Now that the Christmas spirit is beginning to be felt in the streets, we must remember the importance of saving and having responsible finances. According to various studies, December is a month in which many people spend more than they should, so the first months of the following year can become financial torture.
During Christmas shopping it is easy to lose control of our money and be tempted to spend more than we can afford, especially if we decide pay with credit card. Although credit has many advantages that help us acquire goods in a more accessible way, it is important to avoid the following mistakes:
- Reaching our credit limit
Only in urgent cases would we have to fall into this. To have healthy finances, all experts recommend that you never exceed 30% of your credit limit. Christmas is a season when people go into debt beyond what they can afford.
- Not organizing our purchases and expenses
The most advisable thing is to make a list of what we must buy and how much is the budget that we will assign to it. Although this might seem like something unimportant or that we can have “in a mental list”, it is better if we write it down, because that way we will have our limit visually and we can take care not to exceed it.
- Wanting to accumulate “reward points”
Reward points may seem like a big plus, but during the holiday season they can be a double-edged sword. Excessive in our purchases to receive bonuses will never be a good idea. We must bear in mind the two previous points and adjust to our budget.
- Buy online on sites that are not safe
If you prefer to do your Christmas shopping online, you should be very attentive to what sites you visit, since, although you can be a victim of fraud all year round, there are seasons when they are more common, such as Christmas. Therefore, always verify that it is a secure web page. It is advisable to review the URL, it should always start with “https”, it is important that it contains the final “s”, which guarantees the authentication of the site.
We recommend you read:
- Include someone else on your credit card
There are those who seek to feel generous, more so at this time, and add users to their credit card, for example, children, grandchildren or nephews. The problem is that, if this person is not prepared to use plastic responsibly, it can cause us enormous debts. It is better to think twice before doing it.
#Avoid #mistakes #credit #card #Christmas #shopping