Monday, December 14, 2015

How to Avoid a Holiday Hangover


The holidays are here, which means gaining five pounds of food weight, losing five pounds of money weight, and doing it all with the people you love the most. Before you get lost in the holiday mayhem, we have money tips to help you avoid a holiday hangover and to save you a few pounds.


Taking Advantage of Deals

Like any savvy shopaholic knows, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have the best deals and steals for both online and in-store shopping. If you didn’t take advantage of the deals or haven’t fulfilled your holiday shopping needs, don’t worry there are still ways to be a smart holiday spender. As Christmas approaches, companies will offer great perks for the holidays, especially credit unions. Being a member-owned institution gives credit unions the advantage to be more flexible with their offers. If you are not a member of a credit union, you might want to consider joining because they offer some serious holiday helpers.


Helpers:

  • Low Credit Card Rates: Many credit unions will offer a lower credit card rate during the holiday season, November – December. Some credit unions will even keep the same interest rate on qualifying purchases for months after December. Check with your credit union, to make sure you aren’t missing out on this deal.
  • Holiday Loans: It’s obvious that at a financial institution you can get a loan, so what makes a holiday loan different? Usually a holiday loan will have a low fixed rate with an easy payback.
  •  Skip-a-Payment: A few credit unions will offer a chance to skip-a-payment during the holiday months. Skipping a payment will allow you to have some extra dough for gifts.

Now that you have the money, it is time to go shopping. If you missed the shopping madness don’t get discouraged, there are still many retailers offering discounted prices. If you are looking for specific items, research them online first to make sure you are getting the best deal. December is also the month for giving, and many companies offer easy, free sweepstakes. Try your luck and enter, you never know what you might win!