At any time of year, credit card debt relief is a popular topic. But around the holidays, it suddenly spirals out of control. We’ve all been there: we want to give our families and friends a great Christmas season, so we let our spending get a little out of hand. And since most of us don’t have tons of spare cash lying around, all of that money goes on our credit cards.

But that spending catches up fast, and come January, you find yourself facing a pile of credit card debt. If that describes you, don’t panic: just follow these simple steps.

Credit card debt help

First of all, if it’s not too late, there’s something important you need to know. Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean you get to throw the budget out the window.

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How are you paying for gifts this holiday season? Those who are smart are using cash. This way when January rolls around they do not have any additional debt to deal with. Others are using credit cards – these include store credit cards. There is no denying that store credit cards have a lot of benefits to offer, especially during the holidays. But you still have to be careful about how much you buy, what you purchase, etc.

The main benefit of using a store credit card is that you will probably receive some sort of perk. For instance, some stores give large discounts, sometimes as much as 20 percent, for those who use their store credit card. Obviously, this works out to big time savings. A

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It’s that time of year again – time for holiday shopping and all the “deals” that go along with it.  This year, prepare yourself for your shopping trips by checking out AFFIL’s tips for avoiding holiday hazards.

With most people’s budgets already stretched thin, it’s especially important to make sure that your 2009 holiday shopping doesn’t give you a post-holiday financial hangover.  You can help prevent this by following these tips:

• Check the fine print before you load up on gift cards. While they’re set to improve when all the provisions of the Credit CARD Act take effect, you could still be burdened with service fees and expiration dates in the meantime.
• Avoid costly cash advances whenever possible. They’re the Grinch’s (and the credit card company’s) best friend.  The interest rates on this borrowed money are much higher than on purchases.  The best plan is to avoid all advances – including payday loans – because they’ll end up costing you long after your presents have been unwrapped.
• Check your balance before you hit the mall (or the web). As we mentioned last week, Americans were charged more than $65 million in overdraft fees on Black Friday alone.  Make sure you have the money in your account before you spend it, and avoid lining the pockets of the big banks with your hard earned cash.
• Be wary when shopping online. For more on how to spot scams, click here.
• You know those zero-percent financing offers that seem too good to be true?  They usually are. Consumer Reports has the f

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