As the holiday rush kicks into overdrive, we want to make sure that you are protecting both your budget and your credit this year. As someone with experience busting budgets and with identity theft in the past, I felt it was only right to share what I’ve learned over the years in an effort to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes that I made.
Here are a few tips to protect you and keep your season filled with cheer:
YOUR BUDGET:
Set a realistic budget that you can stick to.
If you’re married, agree with your spouse how much you plan on spending and go from there. We’ve scaled back on how may gifts we give our kids since we noticed that most of them don’t make it past one week of play. The kids haven’t even noticed but our Christmas budget has.
Thinking of a master plan.
Make a list before you go shopping so you’ll know exactly what you want to purchase. Those pallets of deals and discounts that sit in the middle of big, box store isles are not there because there’s no room in the back. If you stay focused on your list, you’ll have a better chance of sticking to your budget. There are even mobile apps that let you compare product prices before you visit the store.
Keep control of your emotions.
Some people bend to the pressure of their emotions during the holidays, when it comes to purchases. A cousin gives you an expensive gift so what you purchased for them no longer feels adequate. You haven’t spent as much on your kids as their friend’s parents have. Whatever the situation is, don’t forget to stick to what you can do. The emotions that come with falling into long-term debt are feelings you don’t want to experience.
YOUR CREDIT:
Monitor your credit.
Keep a close eye on your credit/debit transactions during the holidays when you may by shopping more than normal. Just a few months back I received a call from my credit card company to inquire whether I had just purchased a few hundred dollars worth or products from a Target in Brooklyn. Luckily they denied the purchase, but just incase your company doesn’t catch an out of place charge; make sure you keep your eyes open so you can.
Buy online with confidence.
Buy online from reputable companies. When it comes to purchasing online I’ll often spend a few extra bucks to purchase from a company that I know and trust. That way I can have piece of mind that my information is secure. You can also make sure that the website URL begins with https:// on the page where you enter your payment information, which means it is a secured page.
Review your credit reports.
Review your credit report on a regular basis to ensure there are no additional credit lines that you are unaware of and to ensure the companies you do work with haven’t reported any incorrect information. I’ve also been a victim of identify theft in the past, where multiple credit cards were opened in my name and it is a pain to get everything cleared up. With Quizzle.com you can review your full credit report every six months for FREE with no credit card or trial purchase required.
Navigating through the holiday season with clean credit while staying in your budget is a worthwhile effort we all need to strive for.
Credit helps you get what you want. For a complete understanding of your credit and how to put it work for you, visit www.quizzle.com for your absolutely free credit report and score.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quizzle. The opinions and text are all mine.