Holiday Shopping and Bankruptcy

HOLIDAY SHOPPING and the debt that may follow AAAA Americans spend a pretty penny during the holidays. Between gift giving, travel expenses, stocking up on holiday décor and all of the planned (and unplanned)surprises that come with celebrating the holidays, some shoppers find themselves in debt that they cannot handle. Racking up debt during the holidays is one unfortunate side effect of the consumerism of the holidays, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Americans who struggle to pay off their post-holiday purchases. HOLIDAY SPENDING-BY THE NUMBERS Despite the current economic downturn, shopping is not expected to drop this year, despite predictions from some economists to the contrary. KEY $735 $751 $755 $694 $682 $689 = $100 QUICK FACTS: Estimates for 2011 spending indicate that Americans will spend upwards of $704 on holiday gifts., According to Yahoo! Finance, in 2010, 75% of Christmas splurges were charged on credit cards. Credit scores plumm over 30% of your credit limit. *05 *06 07 '08 *09 *10 when you charge YEAR THE DANGERS OF DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT CARDS $. What seems to be an appetizing 10-15% savings on your purchase today could turn into hundreds of dollars in interest months down the road. Dept Store Most of these cards consist of sky-high interest rates and short payment periods. 132 $4 2354 S649 9ONS 5632 2$. Jane H. Shopper The credit trap is easy to walk into if you don't know what you're signing yourself up for. BLACK FRIDAY: *"THE SUPERBOWL OF SHOPPING" = 5 $=1 BILLION MILLION $ $ $$ $ $ $ $$ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ For a grand total of 212 milionhopparsagat $39 BILLION %24 CYBER MONDAY: Did You Know? SANTA SHOPS ONLINE Not to be outdone, online shopping sees a surge during winter months. including the Monday after Thanksgiving taka Cyber Monday). 66% of shoppers buy for themselves on Black Friday in 2009 AILLION coppers cpent $aga mere than Black Friday dhoppers. 5 TIPS for limiting Your Holiday Debt Holiday debt may seem like an unintended consequence for all of the fun and festivities enjoyed during the latter he year. Whether you're just shopping for a few gifts or have bigger plans in store for your shopping (and your wallet), these tips may help you stay on target and avoid the unexpected pitfalls of holiday debt: months of the y LEAVE THE CREDIT A $1,200 addition to your credit debt at the average 17 % interest would take 20 years to pay off if only footing the mini- mum payment. This includes the S2,076 in interest. CARDS AT HOME USE CASH By making a list and limiting gins to one per person will help save maney in the long run and will stretch your holiday spending that much further. PLAN AHEAD AND HAVE A LIST AVOID SHOPPING FOR Avoid the "one for you, one for me" mentality. This could double your Christmas bill. YOURSELF You can compare prices at multiple stores before you decide to make a purchase, and save time, gan, and money in the long run. DO RESEARCH ONLINE FIRST "Buy two, get one free" sales are enticing, but you end up spending more than you planned and that may be adding your overall debt. IGNORE BIG SALES Sources: Yahoo! Finance, NRF BIGResearch Christmas Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2005- 2010, CBS.com. marketingcharts.com For more tips and advice about how to manage your credir and avoid the pitfalls of debt, please contact the Arizona bankruptey lawyers of the Harmon Law Office, LLC www.harmonlegal.net %24 HOLIDAY SHOPPING and the debt that may follow AAAA Americans spend a pretty penny during the holidays. Between gift giving, travel expenses, stocking up on holiday décor and all of the planned (and unplanned)surprises that come with celebrating the holidays, some shoppers find themselves in debt that they cannot handle. Racking up debt during the holidays is one unfortunate side effect of the consumerism of the holidays, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Americans who struggle to pay off their post-holiday purchases. HOLIDAY SPENDING-BY THE NUMBERS Despite the current economic downturn, shopping is not expected to drop this year, despite predictions from some economists to the contrary. KEY $735 $751 $755 $694 $682 $689 = $100 QUICK FACTS: Estimates for 2011 spending indicate that Americans will spend upwards of $704 on holiday gifts., According to Yahoo! Finance, in 2010, 75% of Christmas splurges were charged on credit cards. Credit scores plumm over 30% of your credit limit. *05 *06 07 '08 *09 *10 when you charge YEAR THE DANGERS OF DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT CARDS $. What seems to be an appetizing 10-15% savings on your purchase today could turn into hundreds of dollars in interest months down the road. Dept Store Most of these cards consist of sky-high interest rates and short payment periods. 132 $4 2354 S649 9ONS 5632 2$. Jane H. Shopper The credit trap is easy to walk into if you don't know what you're signing yourself up for. BLACK FRIDAY: *"THE SUPERBOWL OF SHOPPING" = 5 $=1 BILLION MILLION $ $ $$ $ $ $ $$ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ For a grand total of 212 milionhopparsagat $39 BILLION %24 CYBER MONDAY: Did You Know? SANTA SHOPS ONLINE Not to be outdone, online shopping sees a surge during winter months. including the Monday after Thanksgiving taka Cyber Monday). 66% of shoppers buy for themselves on Black Friday in 2009 AILLION coppers cpent $aga mere than Black Friday dhoppers. 5 TIPS for limiting Your Holiday Debt Holiday debt may seem like an unintended consequence for all of the fun and festivities enjoyed during the latter he year. Whether you're just shopping for a few gifts or have bigger plans in store for your shopping (and your wallet), these tips may help you stay on target and avoid the unexpected pitfalls of holiday debt: months of the y LEAVE THE CREDIT A $1,200 addition to your credit debt at the average 17 % interest would take 20 years to pay off if only footing the mini- mum payment. This includes the S2,076 in interest. CARDS AT HOME USE CASH By making a list and limiting gins to one per person will help save maney in the long run and will stretch your holiday spending that much further. PLAN AHEAD AND HAVE A LIST AVOID SHOPPING FOR Avoid the "one for you, one for me" mentality. This could double your Christmas bill. YOURSELF You can compare prices at multiple stores before you decide to make a purchase, and save time, gan, and money in the long run. DO RESEARCH ONLINE FIRST "Buy two, get one free" sales are enticing, but you end up spending more than you planned and that may be adding your overall debt. IGNORE BIG SALES Sources: Yahoo! Finance, NRF BIGResearch Christmas Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2005- 2010, CBS.com. marketingcharts.com For more tips and advice about how to manage your credir and avoid the pitfalls of debt, please contact the Arizona bankruptey lawyers of the Harmon Law Office, LLC www.harmonlegal.net %24 HOLIDAY SHOPPING and the debt that may follow AAAA Americans spend a pretty penny during the holidays. Between gift giving, travel expenses, stocking up on holiday décor and all of the planned (and unplanned)surprises that come with celebrating the holidays, some shoppers find themselves in debt that they cannot handle. Racking up debt during the holidays is one unfortunate side effect of the consumerism of the holidays, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Americans who struggle to pay off their post-holiday purchases. HOLIDAY SPENDING-BY THE NUMBERS Despite the current economic downturn, shopping is not expected to drop this year, despite predictions from some economists to the contrary. KEY $735 $751 $755 $694 $682 $689 = $100 QUICK FACTS: Estimates for 2011 spending indicate that Americans will spend upwards of $704 on holiday gifts., According to Yahoo! Finance, in 2010, 75% of Christmas splurges were charged on credit cards. Credit scores plumm over 30% of your credit limit. *05 *06 07 '08 *09 *10 when you charge YEAR THE DANGERS OF DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT CARDS $. What seems to be an appetizing 10-15% savings on your purchase today could turn into hundreds of dollars in interest months down the road. Dept Store Most of these cards consist of sky-high interest rates and short payment periods. 132 $4 2354 S649 9ONS 5632 2$. Jane H. Shopper The credit trap is easy to walk into if you don't know what you're signing yourself up for. BLACK FRIDAY: *"THE SUPERBOWL OF SHOPPING" = 5 $=1 BILLION MILLION $ $ $$ $ $ $ $$ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ For a grand total of 212 milionhopparsagat $39 BILLION %24 CYBER MONDAY: Did You Know? SANTA SHOPS ONLINE Not to be outdone, online shopping sees a surge during winter months. including the Monday after Thanksgiving taka Cyber Monday). 66% of shoppers buy for themselves on Black Friday in 2009 AILLION coppers cpent $aga mere than Black Friday dhoppers. 5 TIPS for limiting Your Holiday Debt Holiday debt may seem like an unintended consequence for all of the fun and festivities enjoyed during the latter he year. Whether you're just shopping for a few gifts or have bigger plans in store for your shopping (and your wallet), these tips may help you stay on target and avoid the unexpected pitfalls of holiday debt: months of the y LEAVE THE CREDIT A $1,200 addition to your credit debt at the average 17 % interest would take 20 years to pay off if only footing the mini- mum payment. This includes the S2,076 in interest. CARDS AT HOME USE CASH By making a list and limiting gins to one per person will help save maney in the long run and will stretch your holiday spending that much further. PLAN AHEAD AND HAVE A LIST AVOID SHOPPING FOR Avoid the "one for you, one for me" mentality. This could double your Christmas bill. YOURSELF You can compare prices at multiple stores before you decide to make a purchase, and save time, gan, and money in the long run. DO RESEARCH ONLINE FIRST "Buy two, get one free" sales are enticing, but you end up spending more than you planned and that may be adding your overall debt. IGNORE BIG SALES Sources: Yahoo! Finance, NRF BIGResearch Christmas Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2005- 2010, CBS.com. marketingcharts.com For more tips and advice about how to manage your credir and avoid the pitfalls of debt, please contact the Arizona bankruptey lawyers of the Harmon Law Office, LLC www.harmonlegal.net %24 HOLIDAY SHOPPING and the debt that may follow AAAA Americans spend a pretty penny during the holidays. Between gift giving, travel expenses, stocking up on holiday décor and all of the planned (and unplanned)surprises that come with celebrating the holidays, some shoppers find themselves in debt that they cannot handle. Racking up debt during the holidays is one unfortunate side effect of the consumerism of the holidays, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Americans who struggle to pay off their post-holiday purchases. HOLIDAY SPENDING-BY THE NUMBERS Despite the current economic downturn, shopping is not expected to drop this year, despite predictions from some economists to the contrary. KEY $735 $751 $755 $694 $682 $689 = $100 QUICK FACTS: Estimates for 2011 spending indicate that Americans will spend upwards of $704 on holiday gifts., According to Yahoo! Finance, in 2010, 75% of Christmas splurges were charged on credit cards. Credit scores plumm over 30% of your credit limit. *05 *06 07 '08 *09 *10 when you charge YEAR THE DANGERS OF DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT CARDS $. What seems to be an appetizing 10-15% savings on your purchase today could turn into hundreds of dollars in interest months down the road. Dept Store Most of these cards consist of sky-high interest rates and short payment periods. 132 $4 2354 S649 9ONS 5632 2$. Jane H. Shopper The credit trap is easy to walk into if you don't know what you're signing yourself up for. BLACK FRIDAY: *"THE SUPERBOWL OF SHOPPING" = 5 $=1 BILLION MILLION $ $ $$ $ $ $ $$ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ For a grand total of 212 milionhopparsagat $39 BILLION %24 CYBER MONDAY: Did You Know? SANTA SHOPS ONLINE Not to be outdone, online shopping sees a surge during winter months. including the Monday after Thanksgiving taka Cyber Monday). 66% of shoppers buy for themselves on Black Friday in 2009 AILLION coppers cpent $aga mere than Black Friday dhoppers. 5 TIPS for limiting Your Holiday Debt Holiday debt may seem like an unintended consequence for all of the fun and festivities enjoyed during the latter he year. Whether you're just shopping for a few gifts or have bigger plans in store for your shopping (and your wallet), these tips may help you stay on target and avoid the unexpected pitfalls of holiday debt: months of the y LEAVE THE CREDIT A $1,200 addition to your credit debt at the average 17 % interest would take 20 years to pay off if only footing the mini- mum payment. This includes the S2,076 in interest. CARDS AT HOME USE CASH By making a list and limiting gins to one per person will help save maney in the long run and will stretch your holiday spending that much further. PLAN AHEAD AND HAVE A LIST AVOID SHOPPING FOR Avoid the "one for you, one for me" mentality. This could double your Christmas bill. YOURSELF You can compare prices at multiple stores before you decide to make a purchase, and save time, gan, and money in the long run. DO RESEARCH ONLINE FIRST "Buy two, get one free" sales are enticing, but you end up spending more than you planned and that may be adding your overall debt. IGNORE BIG SALES Sources: Yahoo! Finance, NRF BIGResearch Christmas Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2005- 2010, CBS.com. marketingcharts.com For more tips and advice about how to manage your credir and avoid the pitfalls of debt, please contact the Arizona bankruptey lawyers of the Harmon Law Office, LLC www.harmonlegal.net %24 HOLIDAY SHOPPING and the debt that may follow AAAA Americans spend a pretty penny during the holidays. Between gift giving, travel expenses, stocking up on holiday décor and all of the planned (and unplanned)surprises that come with celebrating the holidays, some shoppers find themselves in debt that they cannot handle. Racking up debt during the holidays is one unfortunate side effect of the consumerism of the holidays, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Americans who struggle to pay off their post-holiday purchases. HOLIDAY SPENDING-BY THE NUMBERS Despite the current economic downturn, shopping is not expected to drop this year, despite predictions from some economists to the contrary. KEY $735 $751 $755 $694 $682 $689 = $100 QUICK FACTS: Estimates for 2011 spending indicate that Americans will spend upwards of $704 on holiday gifts., According to Yahoo! Finance, in 2010, 75% of Christmas splurges were charged on credit cards. Credit scores plumm over 30% of your credit limit. *05 *06 07 '08 *09 *10 when you charge YEAR THE DANGERS OF DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT CARDS $. What seems to be an appetizing 10-15% savings on your purchase today could turn into hundreds of dollars in interest months down the road. Dept Store Most of these cards consist of sky-high interest rates and short payment periods. 132 $4 2354 S649 9ONS 5632 2$. Jane H. Shopper The credit trap is easy to walk into if you don't know what you're signing yourself up for. BLACK FRIDAY: *"THE SUPERBOWL OF SHOPPING" = 5 $=1 BILLION MILLION $ $ $$ $ $ $ $$ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ For a grand total of 212 milionhopparsagat $39 BILLION %24 CYBER MONDAY: Did You Know? SANTA SHOPS ONLINE Not to be outdone, online shopping sees a surge during winter months. including the Monday after Thanksgiving taka Cyber Monday). 66% of shoppers buy for themselves on Black Friday in 2009 AILLION coppers cpent $aga mere than Black Friday dhoppers. 5 TIPS for limiting Your Holiday Debt Holiday debt may seem like an unintended consequence for all of the fun and festivities enjoyed during the latter he year. Whether you're just shopping for a few gifts or have bigger plans in store for your shopping (and your wallet), these tips may help you stay on target and avoid the unexpected pitfalls of holiday debt: months of the y LEAVE THE CREDIT A $1,200 addition to your credit debt at the average 17 % interest would take 20 years to pay off if only footing the mini- mum payment. This includes the S2,076 in interest. CARDS AT HOME USE CASH By making a list and limiting gins to one per person will help save maney in the long run and will stretch your holiday spending that much further. PLAN AHEAD AND HAVE A LIST AVOID SHOPPING FOR Avoid the "one for you, one for me" mentality. This could double your Christmas bill. YOURSELF You can compare prices at multiple stores before you decide to make a purchase, and save time, gan, and money in the long run. DO RESEARCH ONLINE FIRST "Buy two, get one free" sales are enticing, but you end up spending more than you planned and that may be adding your overall debt. IGNORE BIG SALES Sources: Yahoo! Finance, NRF BIGResearch Christmas Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2005- 2010, CBS.com. marketingcharts.com For more tips and advice about how to manage your credir and avoid the pitfalls of debt, please contact the Arizona bankruptey lawyers of the Harmon Law Office, LLC www.harmonlegal.net %24 HOLIDAY SHOPPING and the debt that may follow AAAA Americans spend a pretty penny during the holidays. Between gift giving, travel expenses, stocking up on holiday décor and all of the planned (and unplanned)surprises that come with celebrating the holidays, some shoppers find themselves in debt that they cannot handle. Racking up debt during the holidays is one unfortunate side effect of the consumerism of the holidays, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Americans who struggle to pay off their post-holiday purchases. HOLIDAY SPENDING-BY THE NUMBERS Despite the current economic downturn, shopping is not expected to drop this year, despite predictions from some economists to the contrary. KEY $735 $751 $755 $694 $682 $689 = $100 QUICK FACTS: Estimates for 2011 spending indicate that Americans will spend upwards of $704 on holiday gifts., According to Yahoo! Finance, in 2010, 75% of Christmas splurges were charged on credit cards. Credit scores plumm over 30% of your credit limit. *05 *06 07 '08 *09 *10 when you charge YEAR THE DANGERS OF DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT CARDS $. What seems to be an appetizing 10-15% savings on your purchase today could turn into hundreds of dollars in interest months down the road. Dept Store Most of these cards consist of sky-high interest rates and short payment periods. 132 $4 2354 S649 9ONS 5632 2$. Jane H. Shopper The credit trap is easy to walk into if you don't know what you're signing yourself up for. BLACK FRIDAY: *"THE SUPERBOWL OF SHOPPING" = 5 $=1 BILLION MILLION $ $ $$ $ $ $ $$ $ $$$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $$ For a grand total of 212 milionhopparsagat $39 BILLION %24 CYBER MONDAY: Did You Know? SANTA SHOPS ONLINE Not to be outdone, online shopping sees a surge during winter months. including the Monday after Thanksgiving taka Cyber Monday). 66% of shoppers buy for themselves on Black Friday in 2009 AILLION coppers cpent $aga mere than Black Friday dhoppers. 5 TIPS for limiting Your Holiday Debt Holiday debt may seem like an unintended consequence for all of the fun and festivities enjoyed during the latter he year. Whether you're just shopping for a few gifts or have bigger plans in store for your shopping (and your wallet), these tips may help you stay on target and avoid the unexpected pitfalls of holiday debt: months of the y LEAVE THE CREDIT A $1,200 addition to your credit debt at the average 17 % interest would take 20 years to pay off if only footing the mini- mum payment. This includes the S2,076 in interest. CARDS AT HOME USE CASH By making a list and limiting gins to one per person will help save maney in the long run and will stretch your holiday spending that much further. PLAN AHEAD AND HAVE A LIST AVOID SHOPPING FOR Avoid the "one for you, one for me" mentality. This could double your Christmas bill. YOURSELF You can compare prices at multiple stores before you decide to make a purchase, and save time, gan, and money in the long run. DO RESEARCH ONLINE FIRST "Buy two, get one free" sales are enticing, but you end up spending more than you planned and that may be adding your overall debt. IGNORE BIG SALES Sources: Yahoo! Finance, NRF BIGResearch Christmas Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2005- 2010, CBS.com. marketingcharts.com For more tips and advice about how to manage your credir and avoid the pitfalls of debt, please contact the Arizona bankruptey lawyers of the Harmon Law Office, LLC www.harmonlegal.net %24