Ilyce Glink

#Realestate #financialwellness expert. Author, speaker, entrepreneur; syndicated columnist; @WGNRadio & @BestMoneyMoves

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

I've got more holiday and money-saving tips on my website and in my newsletter: https://t.co/X2yRjgbHzB

#creditchat @experian

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

@Kembala @Experian I hate surprises. I'd much rather be prepared for almost any outcome.

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A8: Build a cushion into the budget: 10-15% for the things you didn't see coming. A last-minute invite, a broken oven the day before you host, an extra gift. If you don't use it, roll it into January's bills.

You'll be ahead. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgbHzB

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A10: Before the holidays I check my credit reports and pay balances down to zero. After, I review every dollar spent and adjust next year's savings target.

The cycle never really ends.

#creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A10: Before: check your credit, pay down balances, build a cash cushion. After: set a payoff date for any holiday debt, review what you spent, and start next year's fund in January. The holidays come every year. Plan like it. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A9: Decide what actually matters to you and your family. Not every tradition needs to survive. Not every person needs a gift. Fewer, more meaningful choices beat spreading yourself thin and stressing about the bill. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/SPYB8s6Fp2

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A9: This year we're doing Christmas in Mexico with a group, which means the trip is the gift. Fewer packages, one shared experience. My family had to decide what mattered most, and it wasn't more stuff. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/SPYB8s67zu

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A8: Something always comes up. A last-minute guest, a gift I forgot, a flight that costs more than I expected. I keep a line in the budget for it. When nothing goes wrong, I feel like I got a bonus. When it does, I'm not panicking. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A7: I put holiday purchases on a rewards card and pay it off the same month. That's my deal. If I can't pay off, I don't buy it.

I've seen too many people still paying for last Christmas when the next one arrives.

#creditchat @experian https://t.co/SPYB8s67zu

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A7: Credit cards are fine if you pay the balance in full. If you can't, that 20%+ interest makes every gift cost more.

Skip buy-now-pay-later unless you've mapped every payment.

Never charge what you can't pay off by February. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/SPYB8s67zu

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A6: A sale is only a deal if you planned to buy it anyway. Check price history, compare across retailers, and watch for fake "was" prices.

***Read the return policy before you click. Urgency is a sales tactic, not a reason.

#creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A6: I've bought things on Black Friday I never would have bought at full price. That's not saving money. That's spending money. Now I only shop sales for things already on my list, and I check the price a week earlier first. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

It's saved me from myself more times than I can count. Cheesy? Sure. It works.

#creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A5: If I haven't picked up someting on my travels, my list has names, gift ideas, and a dollar cap next to each one. When I'm tempted to spend more, I look at the cap.

#creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A5: A list turns "holiday shopping" into a set of decisions you've already made. Write down every person, every gift, and a dollar cap for each. Then stick to it. No list = impulse buying = regret in January. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/SPYB8s6Fp2

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

Everything in life is a tradeoff. So, ask yourself:

Does I really want to buy a gift for everyone on a long list or is this the year to pull back?

Buying me a gift? Make it useful or something personally meaningful.

https://t.co/X2yRjgbHzB #creditchat

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A4: I kept a holiday savings account for years. Money moved in automatically every two weeks and I didn't touch it.

By November it was there. It's the least glamorous financial move I made all year and probably the most effective. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgbHzB

[Experian @Experian]

Q4. What are some ways people can financially prepare for holiday expenses ahead of time? #CreditChat

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A4: Open a separate savings account and automate a weekly transfer.

Even $25/week from now through Thanksgiving is real money.

Sell stuff you don't use.

Pick up a side gig.

Cash you've already saved doesn't cost interest. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/X2yRjgb9K3

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

But there was a time in my life where every penny counted.

#creditchat https://t.co/X2yRjgbHzB

[Ilyce Glink @Glink]

A3: I looked at what I've actually saved for the holidays. Not what I wanted to spend. Not what my kids expected.

I'm grateful that I don't have to manage my pennies now the way I did when our kids were little. #creditchat @experian https://t.co/SPYB8s67zu