The holiday season can be a great time to connect with friends and family, celebrate the end of the calendar year and the start of a new one, and generally take a break and refresh. Unfortunately, the holidays can also be a time where we spend our money a little more liberally than we might at other times with the reasoning of, \u201cHey, it\u2019s Christmas! I can save later, let\u2019s spend now!\u201d If your wallets are feeling a bit lighter or credit card bills looking a bit longer, we\u2019ve put together some tips to get you back on track for the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studies have shown that we are often less likely to overspend if we pay with cash. In fact, one study<\/a> in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied<\/em> showed that consumers tend to treat credit, debit, or gift cards like \u201cmonopoly money.\u201d It is psychologically more painful to hand over cash than a credit card. Challenge yourself to use cash whenever possible for the next 30 days and see how many purchases you change your mind about before buying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be thinking, \u201cthat\u2019s great, but what about my online payments?\u201d. True, there are certain times it\u2019s incredibly inconvenient or nearly impossible to pay by something other than a credit card. That\u2019s okay. If that\u2019s the case, and if we\u2019re not talking about a utility bill, take 24 hours before you make the purchase. Leave the item in your online cart and think about it. If you still think it\u2019s a good idea 24 hours later, make the purchase. Again, see how many purchases you decide not to make in the next 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re someone who loves going out to eat or getting a fancy coffee every morning, consider taking a break this month. Buy ingredients in bulk at the store to save money (you can freeze if you have more than you need!), and try out a new recipe. My best recipe hack is referencing Hello Fresh recipes<\/a> – over 2,500 simple, quick, delicious and cheap recipes available online with picture instructions FOR FREE. Make a big batch of soup or salsa chicken or whatever sounds good to you on the weekend and use that to meal prep for the week. Not only will you save money, but you\u2019ll save time, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those purchases we mentioned above that have to be made with a credit card, consider harnessing the power of Checkout Saver<\/a>. You\u2019ll save some money on each purchase you make, on qualifying websites, so you can feel a little better about using your card. (Remember, no other tool saves you money with Cashback, Auto Gift Cards, and One Time Coupons<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n What money saving tactics do you use after the holidays? Or did you have some pre- or during-holiday saving plans? Let us know in the comments below! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The holiday season can be a great time to connect with friends and family, celebrate the end of the calendar year and the start of a new one, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[7,5,4],"tags":[18,8],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n2. Consider Your Card Payments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Cut the Extras<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Get Cash Back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n