How Your Wallet Can Help Cut Spending

An organized wallet is a great money saver, and can help monitor and control spending and fees. Here’s why:

  1. Most people spend more money with credit than with cash. By limiting the amount of available credit cards, you can be sure to consider purchases in a more objective manner.
  2. Make sure you’re using the right cards. Regular inhabitants of your wallet should not have an annual fee. Interest should be low (around 11%), and reward cards should have a minimum of 1 point per spent dollar. Do your research and find the best fees and interest rates- and tell your current company you are switching. Many will match the deal you’ve found to keep you as a customer.
  3. Store cards have high interest rates, so make sure you frequent these stores before you commit. Once you do, pay attention to statements, pay bills on time, and carry the card on you in case of an impromptu shop.
  4. Withdraw more cash when you visit an ATM. Most people don’t realize how expensive it can be every time they take out money. Minimize these costs (which average $2.40 per withdrawal) by predicted your cash needs for the upcoming week and drawing money accordingly.
  5. Carry bigger bills. A study has shown that shoppers are less likely to spend if they need to break a $20 or $50 bill. In general, people spend less cash than credit because of the keen ‘pain of payment.’

Post-Christmas Shopping and Holiday Deals

Retailers across America have been anticipating December 26th, the day after Christmas, for weeks now. This year’s post-Christmas shop will be even more dramatic, since it fell out on a Monday.

The day is a shopping day every year, with shoppers ready to exchange items or redeem gift cards at the break of dawn. Last year, however, the 26th was a Sunday; a day often dedicated to family time, and a day on which blue laws usually require at least limited opening hours for stores. This year, it’s a Monday, and often still a vacation from work, too.

ShopperTrak, a retail research firm, predicted that foot traffic on the 26th would be 60% up from last year’s day-after-Christmas. In a survey from American Express, 57% of Americans said they planned to shop on the 26th, while last year the number reached 43%.

In general, after Christmas sales are popular for reasons other than just gift cards. Millions of Americans reported that they decided to cut back or delay on their Christmas spending, with many waiting for the 50% or 75% discounts available throughout the country after the holidays. A survey revealed that 6% of respondents are waiting until after January to do the majority of their shopping.

Retailers, on the other hand, prefer that shoppers buy sooner rather than later. Hundreds of stores offered 40% and 50% off deals BEFORE Christmas, instead of waiting.

The chief executive of a retailer explained: “The inventory is worth so much less in two weeks. With that kind of inventory, you’ve got to get rid of it. Whatever the margin is today, it’s that much lower next week and the week after when traffic stops.”