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It’s the Holiday Season

October 25, 2021

by Carmen Gonzalez

As the weather gets cooler, the magic of the holidays begins to sink in; and we begin to focus less on our finances and more on events and the newest sales. It can be easy to let your budget get away from you; and when the new year rolls around, you are left finding a way to cover additional expenses from holiday debt. But! The holidays don’t have to break the bank to be magical. Planning ahead, holiday-proofing your budget, and taking advantage of the resources Centric offers can help you not lose focus on your money.

The easiest way to plan ahead for the holiday budgets is opening a Santa Saver account and saving money back every month to prepare for the costs of gifts. This makes it easier to buy what you need for the holidays without it having to come out in one chunk of your end-of-year paychecks. When it comes time to get your money out of your Santa Saver account, you want to make the most of what you have saved by making a Holiday Gift Budget so you know how much you are spending on each person.

Once you have established your Holiday Gift Budget, you want to be cautious of how tempting it can be not to stick to it when shopping. To prevent overspending or spending everything on one person, get envelopes to fill with cash specific to how much you have set aside for each person so you can easily keep track of how much you have spent on each person. If you are more of an online shopper, you can still take advantage of the Santa Bucks Envelopes and keep track on the back of how you have spent and how much you have left.

After you’ve prepared your Holiday Gift Budget and stuffed your envelopes, you can continue to make the most of your money by buying in bulk or visiting dollar stores to make personalized gift baskets. You want to avoid buying unnecessary or unwanted things to make your gifts seem better. Stick to buying things you know your family and friends want and need. If you have any friends who shop at a specific store or stop at their favorite restaurant regularly, redeem your Centric Visa® Credit Card’s Rewards! points for gift cards.

You can enjoy all the magic of the holidays even more when you don’t have to worry about what your finances will look like after shouting “Happy New Year!” Take advantage of the Holiday Gift Budget and the Santa Bucks Envelopes to manage your holiday spending this year, and open a Santa Saver account to start planning ahead for next year’s holidays. If budgeting in general is hard for you and you want one-on-one advice, schedule a financial wellness checkup with one of Centric’s Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors.

 

Learn more by listening to our Podcast here:

 

 

 

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