H&R Block has asked me to help promote the Emerald Advance Line of Credit. The prize was provided and may be shipped to the winner by H&R Block, but all opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of H&R Block. Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the US only. Winner to be chosen at random.
Well, the holiday season is in full swing. People are shopping, decorating, and even gifting already. It can be overwhelming for many of us, especially financially. if you’re like me you try and figure out how you can squeeze 110 pennies or more out of a dollar bill. Here are a few tips that I use to save money not just at the holidays, but year round. If you follow these, you may find that you have a little more money in your budget then you thought. After that, I’m going to share some information on another way you can get a little more cash for the holidays. And then, a really awesome giveaway.
TOP 5 TIPS TO FINDING MORE MONEY IN YOUR BUDGET DURING THE HOLIDAYS (OR ANY TIME)
REVIEW AND REQUEST. Go through your bills, particularly the bills for landline telephone, cell phone, and cable/satellite television. Call the providers and ask if you are in the best plan for your usage, and also if any specials are going on. Mention you are cost cutting. Many providers will offer you some sort of discount simply because you are an existing customer and you asked. Do this a couple of times a year.
MEAL PLAN. I spend less when I meal plan. If I don’t meal plan I have been known to forget to defrost things, causing me to have to go to the store and get something else to make. Putting a meal planning calendar on the freezer every week helps remind me to defrost, and it also helps keeps the food inventory in the freezer rotating instead of just sitting there. Buy meat in bulk on sale and freeze it.
SHOP SALES AFTER A HOLIDAY. My Mom will have probably at least half of next year’s Christmas shopping done before New Years Day. She goes out on the day after Christmas and buys everything on sale. Not just wrapping paper, but gifts too. She’s brilliant at finding things we’ll all enjoy for incredibly low prices. This is also definitely the time you want to shop for those holiday specific items. Need more Halloween decorations? Go to the stores the after Halloween, the prices will often be 30-50% off and then get lower each day after. Same thing with Christmas decorations, even things like artificial trees.
STAY OUT OF THE MALLS. Yes, I said it. Just don’t do it.You know that if you go in the mall you’re going to have to walk through or past another store and then contemplate spending even more money you may not have. Shop online. Learn to realize that your time is worth something. Don’t even get me started on Black Friday sales.
SHOP SMART. Whether shopping online or in the store, look for coupons, deals and rebates. Watch for really good sales on inexpensive things and stock up. Don’t pay $1 for a box of pasta if you can find it on sale a week later at 3 for $1. Try and plan ahead and stock up on things. It not only stretches your money further, but if you have a really, really bad week or two you don’t have to worry about where your dinner’s are going to come from.
H&R Block recognizes that sometimes a bit of extra money can be the difference. With the H&R Block Emerald Advance line of credit, applicants may be eligible for up to $1,000 without having to jump through lots of hoops. The Emerald Advance is a line of credit you can draw from as you need it. You can use it year-round for unexpected expenses and other short-term credit needs. The application process started on November 25th which means the line of credit could still be available in time for the holidays! Whether using Emerald Advance to help cover holiday shopping, travel costs, meal planning or any unexpected expenses that come along throughout the year, being able to draw from a line of credit year-round allows more time for celebrating and less time for worrying! You don’t already need to be an H&R Block client to apply. All you need to apply is an unexpired government-issued photo ID and your most recent pay stub (no W2 form required!). You can learn more or make an appointment in order to apply in a participating H&R Block office.
What would you do with an Emerald Advance?
WIN IT!
One (1) winner will receive a $300 gift card courtesy of H&R Block.
HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)
To enter leave a comment on this post sharing something you learned from H&R Block OR share your own holiday budgeting tip.
BONUS ENTRIES – LOTS OF THEM!
4 – Subscribe to my RSS feed by email (sidebar). Be sure to confirm your subscription. Leave four comments here for this.
3 – Follow valmg on Pinterest. Leave your Pinterest name and three comments here for this.
3 – Pin this giveaway on Pinterest. Leave a link to your pin and three comments here for this.
3 – Follow @HRBlock and @valmg on Twitter AND leave your Twitter name here. Leave three comments for this.
2 – Tweet “Wow! I just entered a #giveaway to win a $300 GC from @HRBlock #HRBLockEA – You can too at !” Leave two comments containing a link to your Tweet. Limit once a day for this.
2 – Share this on Facebook. Leave a link to your share. Limit once a day for this.
2 – Subscribe to my YouTube channel (sidebar). Leave two comments here for this.
2 – Blog about this giveaway, including a link here. Leave two comments here for this.
1 – Subscribe to my newsletter (sidebar).
1 – Leave a RELEVANT comment on any other non-giveaway post on this blog. Unlimited entries for this.
3 – Visit my other blog – From Val’s Kitchen – and leave a comment on any non-giveaway post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned there. (That’s three comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and two here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
2 – Visit my Mom’s blog HereAndThere.US and leave a comment on any post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry. Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.
3 – Place my button on your blog. (in sidebar) Leave three comments for this.
THE SMALL PRINT.
The winner will be selected using the “And the winner is” plugin. US addresses only please, no PO Boxes. This contest will end on Friday 12/20/13 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. Good luck to everyone!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
