It is the most wonderful time of the year! This month gifts were given, memories were made, and oh my – so much money was spent. It is unfortunately much too easy to get wrapped up in holiday spending. On average, Americans racked up more than $1,000 each in holiday debt at the end of last year. On top of that, 28 percent of shoppers went into the season still paying off debt from 2017′s festivities.
Once you achieve the American Dream, you’ve made it, right? Society says you must have 2.5 kids and a home with a white picket fence to achieve this dream. If you’re in debt, this ideal American life may seem impossible to achieve, which can be discouraging. Buying a house is one of the more difficult achievements, especially if you have massive debt. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely out of reach. It’s still possible to buy a house if you’re already in debt.
Even if you currently have too much debt to get a mortgage approved, these tips will get you closer to a home of your own:
When you are young and working, retirement savings may be put on the back burner out of necessity in order to pay off more immediate bills and debt. If so, you are not alone. A shocking 36% of Americans have yet to begin saving for retirement. In fact, 41% say they don’t even have $500 socked away for emergencies. But without retirement savings or a retirement plan you will not be able to maintain your standard of living when you retire. Although retirement may seem far away and it may seem very difficult to save, saving money now has major benefits.
Black Friday marks the start of the largest shopping season of the year. Last year Americans spent $9.9 billion online shopping over the two-day span of Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, a 19.7% increase over the previous year. According to a consumer survey, people plan to spend an average of $502 on Black Friday this year.