Consumers are being bombarded with promotions this week and encouraged to scoop up the last and best deals of the holiday shopping season.
John Talbott, the director of the Center for Education and Research in Retail at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, said companies are unloading excess inventory to reach revenue goals.
“With discipline, you can get good deals,” he said. “Without discipline, you could end up with a lot bigger credit card debt that you might have anticipated.”
For those who don’t want to face the new year overwhelmed with credit debt, he advised prioritizing.
“Make a list of things you might need like a new coat, a new pair of boots -- things you would want going forward -- and wait for those deals to come through,” he said. “And be disciplined.”
Consumer spending on credit surged this year and is approaching a record high, according to bankrate.com. The financial services company said the Federal Reserve Board’s recent rate hike means consumers are facing credit card interest rates as high as 19%.
For those who won’t let those factors get in the way of enjoying the holidays on credit, Talbott said the best tactic is to pay off cards with higher interest rates first. For homeowners, a home equity line of credit – or HELOC (HE-lock) – could be a way to pay off debt at a lower interest rate.
However, given recent layoffs in some sectors, if you’re thinking about accumulating debt, Talbott said have a degree of certainty about your income.
“So just try to have a critical personal self-assessment of where you’re at in terms of job security and look at your company and make sure your company is doing OK,” He said.
If you work for a publicly traded company , Talbot advises checking out its Form 10-Q, to gain insights into its financial position.
