In honor of saving money and doing it well, it’s time to celebrate Christmas in July!!

We’ve reached the middle of the year, and believe or not, once summer is over,  Fall back-to-school shopping and the Winter holiday season will be among us. Avoid the dread of deciding how you’ll afford the fancy gadgets and wish lists items from family and friends, and consider purchasing a few gifts now.

Retailers like, Amazon, Books A Million, Macy’s and others are offering some sweet cyber deals NOW.  Why not take advantage of these savings and knock the school and holiday shopping list down, while also proactively avoiding holiday debt overload. Here’s how:

• Make a  list of school supplies and who you’d like to buy gifts for and consider hunting for the best deals on big ticket items. Think TVs, laptops, and tablets.
• Check out the mega sales and download apps like Slick Deals or the Amazon shopping app. 

Here are three saving tips to use this month:

1. Amazon offers a FREE 30-Day Prime Trial Membership (normally $99/year) to entice shoppers to take advantage of Prime Day deals (begins July 10th at 9pm and ends July 11th at midnight). Sign up here!
2. Sign up and shop through ebates.com to earn cash back on purchases with 2,000+ retailers like Best Buy, ebay, and Lowe’s offering July cyber deals. Many deals extend through the end of the month!
3. If you aren’t able to complete your shopping this month, consider opening a savings account in July and start a Christmas fund. Simply save a set amount each month over the next five months to specifically spend on holiday gifts.  For example, if your budget is $500, divide by 5 months, and commit to save $100 a month until December.  The proactive step you take today can keep you out of financial bondage later this year.

NOTE: After July, conveniently, unsubscribe from the alerts if tempted to make purchases beyond your budget.

Starting early to search for gifts and to save money will put you in a great financial position the rest of the year.  Saving provides financial security and lowers stress, while giving yourself mental capacity to focus on quality time with family and reflecting on the reason for the season.

We want to hear from you.  Share your best cyber deals this month and other savings tips that have worked for you!