 TITLE: Best Ways to Prepare Your Finances for Holiday Spending CONTENT: Squeeze Extra Money From Your Budget\n------------------------------------\nHunting for ways to cut costs so you can allocate more money for holiday shopping? Here are five suggestions.\n1.  Examine how much you're spending on food. Can you cut back on dining out? Can you trim your grocery bill? You can put these savings toward holiday expenses.\n2.  Look at cutting the cord. Maybe you've signed up for several video-streaming services and you've still got cable TV. Can you carve out more money for holiday shopping by dumping cable?\n3.  Put off purchases for yourself. Chances are, you can delay buying a new pair of shoes or a new TV until after the holidays.\n4.  Kick the coffee shop habit. You may love buying a couple of lattes a day at your favorite coffee shop, but those cups can add up pretty fast. Consider making coffee at home, at least until the holidays are over, to trim the budget for your daily brew.\n5.  Sign up for shopping apps. These may allow you to collect money on everyday purchases. Try Checkout 51, Ibotta, Rakuten or Wikibuy.\nDo 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.  \nMaximize Your Credit Card Rewards\n---------------------------------\nIf you've been saving your earned points or cash back, you could save at least some of your holiday budget by cashing in those rewards. Rewards often can be used for gift cards that you could then use to buy gifts—or just give the gift cards, since you know that's what the kids want anyway. Or get cash back and use that to pay for purchases. Just be sure you request your rewards in time to use them for the holidays.  \nConsider an Intro 0% APR Offer\n------------------------------\nConsider applying for a credit card with a 0% intro APR on purchases. If you were already looking into a new card and would like to earn some rewards and an intro bonus, consider applying for a card that not only has the features you want but also offers promotional interest-free financing for your holiday purchases. This is only a good option if you're sure you can pay off the balance before the intro APR period ends.\nThe Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good option in this category. It offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months, after which your rate will be 14.99% to 23.74% variable depending on your creditworthiness. You can also earn an introductory bonus of $200 after spending $500 in your first 3 months with the card—a great way to capitalize on your holiday spending. Visit Experian CreditMatch™ for the rewards credit card offers based on your credit profile.\nThe Bottom Line\n---------------\nTo ensure your holidays are the happiest they can be, map out your spending now, just like Santa plots his route every year. From making a shopping list to evaluating your cash situation to looking into 0% intro APR credit card offers, fill your bag with the right financial tools and enter the new year with the gift of financial stability. END