 TITLE: Best Ways to Prepare Your Finances for Holiday Spending CONTENT: Do the Credit Card Math\n-----------------------\nBefore you go shopping, decide how much you can afford to put on your credit card without going into holiday debt.\nIf you lean on holiday shopping to rake in credit card rewards, scrutinize the amount of cash on hand you have as well as the extra rewards you'll accumulate at the end of the buying season (and in January). This enables you to calculate how much you can reasonably charge to maximize rewards without erasing their value by being forced to pay interest on purchases. END