Shameless Plug: USAT Recommends CYMnow.com Without Realizing It
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It’s nice when a publication says something you want to say with your having to ask them.
This is one of those times:
It’s January, and the mail no longer brings cheery holiday cards. Instead, credit card bills — heavy with holiday expenses — are arriving in mailboxes, inducing groans, if not gasps, from those of us who can’t remember charging quite so many gifts.
Before the holidays began, the average shopper planned to spend about $800 for presents, according to the National Retail Federation. By the end of the season, spending rose by 4.4% from the 2005 season. The average consumer charged $628 to his or her credit cards, according to CardWeb.com. It’s no wonder that household debt can be swollen by holiday bills.
“There’s going to be some big surprises, as there always are, when these first bills come in,” says David Jones, president of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, or AICCCA.
Are there any ways to ease the pain? Yes, though unfortunately only a little. Debt, after all, still has to be repaid, promptly. The most effective step you can take now is to develop a plan to take control of your finances before the next holiday shopping season.
That last sentence is exactly what Control Your Money Now (CYMnow.com) is all about.
