4 Easy Ways To Outsmart Your Holiday Spending

If you have pre-holiday financial anxiety, join the club. Between the gifts, meals, gatherings, traveling, and even the office white elephants, the season can feel like a bottomless money pit. But this year doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there are several steps you can take to prevent a financial hangover come January 2.

I’ll break down all of those strategies, but just know that they do require planning ahead. It’s not rocket science, though. And you’re already here reading this in advance of the big seasonal rush. So good on you!

To ease your mind, supercharge your funds, and help you save, here are a few savvy tips you can start implementing right now. Cha-ching!

1. Pay In Cash

The cool thing about using cash to pay for things is that it keeps you honest. If you only have $100 on you, you can only spend $100. That’s what makes shopping with cash the ultimate budgeting hack.

Maybe this feels a little intense. I mean, when was the last time you were at an ATM? If you have Chime, though, that whole process becomes a lot easier since you’ll get you access to 47,000 fee-free ATMs across the U.S. that are located at convenient spots like Target, Walgreens, CVS, and 7-Eleven. So you can pull out your cash budget and get right to shopping. Boom.

2. Hack Your Payday To Score Holiday Deals

Picture it: You finally came across the exact perfect gift for your BFF and it just went on sale — but you don’t get paid for another two weeks. Instead of passing up on the deal because you’re short on funds, you can decide when you get paid (like magic!). With Chime’s MyPay feature, you can access up to $500 of your pay before payday, so you can take advantage of those holiday sale prices before they vanish for good.

3. Don’t Let Fees Chip Away At Your Checking

Like any prudent planner, you’re likely conscious of how much cash is moving in and out of your account. Between clocking your paychecks and tracking pesky account fees, you’re probably already keeping a close eye on your funds during an already expensive season. But did you know you can make your monitoring easier with an account that’s almost completely fee-free? With Chime, there aren’t any overdraft fees. What’s more: They don’t charge monthly fees to keep your account open or require a minimum balance. The freedom!

4. Don’t Underestimate The Power Of The Group Gift

It’s really sweet to get everyone on your list a personalized gift from you, but it’s also more than fine to get others involved. Enter, the group gift.

Going in on something cool for your parents with your siblings or cousins means you’re all sharing the financial blow. Plus, you can send funds directly to whoever's buying with Chime’s Pay Anyone feature. The same goes if you’re on the receiving end of those group gift funds. Sending money is totally free with Chime, no matter who’s buying.