Quick Tips on Making the Most of Your Debit Card
If you have a checking account, you probably have a debit card to use with it as...
Our NuMark branches will be CLOSED on Monday, February 17th in observance of Presidents’ Day. We will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, February 18th.
Fall is officially here, which means that the holiday season is right around the corner. While the holidays are a great time of the year to spend amongst family and friends, it can also be stressful financially when you’re wanting to buy presents for your loved ones but are on a tighter budget.
It doesn’t have to be stressful, though! There are plenty of ways for you to get your holiday shopping done without worrying that you’re going to blow your budget.
Plan Ahead and Budget
It can be stressful, but there’s never a bad time to start planning for your holiday expenses. If you already have a list of items you want to buy for friends and family, start looking at prices now so you can get an idea of how much you’ll be spending.
Some other expenses you might want to plan for are potential travel, the cost of sending out holiday cards, and any donations you might want to make during this Season of Giving. If you’re able to look back on bills from previous years around the holidays, that can be a huge help with figuring out an estimate. Once you have a general estimate of how much you’ll potentially be spending, you can start really planning for the holidays and adjusting your budget to account for the additional expenses.
Make Your Two Lists
It’s understandable that around this time, you want to be able to give gifts to everyone in your life – but that’s unfortunately not realistic. It’s a good rule of thumb that if you find yourself wanting to buy gifts for more than five people outside of your immediate family, you should probably start cutting it down.
Picking 3-5 friends outside your immediate family to purchase for is a helpful tactic for keeping down your gift bill. It doesn’t mean that you can’t give to other friends and people in your life, either! For those that you decide not to buy for, you can still spread some holiday season joy with some homemade gifts like holiday cookies or sending them a holiday card!
It’s Okay to Say No
With the excitement of holidays comes the expectations of donations and invites to celebrations. Keep in mind that it’s okay to say no every now and then.
You can’t donate to every charity and cause that’s asking for help during the holidays. Keep in mind that you’re not the only one being asked to help. It’s better to pick out a few organizations that mean a lot to you to send a donation to during the holidays. Your support also doesn’t have to be monetary, either! Plenty of food banks, soup kitchens, and other kinds of charities need additional help during the holiday season to assist in organizing donations. Look into potential volunteer opportunities instead to donate your time – that way you’re still helping out without affecting your budget.
The same goes for parties. While it’s easy to feel the pressure to say yes to every single invitation, you really don’t have to. Parties can be costly, especially if you bring a gift for each host and are potentially buying new clothes as well. Similar to donating, pick out a few parties to actually attend throughout the season. For the ones you say no to, you can always send them a holiday card to show them you appreciated the thought.
As much fun as the holidays are meant to be, the financial strain can get in the way of that joy for a lot of people. There are a lot of different ways to prepare for the additional expenses, including making homemade gifts, volunteering your time at local charities, and having an account used strictly for holiday expenses, like NuMark’s Christmas Club account. Remember that this season is for spending time with those who mean the most to you, and that gifts and material things come second.
If you do need help with your holiday finances, remember to use NuMark as a resource! Feel free to give us a call at 815-729-3211, or head in to your nearest branch!
Related Articles
If you have a checking account, you probably have a debit card to use with it as...
During the holiday season, it can be easy to fall for scams. Fraudsters know that people are...
The holiday season is here, and it’s not unlikely that you’ve already started thinking about the gifts...
Access NuMark services online or at any of our physical locations.
Join the NuMark family and get proactive about your financial future.
Guard your financial well-being with our Consumer Protection Insurance – the perfect way to safeguard your finances from the unexpected.
From safeguarding your home to ensuring the financial security of your family, NuMark’s insurance options provide peace of mind for a brighter and more secure future.