Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Harvey Z. Warren, author of the just released Drop Debt: Surviving Credit Card Hell without Bankruptcy, has put 5 tips for consumers looking to have a start which will lead to a good end from the impending holiday shopping season.

Here is the article from Harvey Warren.

This is not a Scrooge article warning you not to buy gifts for the Holidays. Then again, if you are still paying for gifts you bought last year, maybe the year before—then maybe a little credit card advice would be welcome right about now. If I could show you a way to love your budget and enjoy your Holiday, would you be interested? Most people believe budget is spelled "N-O." But, the new thinking, the smart money thinking, views a budget as a strategic plan to master money. Wouldn't that be great? It's not as hard or depressing as you think.

Tip Number 1: Make a list, set the price, check it twice. Whether you are naughty or nice, impulse buying is what gets most Holiday shoppers into trouble. The $15 limit you put on a gift for your niece becomes a $50 purse because it was just too cute to resist. It doesn't seem like much, but if you have 30 people on your list and you do that every time, you will dangerously over spend.

Tip Number 2: Use credit card condoms. You put a picture of a big fat guy on the fridge to remind you of the dangers of over eating. Why not put a sleeve around your credit card to remind you about the dangers of over spending? It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to remind you to take it easy on the spending. The only thing more dangerous to your well being than a fat belly is a stress inducing fat balance that you cannot pay.



Tip Number 3: I like gifts that keep on giving. One of the wonderful things about books is that gift of knowledge lasts a lifetime. Long after the doll, or Xbox is in the dust bin, the knowledge that you have put in a loved ones head is going to continue to serve and bring value to them. As an author who writes on credit card trouble, I would strongly suggest something on how money works. You might consider sending a copy of the book of your choice to your local, state and federal elected officials. They seem to have been absent the day budgeting was taught in school. I forgot, budgeting is not taught in school. Maybe that explains things.

Tip Number 4: If money is a challenge, make it personal. Make something meaningful with your own hands. Holiday treats are especially appreciated. Harry and David have created an empire of packaging fantastic assortments of yummy things to eat. There is something so beautiful and so appropriate for the season in baking a cake or cookies or some other fantastic treat that can be shared and enjoyed by the entire family. This year, everyone I love is getting homemade cookies!

Tip Number 5: Make a donation to a worthwhile charity. Feed a child, save a pet, plant a tree. Whatever your heart guides you to do. Making a donation in the name of family member, friend or colleague is w a wonderful way to refocus everyone's attention on the reason for the season. Charitable gifts are often very low in price and very high in meaning and value. You can plant 10 trees for 10 dollars and help make the planet a better place to live. You have to admit, that's a better plan than another striped necktie or argyle socks. Whatever you choose to give, give it from your heart with the certain knowledge that it really is the thought - not the price tag - that counts.

Harvey Z. Warren is actively fostering a powerful national coalition of consumer advocates, lawyers, banking and collection leadership to establish guidelines for non-adversarial debt relief through non-profit credit counseling. A graduate of Ithaca College with a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University, Warren has worked with tens of thousands of debt-crushed consumers and appears frequently on radio and television commenting on the consumer debt crisis in America.

www.askdoctordebt.com Consumer Resources/Facts/Tips for Working with a Debt Collector

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