WASHINGTON — The holidays can be super expensive, causing lots of stress that we don't want you to deal with. So leading up to the holidays, we're committed to helping you make smarter financial decisions. Nobody wants to go into 2020 with holiday shopping debt, are we right?
That's why we've teamed up with financial coach, Wilson Muscadin, to get you 3 easy tips to save money this holiday season.
Tip 1: Make a spending list and check it twice
Decide how much you can afford to spend on holiday gifts, then determine how much you want to allocate per person.
Choosing favorites is encouraged at this stage. You don't need to spend a lot to make a big impact.
After you make purchases, go back to your list and add a column for actual money spent. This will help keep you honest!
Tip 2: Use coupon and rebate websites
On websites like RetailMeNot.com and JoinHoney.com you can type in a retailer's name and the website will populate a list of all available coupons for that retailer. Pretty sweet, huh? No more cutting coupons!
Tip 3: Keep an eye out for inflated retail prices.
Our finance coach, Wilson suggests that you start looking at prices early in the season. Retailers have been know to inflate retail prices right before a big sale so that discounts seem more aggressive.
If you see this happening, send us a note! Use the #TheQandA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to let us know when you've spotted a scam.
This story is part of a new show called The Q&A. If you’ve got questions, we want to answer them. Each night at 7 p.m. and at wusa9.com/theqanda, we’ll tackle everything that you want to know. Just use #TheQandA on social media, email us at TheQandA@wusa9.com or make a comment/mention on any of our Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pages.