How to clean up a holiday credit card messTake these steps to get out of debt for the new yearBy Emily Starbuck Gerson
The fun's over.
Come January, that holiday joy turns into debt regret. It's
important to shed this debt quickly, and to learn how to prevent the same
troubles next year.
Drowning in debt after the holidays is all too common. "It's important
to first take a deep breath and realize you're not the only one struggling with
looming holiday debt," says Michael Gold, a certified financial planner
who works in investments at Wachovia Securities. If your household is already
saddled with credit card debt, "digging an even bigger hole of debt during
the holidays is a major concern," says Gold.
First step: Tally the damage
To sort through your post-holiday debt, write down your total outstanding
balance, interest rate and minimum payment for each credit card. Gold suggests
paying off the balance on your credit card with the highest interest rate
first, and continuing to do so with all your cards until you end up with the
lowest interest card. (Use the CreditCards.com "What will it take to pay off my current balance?" calculator to gauge the damage and set up a
reasonable repayment plan.)
You also have the option of consolidating your balances onto one or two
cards with low or 0 percent interest rate. Many balance transfer cards
carry a low rate for several months to a year. Compare carefully: Balance transfer cards have fees that may outweigh any interest saved.
As you pay the other balances
off on the higher-rate cards, consider closing the accounts -- although
that is a step to take slowly and carefully because closing credit
accounts can hurt your credit score. (See the story Do's and don'ts for closing old credit card accounts for details.)
If you feel like you can't go it alone find an accredited credit counselor, or contact your creditors directly. Many creditors are willing to work
out a repayment plan with you -- either directly or through the credit
counselor -- if that will help them get their money without sending the
account into collections. There are also credit card forbearance plans that put off payments briefly. Be mindful that changing your credit terms or paying
anything less than you originally agreed may have a substantial negative effect
on your credit score.
Whack unnecessary frivolity
Reducing discretionary expenses and cutting back on unnecessary spending and
frivolous activity is a wise idea until your finances are back on track, Gold
says. He suggests bringing lunch to work and eating out one less night a week.
"You'll be surprised how quickly you can save up cash to get rid of that
looming debt and begin a truly happy new year," he says.
In order to determine where unnecessary purchases are happening, you should
track your spending. Manisha Thakor, co-author of "On My Own Two
Feet," a personal finance guide for young women, has many years of
experience in the financial services industry. She says it's time for a
"financial reality check," which is like a diet diary. This is done
by keeping a piece of paper in your wallet for one or two months and writing
down everything you spend. "At the end of each month, tally it all
up," Thakor says.
"If you find that you are spending as much or more than you make -- and
many people do -- whip out two different colored highlighters. With one, highlight
the true essentials. In another color, highlight all the fun expenses."
Rough budget benchmarks
Thakor says that for most people, balanced spending of your total gross
income should be as follows: roughly 25 percent goes to taxes, 15 percent to
savings, 45 percent to essential expenses and 15 percent to fun expenses. "If
your budget pie slices are out of whack, slow down and look item by item to see
what you can cut back on," Thakor says. Some of her suggestions include
getting rid of magazine subscriptions you don't read and no longer going out
for drinks with people you don't like.
Once your post-holiday finances have shifted from red to black, learn how to keep yourself from ending up with the same debt next year. While it may
sound early, Gold says you should prepare a budget for next holiday season now.
List every possible person you will give gifts to. Look at what you spent this
year, inflate it by 2 percent or 3 percent and use that as your budget.
"Divide that number by 12, for 12 months, set up a separate account and
have that number automatically deposited into that account," Gold says.
Plan now for '10 holidays
You should also purchase all of your gift-wrapping, cards and decorations during
the post-holiday sales, when everything is heavily discounted, and save them
for next year.
Another suggestion to consider for next year is to do a "Secret
Santa" or "Secret Hanukkah Harry" gift-giving method. Instead of
every single relative buying each other gifts, each person picks a family
member's name from a hat (which stays secret) and buys that person a gift. You
can place a price cap on how much everyone can spend. This can save you and
your family hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, depending on how big your
family is. "You might be surprised by how many family members feel the
same way you do when it comes to spending for the holidays. Trust me, your
loved ones will be relieved that they won't have the daunting task of shopping
and spending for so many relatives this year," Gold says.
Crawling out of debt isn't easy, so don't keep doing this to yourself every
holiday season. Tackle the debt wisely now, and plan way ahead of time for the
holidays next year. There's nothing like starting off a new year fresh.
See related: What will it take to pay off my current balance?, 8 things you must know about credit card debt, You can do it! 10 ways to motivate debt repayment, Considering bankruptcy? Use the 'divide by 60' test
Published: January 6, 2010
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