Glamour.

Follow National Debt Relief: Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin

Primary Sidebar

Consolidate Your Debt!
Find out how NDR could help.
  • Get one low monthly payment
  • Avoid bankruptcy
  • Get out of debt in 24-48 months
Get Your Free evaluation
Free Debt Consolidation Quote
By clicking "Get Free Quote", you agree that the phone number you are providing may be used to contact you by National Debt Relief (including autodialed and prerecorded calls, as well as text/SMS messages). Msg. and data rates apply, and your consent to such contact is not required for purchase.
 Trusted By Our Clients

"..."

Easy National Debt Relief Caller: Lauren B Transcribed WE 3/28/2021 Lauren B: The call may be recorded. What concerns led you to seek out National Debt Relief services? AARON: Basically, we were over our heads on the credit card debt. Lauren B: What was it that made you choose National Debt Relief over the other companies? AARON: It's just not a hard sell. They're pretty straightforward and not a lot of hoopla trying to get us to go onboard. Lauren B: How was your interaction with the negotiator you had worked with? AARON: It was fine, more than fine. Lauren B: Were you pretty comfortable with them or was there anything you thought could have been improved? AARON: No. I was very comfortable. Actually, my wife went and did it too. Lauren B: How'd they work with you on the payment plan? AARON: It's basically set in stone. We've been on for over a year, so it's all good. Lauren B: Are you completely done paying or are you still making a payment? AARON: I'm about in the middle of it right now. Lauren B: How has working with National Debt Relief impacted your life in any way? AARON: It makes it a little stressful at times with the payment plans, but at the same time, it's actually made it less stressful because we've learned to work in different ways with cash, stuff like that. It's fine. Lauren B: Overall, what would you rate your experience on a scale of one to five stars, five means you'd recommend to a friend and one means you're very dissatisfied? AARON: I would say 5. Lauren B: Would it be okay to post your comments as a review on our public website for National Debt Relief and to help other consumers make good choices? AARON: Sure. That's fine. Lauren B: I do have your email here as aaronlesser36@gmail.com. Is that right? AARON: Yup.

Trustpilot star rating Trustpilot star rating Trustpilot star rating Trustpilot star rating Trustpilot star rating

Aaron Lesser
ConsumerAffairs Reviews

Latest Personal Finance Posts

  • What is the Best Way to Keep an Emergency Fund?
  • The 5 Easy Steps To Start An Emergency Fund
  • How Much Should My Emergency Fund Be?
  • Take Control Of Your Finances And Make Them Emergency Proof
  • Find a Good Savings Plan for 2021
National Debt Relief, LLC BBB Business Review AFCC Top Ten Reviews Gold Top Consumer Reviews Consumers Advocate Trust Pilot
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • Corporate
  • Privacy Policies
  • Terms Of Site
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
Products
  • Debt Relief
  • Credit Card Debt Relief
  • Debt Consolidation
  • Debt Settlement
  • Calculators
  • FAQs
Debt Resources
  • Credit Card Debt
  • Bad Credit
  • Medical Debt
  • Personal Loan Debt
  • Unemployment
  • Divorce Debt
  • Retiree Debt
  • Veteran Debt
  • Business Debt
  • Personal Finance
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

© 2021, National Debt Relief, All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Disclaimer