Could you pull $750 from your bank account now if you had to? You might be able to do it if you start budgeting and saving money.
According to the National Retail Federation, holiday shoppers spend $738 on seasonal and gift items. TransUnion’s recent Google Consumer Survey found that 64.3 percent of Americans expect to spend their holiday shopping season without any savings.
If this is you, and there’s no money saved or zero savings, then please listen.
Here are some solid strategies to get your budget in order and begin saving money. It’s never too late for you to make financial changes or save.
1. It’s time to take inventory
Take stock of your spending habits and consider how you can reduce them.
Write down all your expenses and take a look at them. Once you have a clear picture of where your money is going, you can make adjustments to save money.
These adjustments can be anything from dropping your cable plan to carpooling for your commute or simply taking your lunch. There’s a way to save even more: here’s another.
This strategy will help you save money on all your purchases, no matter how large or small. This is a program that allows you to choose which retailers you want to purchase from and receive payment. You will still be buying items from the same retailers that you do business with.
Let’s say you shop at Target, Walmart, Kmart, Sears, or Sears. Or maybe Home Depot. If you shop at any of these retailers using this strategy, you will receive a commission check for each purchase you make from them. What about Dollar General Store? Best Buy? Dick Blick? Dog.com? Gardeners’ Supply? JC Penney, Macy’s Old Navy, Staples, and Bass Pro Shop? The same, you’ll get a commission check whenever you make a purchase.
This program will pay you a commission every time you buy a product from a participating store. There are more than 300 participating retailers who will give you a commission for purchasing their products.
Here’s how to save money: Get paid to buy the items you plan to buy anyway from the same stores you have always bought from.
2. Prepare a Plan B
A Plan B to pay off debt often includes a monthly income or lack thereof. Plan B strategies might also include ways to make extra money each week, or every month, to pay down debt and/or cover monthly expenses. The above-mentioned saving money strategy can help you save money and also give you the chance to make money.
This strategy will allow you to save money, but it also allows you to make additional income—your Plan B.
Gary Price, an attorney who specializes in intellectual property, including trademarks and copyrights, is the author. He is also a professional internet marketing coach, helping families to build full-time home businesses online quickly and economically.