Keeping Tracking Your Finances During Holiday Season

Every time when holiday begun we could not stop to expense our money for there are many visitor, families, friends and some are co-workers being filled in that event, in also you cannot resist to travel, cooking and shopping, the question is how to tracking you all expenses or finances during in the holiday season? We all know that the month of December is all people rushing and buy something which that month is one of the busiest time of the year for shopping, with the average American shopper spending over $811 during the holidays. Hundreds of dollars of shopping means, dozens upon dozens of receipts. So, how do you keep track of your expenses during the holidays? The expense experts at Certify have put together tips for keeping track of your finances during the holidays.

Make shopping lists

Before hitting the streets, prepare a shopping list of what exactly you will be purchasing while you are out. Taking a moment to write down who you are shopping for, what you are purchasing or what items at the grocery store you will need, can help eliminate the risk of over spending. Heading to stores without a plan is a recipe for disaster, increasing the possibilities of purchasing unneeded items or making last minute purchases.

Do comparative research

According to Time Moneyland, holiday spending budgets have not decreased since 2010 but comparative-shopping rates has increased dramatically. Now more than ever, consumers are going to the Internet for comparative research before making a purchase. This is a key to saving money during the holidays, while most major retailers sells the same products, it is the job of the consumer to stay informed with the latest prices and upcoming sales.

Use an expense management app

With the economy in a weakened state, it is critical for shoppers to remain within their holiday shopping budgets. With expense management tools, such as Certify, you can keep a running total on your purchases made, helping you stay on top of your finances and remain inline with your holiday shopping allowances, without the timely hassle of using excel sheets, going through receipts and calculating expense.

Be proactive with your shopping

For those procrastinators out there, waiting last minute to do all of your holiday shopping can increase your chances of over spending by 23 percent. In 2010, the average shopper over spent their budget by $118, according to survey conducted by Time Moneyland*.

Beware of BIG sale days

According to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch, over 152 million shoppers went out on Black Friday, spending a total of over $19 billion dollars in a 24-hour time span. With TV’s and other electronics hitting record breaking low prices, it is difficult to resist a good deal on big sale days, but beware, large price decreases can be a trap for consumers to spend money on unnecessary items.

About Certify

Certify, LLC, is an online expensemanagement company that provides expense report services to corporations and individuals. The company provides the only SaaS expense management solution for capturing receipts via smart phone, camera phone, SMS message, email, scan, fax and image upload. Founded in 2008, Certify is financed by the founding team and a group of angel investors. Headquartered are located in Portland, Maine. For more information, call 207-773-6100 or visit http://www.certify.com.