Living Greater

The holiday season is a time for festivities, cheer, and reunions with family and friends. But as we deck the halls or spin the dreidel, many of us will have something else on our mind: money. In fact, more than three in four Americans overspend during the holiday season, with the average household adding nearly $1,000 in debt. While it may seem like a fact of life, going into gift-purchase debt is not inevitable. In today’s post, we’ll offer four key tips to stress-free holiday spending, allowing you to devote yourself to some worry-free celebrating.

Before you know it, the winter holidays will be here! And with it comes joy, family time, and often, money worries and stress.

One way to help avoid that last part is something you may have heard often: develop a budget. Seems simple, but many people don’t do that, and it often leads to overspending, debt, and financial stress.

Now that your holiday spending is winding down, does it feel like you’ve overspent once again? If so, this is a perfect time to get back on track and even prepare for a more affordable season next year. Let’s get started!

The holidays are here and we all know that they can cause some extra stress. Here are some tips that can help you during this season.
 

It may not be fall yet, but the holidays seem to start earlier and earlier every year. And the sooner they start, the sooner our wallets and bank accounts begin to suffer.

Follow these tips to prepare for future holidays and keep your holiday expenses under control.
 

Summer is our favorite season. Some people like winter for the snow activities, but summer is a season filled with sunshine, family time, and trying new things. If you haven’t done much this summer you shouldn’t worry.  You still have time! 
 

Let me start off this post by asking you to think about your New Year’s resolution from last year. Go ahead, I’ll wait… I won’t ask you what it was, but what I would like to know is: did you keep that resolution? If not, try doing things a bit differently this New Year.

Between paying for all the food and drinks for a Thanksgiving feast, Christmas gifts for family and friends, and holiday trips, it’s hard to think about saving money over the next few months.  And as a recent transplant from Southern California, I also haven’t really thought much about what my heating bill will be like in northern Nevada. (I was more focused on the beautiful, snowy winter I’d enjoy!)

Luckily good old dad shared some advice with me and in turn, I would like to share it with you, since saving is never easy and we could all use a helpful tip once in a while.

Flash forward to tomorrow afternoon, your phone rings and great news, you’re invited to a Halloween party! But wait, you don’t have a costume, it’s the day before, and if you’re like me, spending $60+ dollars for a once-a-year outfit really isn’t fun...sigh. This happens to me just about every year on Halloween and I thus have two options to debate, sit on the couch trying to find anything other than an old horror movie to watch or go out with friends and probably have a good time.  I know you’re thinking that to enjoy Halloween you need to have some brilliant disguise but trust me, your friends won’t care as long as you go! So suck it up, take my advice and you will have a great time and an easy costume that won’t break the bank.