If you are receiving unsolicited phone calls from an entity pretending to be ACCC (a trusted non-profit credit counseling agency), please be assured that ACCC’s policy is NEVER to contact you unless you’ve explicitly requested us to call you. Also be cautious of emails from an unusual or unfamiliar domain. ACCC’s domain extension is @consumercredit.com, and any emails using a different extension should be treated with suspicion.

×

ACCC’s Client Login allows current clients to access their program information, including the due date, program benefits, and other documents.

Select a Client Login below based on the service that you are currently enrolled in:

Debt Management Program

Client Login

Not yet a client, but looking to get started?

ACCC offers debt relief options to individuals and families that are suffering from stress related to credit card debt by providing effective credit counseling, helping to consolidate debt, and advising on debt management.

Get Started

Wait!

You are now leaving the Consumer Credit website and are going to a website that is not operated by ACCC. We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.

Are you sure you want to leave?

No, return me to the previous page.

Yes

Prepare for Holiday Spending – Christmas Creep

It’s October. Most people think Halloween and Fall foliage, but then there are the retailers who put up their Christmas displays right across from the “sexy” witch costumes to remind us that it’s time to start shopping for gifts. I don’t need to see that (I mean the Christmas displays. Sexy witches are fine). I’m there trying to put the final touches on my “Macho Man” Randy Savage costume (may he rest in peace). That’s my gift… to the world. But the fact remains, the holidays are creeping up on us. Cue the holiday spending! Try our credit counseling tips to think about your budget.

Avoid credit card debt by checking your holiday spending list.

Avoid credit card debt by checking your holiday spending list.

Step 1: Start saving

If you don’t already have money in your budget for the holiday season, then it’s time to start saving. Here are some ideas to put into action over the next few months, or maybe beyond…

  • Cut out some premium channels from your cable plan. Or cut cable altogether!
  • Start packing a lunch or bringing leftovers to avoid buying food at work.
  • Cancel the gym membership and work out at home.
  • Quit expensive habits.  No smoking (that’s a whole different issue).  No candy.  No soda. No lattes. No magazines. No… whatever you could do without.

Step 2: Make your list

Who are you shopping for? If you have specific people in mind, then you’ll avoid overspending (as well as credit card debt). You don’t have to give something to everyone you ever met. Try keeping your list short by sticking to family and your closest friends. Make it known that you’re cutting back on gift-giving, and maybe you can avoid the uncomfortable scenario of receiving a gift from a friend and having nothing to return.

Step 3: Make a budget

You should have a dollar amount in mind when deciding what you want to give to each person on your list. Yes, it kind of feels like you’re placing a dollar value on each of these people, but you need to have a limit. Be aware of what you can afford to spend. Just remember that the amount spent isn’t important, but the thoughtfulness of the gift is. Some of my proudest gift-giving moments took place when I was broke.

If you’re struggling to pay off debt, schedule a free credit counseling session today.

ABOUT AUTHOR / Andi

Andi is a Marketing Assistant at ACCC. He is passionate about supporting financial literacy efforts and helping to educate people on the Talking Cents blog!

View all author posts →

creditU

Your Ultimate Money Management App

Meet CreditU, the ultimate one-stop debt and financial management app! See your full financial overview, including debts, income, expenses, and savings.

CreditU Apple App Store
Dev Tool:

Request: blog/prepare-for-holiday-spending
Matched Rewrite Rule: blog/([^/]+)/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: post_type=post&name=prepare-for-holiday-spending
Loaded Template: single.php