#Realestate #financialwellness expert. Author, speaker, entrepreneur; syndicated columnist; @WGNRadio ThinkGlink.com & @BestMoneyMoves
Chicago
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I've got more holiday and money-saving tips on my website and in my newsletter: glink.substack.com
#creditchat @experian
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A10: Before the holidays I check my credit reports and pay balances down to zero. After, I review every dollar spent and adjust next year's savings target.
The cycle never really ends.
#creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A10: Before: check your credit, pay down balances, build a cash cushion. After: set a payoff date for any holiday debt, review what you spent, and start next year's fund in January. The holidays come every year. Plan like it. #creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A9: Decide what actually matters to you and your family. Not every tradition needs to survive. Not every person needs a gift. Fewer, more meaningful choices beat spreading yourself thin and stressing about the bill. #creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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A9: This year we're doing Christmas in Mexico with a group, which means the trip is the gift. Fewer packages, one shared experience. My family had to decide what mattered most, and it wasn't more stuff. #creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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A8: Something always comes up. A last-minute guest, a gift I forgot, a flight that costs more than I expected. I keep a line in the budget for it. When nothing goes wrong, I feel like I got a bonus. When it does, I'm not panicking. #creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A8: Build a cushion into the budget: 10-15% for the things you didn't see coming. A last-minute invite, a broken oven the day before you host, an extra gift. If you don't use it, roll it into January's bills.
You'll be ahead. #creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A7: I put holiday purchases on a rewards card and pay it off the same month. That's my deal. If I can't pay off, I don't buy it.
I've seen too many people still paying for last Christmas when the next one arrives.
#creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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A7: Credit cards are fine if you pay the balance in full. If you can't, that 20%+ interest makes every gift cost more.
Skip buy-now-pay-later unless you've mapped every payment.
Never charge what you can't pay off by February. #creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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A6: A sale is only a deal if you planned to buy it anyway. Check price history, compare across retailers, and watch for fake "was" prices.
***Read the return policy before you click. Urgency is a sales tactic, not a reason.
#creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A6: I've bought things on Black Friday I never would have bought at full price. That's not saving money. That's spending money. Now I only shop sales for things already on my list, and I check the price a week earlier first. #creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A5: If I haven't picked up someting on my travels, my list has names, gift ideas, and a dollar cap next to each one. When I'm tempted to spend more, I look at the cap.
#creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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It's saved me from myself more times than I can count. Cheesy? Sure. It works.
#creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A5: A list turns "holiday shopping" into a set of decisions you've already made. Write down every person, every gift, and a dollar cap for each. Then stick to it. No list = impulse buying = regret in January. #creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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Everything in life is a tradeoff. So, ask yourself:
Does I really want to buy a gift for everyone on a long list or is this the year to pull back?
Buying me a gift? Make it useful or something personally meaningful.
glink.substack.com #creditchat
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A4: I kept a holiday savings account for years. Money moved in automatically every two weeks and I didn't touch it.
By November it was there. It's the least glamorous financial move I made all year and probably the most effective. #creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
Q4. What are some ways people can financially prepare for holiday expenses ahead of time? #CreditChat
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A4: Open a separate savings account and automate a weekly transfer.
Even $25/week from now through Thanksgiving is real money.
Sell stuff you don't use.
Pick up a side gig.
Cash you've already saved doesn't cost interest. #creditchat @experian glink.substack.com
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A3: I looked at what I've actually saved for the holidays. Not what I wanted to spend. Not what my kids expected.
I'm grateful that I don't have to manage my pennies now the way I did when our kids were little. #creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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But there was a time in my life where every penny counted.
#creditchat glink.substack.com
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A3: Start with what's left after essentials, savings, and debt payments each month. That's your holiday money. If the answer is "not much," that's your budget.
Don't borrow from January to pay for December. #creditchat @experian thinkglink.com
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