Budget First
Before you spend anything this holiday season, create a holiday budget and stick to it. Make a detailed list of all the people you’d like to remember and assign a dollar amount to each. When using your debit card, be sure to set up CardValet®, which allows you to track your purchases in real time and even set limits for spending. You can always use United’s Online and Mobile Banking to easily track your spending as well.
Plan Ahead
Once you have your budget, plan where and when you’ll do your shopping to avoid impulse buying. Be on the lookout for special savings days from your favorite retailers. Most retailers are more than happy to send holiday savings exclusively to consumers who have signed up to receive them. These social coupons come right to your email account, and can be a great tool to help you save even more.
Protect Your Accounts
If travel is on your list of things to do this holiday season, make sure you have CardValet® set up for your United debit card. With CardValet, you have the ability to control your card via your smartphone by locking and unlocking your account, setting up spending limits and designating areas for purchases using your phone’s GPS. If purchasing items online, set your debit card up with an extra layer of protection with MasterCard® SecureCode™.1
Save Now For Next Year
Start thinking now about next year’s holiday shopping, and base your budget on what you spend this year. Divide that number by 11 months (January-November) and commit to putting that money away each month in a savings account from United Community Bank.
At the end of the day, remember what the holiday season is truly about – spending time with family and friends. Once you’ve set your budget for purchases, carve out some extra time for the ones you love. To learn more about United’s financial products and services, talk with Ginger Kilman or Nancy Cain at United Community Bank. You can reach Ginger in Snellville at 770-985-2337 or Nancy in Lawrenceville at 678-376-3013.
CardValet is a registered trademark of Fiserv, Inc or its affiliates. MasterCard is the registered trademark of MasterCard Incorporated.
1 Certain restrictions apply. Visit mastercard.com/zeroliability for additional information.
(November 2016)
