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The holidays are one of my favorite times of year because I love all the family photo cards. Okay, I don’t love the actual process of getting everyone ready, ordering the cards, and sending them out, but I do love having that keepsake from each season.
If it weren’t for the obligation to send Christmas cards, taking family photos may never get crossed off my to-do list. (I’m sure you can relate!) While I enjoy the finished result of holiday cards, it can be hard to swallow the price tag that comes with it. Between the photographer, ordering the prints, envelopes, and stamps, this usually costs several hundred dollars.
Here are some fun cost-cutting tactics you can use to produce quality holiday family cards, that you will cherish each season.
Thanksgiving is only two short weeks away, and the air is filled with anticipation of the official start of the holiday shopping season.
I’m obviously talking about Black Friday, when people stay up all night to get a shot at (self-proclaimed) once-a-year door-buster sales. I’ve heard people brag how large a percentage of their gift shopping they complete on that one magical day of sales.
But I honestly do not get it.
Black Friday is the pinnacle of impulse shopping. Huge crowds storm through the doors of countless retailers with the lure of getting their hands on a handful of unbelievable sales. While in the rush of the moment, people grab everything and anything that seems like a good sale in fear of missing out.
Sounds like a recipe for overspending, and buying a bunch of stuff we don’t need. I take a different approach to shopping for my Christmas gifts, and choose to enjoy my Thanksgiving holiday differently.
Welcome to our newest reader question series where we feature an inquiry submitted by the MoneyNing community, along with our answers. Today’s question relates to Flexible Spending Accounts and dependent daycare expenses.
The surveys are in, and although holiday shoppers plan to spend roughly 5% more than last year, the money they spend will be more strictly spent on gifts for others, and not gifts for themselves (a fact that retailers count on for high-ticket items).
Although more people are shopping early to more accurately budget their spending, the percentage of those polled who plan to capitalize on Thanksgiving weekend deals, increased significantly this year. This shows that most consumers are still feeling the need, and desire, to get the most out of their holiday spending in light of a the still-recovering economy.
Lastly, online shopping is slated to increase by about 50% from last year, representing the largest gain of all.* These trends represent the average shopper, but do they represent your personal spending strategy this holiday? Let’s discuss.
With the holidays quickly approaching we all have spending on our minds. Then when January rolls around, we calculate the aftermath of our spending habits and create New Year’s Resolutions to get out of debt and build an emergency fund.
But I have a better solution! Let’s not fall into this same habit this year. The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to stop saving and go into debt. In fact, you can have a much more peaceful and relaxing holiday if you aren’t stressing about money.
Today I want to encourage you to make saving a priority and put money away in an emergency fund if you haven’t already done so. Here are two powerfully effective tips you can use to jumpstart your savings habit.
Every year, the IRS evaluates inflation and other items and decides how much savers can sock away in tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Coming in 2015, there will be higher limits for 401(k) accounts, and the income level for IRA phaseouts will also increase.*
This means you have the chance to put away more for retirement, even if you’re already maxing out your retirement contributions. Here are the details on how you can save more money for your future.
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