Holidays are all about exchanging gifts, building a snowman, traveling, decoration, etc. It takes a lot of money to do all these things, so for most people, holiday debt is a part of the season. Most people are willing to take debt in order to see their families happy.

People who take up debts over the holidays are under extra pressure if they are unable to repay the money by the end of the pay cycle, so they will have to pay extra in interest and dees. Your savings decrease rapidly when the amount you owe builds up rapidly due to interest rates.

Luckily, you don’t have to end up under a mountain of debt during holidays. Prepare yourself with these few tips

Make a budget:

Keep your savings into your mind and find out how much you can spend this holiday. You can prepare a list of people you want to give gifts to. After that check how much money you can spend on each person keeping your budget in your mind. Do not exceed the budget you made, try to decrease the list of gifts or the value of the gifts rather than spending more than you budgeted.

Create a Spending plan:

Make a list of everything you want to spend money on; gifts, traveling, decoration, parties, restaurants­ , etc. sum everything and then compare it with the budget that you have calculated for yourself.

If the spending plan exceed your budget, then you can cut off unnecessary things off the list. If you are traveling don’t make a reservation at hotels, instead, stay with some friends or family (if they reside in that area). If you have plans to eat out, go for an affordable meal. If your budget is still not met, prioritize your list and cut off the option that matters the least.

Compare prices:

Always search for products on different platforms. Once you have found the product, compare prices on different platforms or stores and choose the cheaper one. You can take the advertisements of competitors to the store and match prices in many cases; you will get a cheaper deal. When shopping online always check the shipping fee, find the total using the shipping fee. Some websites offer free shipping so always keep that in mind when shopping online. Shipping can sometimes make a big difference between good and bad deals, but weigh your options.

Do a part-time job:

During the holiday season, the opportunities to get a job are very high because the usual workers are on a break. This is the best time to earn some extra cash; by finding a side job since most companies will ramp up their workforce to keep up with demands during the holidays. Labor demand is very high and you can easily get a job at a store or a retailer shop. Now, it might sound very tiring; having a job during the holidays, but think about the bright side. Part-time jobs are usually more flexible, so you can leave whenever you want. A couple of hours of work a week can benefit you greatly. After a few 20 hours per week work, you will have earned enough money to cover up your holidays expenses. You can start the new year an

By Dr. Paul Etienne, DBA

Dr. Paul Etienne is a financial and business consultant in Orlando, FL. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science degree, an MBA and a Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He has worked for large, well-known financial firms throughout his career. Paul and his wife Vanessa share their home inCentral Florida with one extraordinary daughter named Delaney and a wonderful son named Vansley. Paul brings his longstanding experience and vast knowledge of the financial sector to his audience through his book, podcast, training courses and blogs, in which he aims to help as many people as possible with a wide variety of financial advice. He also blogs regularly on www.madbu.comon subjects ranging from personal finance, debt, budgeting, real estate investing, mortgages and retirement and more. In his free time, Paul likes to play the guitar and code, investing in real estate and helping others to become more aware of their finances. He is a lifelong student of all things and is always learning about new ideas.The future, as far as Dr. Paul is concerned, will see him helping more and more people to learn about managing their personal finance and assets, so that they can remain financially secure with the help oh his book and his budgeting app MadbuMax.

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