Your Las Vegas Holiday Budgeting Guide from InTouch Credit Union

The holiday season is a time to celebrate with family and friends, but it’s also a time to make sure you’re taking the steps to save money on gift shopping and maintaining adequate savings into the New Year. InTouch Credit Union helps Las Vegas, NV residents accomplish just that with their helpful holiday tips on how to save for the season and plan ahead for a prosperous 2012.

InTouch Credit Union’s Holiday Advice

• For gift buying, don’t just rush out without doing a little homework first. Use Sunday newspaper ads to find what you’re looking for (the dollar or two you spend for the paper, if you don’t get one delivered, will be well worth the investment). If you don’t want to buy a paper, most major retailers post their weekly ads online – use Google to find them. If you’re okay with buying online, search for the item and see what online retailers’ prices are. Many use free shipping as a buying incentive, which saves you time and money!
• For visiting family you don’t see often and aren’t particularly excited to see–I’m sure you don’t have this problem, but for those “friends” you know that do–make the best of it by engaging in the conversation or activities, as hard as that might be. The time will pass by more quickly if you do, your stress will be lessened, and the stress your family may be experiencing will be lessened, as well. Decide ahead of time when you would like to leave, and ensure those with you are aware so that there are no mixed signals once the visit begins.
• Take extra time to do things that relieve your stress periodically throughout the holiday season. If that’s reading a book, listening to music or watching a movie – go do it. You may not be able to avoid all of the holiday sights and sounds, but you can control what you read, listen to or watch when it’s on YOUR time. Also, if there’s just not enough time to do those things to the extent you’d like, take heart, the season will pass by soon (I promise) and your normal routine will resume.

Save Money with Holiday Club Savings

Plan ahead for holiday 2012 shopping with InTouch Credit Union. ITCU has a Holiday Club Savings account that you can use to put a little money away each month rather than buy on credit and have big bills to pay after the holidays. There’s no forgetting to put the money aside when you set up an automatic transfer for the amount you choose (minimum balance to open is $10), and on October 31, the money is automatically put into your main savings account so you’re prepared for the cost of those holiday gifts. See one of our branch Personal Financial Assistants for more information or to open an account.

Quick Saving Tips from InTouch Credit Union

• Making a budget is always good. It’s not hard to do and there are lots of websites that can help you create a budget. For example, InTouch Credit Union offers an excellent budgeting tool with its InCompass Personal Financial Management (PFM) application. InCompass includes several other money management tools and it’s included free as a part of the home banking application. The hardest part about budgeting is being honest with yourself and admitting what is truly a need versus a want. Eating to live is a “need.” On the other hand, “wants” include eating out every night, or when you eat out and choose a more expensive option over a less expensive one. Planning a budget does not mean you can’t occasionally splurge on a more expensive option, it just means you need to allow for that in your budget and get back on track as quickly as you can. The longer you put it off, the harder it will be to get back on budget.
• Use Sunday newspaper coupons. Even if you’re not one to use grocery coupons, many times there are restaurant coupons, as well.
• Consider buying in bulk with a discount club membership. If you will use the membership consistently, you will likely save far more money than the cost of the membership. However, if you’ll only visit on rare occasions, it probably isn’t worth it. If a membership is not your thing, see if your local grocer offers a discount buying card. These are usually free and often come with some fairly attractive discounts or other rewards, like discounted gas.
• Join a credit union as fees for a banking relationship can be costly. Credit unions generally have fewer and/or lower fees than banks. The conveniences offered by a bank branch on every corner may not truly be any benefit to you if you don’t visit one very often. Credit unions are not-for-profit and offer similar products and services as banks. Electronic banking options and surcharge-free ATM networks make credit unions an excellent alternative and can help you keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket, instead of the banks’.