Holidays are upon us: America saves reminds us that It is time to get creative and festive and not blow it all for the new year. Let's get HOLY JOLY and Create a holiday budget, Get creative with the decorations, and Go back to basics for holiday dinners!!

Protect your wallet from impulse buys by developing and sticking to a comprehensive budget for travel, food, entertainment, and gift-giving expenses. 

1. Set your spending limit before you start budgeting. And stick to your limit. That might mean making some compromises. Think through what you need to make your holiday happy and successful.  

2. Reduce your spending. Add up the total of your holiday list, and don’t be shy about reducing it some more. Challenge yourself to spend a little less each year.

3. Plan for as many expenses as possible. Be as comprehensive as you can as you create your budget. Don’t forget things like holiday tips and year-end giving.

4. Remember to save. Continue saving over the holidays so you don’t shortchange your retirement, education, small business, or other goals. 

Get creative with the decorations

Buying decorations definitely can save you time, but creating your own or re-using decorations has many perks. It’s an excellent way to spend time together as a family. It also allows you to put more personal touches on your decorations and holiday props – cheers for sentimentality!

Go back to basics for holiday dinners

1. Keep the menu simple. Dinner can be special without two different meats, four vegetable dishes and three different desserts. If you plan to serve mashed potatoes and gravy, you can skip the macaroni and cheese casserole. If you plan to make candied carrots, no need to serve candied yams also.

2. Make a list and stick to it. It’s so easy to go to the grocery store for five items and see chocolate chips, cake mixes and pies on sale that would be a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving table. The power of suggestion is strong, but be stronger and stick to what is on your list so you can stick to your budget.

3. Bake instead of buying. It’s much more affordable to buy a frozen turkey that you can thaw and bake rather than going with the fancy catered turkey from specialty food stores. It may take a little extra effort, but the money you save will be worth it.

4. Skip the alcohol. If you normally serve wine or other alcoholic beverages on Thanksgiving, consider switching this holiday to other drinks such as tea and sparkling cider. 

When it comes to holiday spending, the important thing is to stick to your regular monthly budget, with some necessary additions. We all want holidays to be special, but if you create debt in the process, it will end up being more of a headache than a holiday.

Any other time of the year....it is about interests , fees and other charges!!! GET with Credit Repair USA Financial Solutions

What if you are paying more than you have to for just about everything? what would you do with $100’s more each month? Learning, Knowing, and Taking the first step with the information below can put $$$ in your pocket/savings account.

What makes your credit score cost so much? It’s the interest rate and the difference between the rate for a low or mid-tier score and a high credit score will cost you $1000’s.

Why are you paying $1000’s more than someone else? Your many credit reports are used by lenders and credit card companies to determine your interest rate. Interest rates for people with lower credit scores are higher (costing you more $$). Lenders use higher interest rates to protect themselves when the people they lend to can’t pay. Having a lower credit score means that you’ll pay more in interest every month on the money you borrow.

Where do you pay more?

• Auto loans at interest rates over 15% instead of 5-10%
  

• Car insurance premiums that are doubled
  

• Big ticket items, if bought through rent-to-own stores will end up costing 2-3 times more
  

• Mortgage rates, this is where the extra amount you pay could almost be enough to buy another house
  

• Credit cards, if you can qualify the interest you pay on any monthly balance not paid in full will be close to 30% instead of 20% or lower and that is in addition to monthly or annual fees. You pay a lot more for groceries, gas, and so many other items you (and your family) need every day.

Do the math, add up all the additional costs. You are either paying $100’s extra each month or going without.

Commit to getting credit cards with lower rates and less/no fees, lower mortgage and auto rates, and keeping $100’s each month or $10,000 or $50,000+, or more paid to a home or auto loan. You can do this yourself starting today and Credit Repair USA can answer questions.

No matter where you are today, we can support you on your journey, help you do the math, and get the knowledge and tools you need to build and sustain a strong credit score. Then your credit will work for you instead of you working for your credit.

Improve your credit so you have a lot more money! Contact Us and Let’s talk.

Remember to Help One Person Everyday (HOPE) and pass it on.