Upromise Helps You Ace Your Savings by Budgeting for the Holidays

Thank you to Upromise for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.

The holidays are a mere couple months away, and you're in either of two categories - you're either already planning for what you want to get and have already started, or you're in denial that it's so close and you're nowhere near ready. Me? I'm a member of the first category of people - I've had my eye on a few digital gifts for my loved ones, and have been saving and scouring the best sales throughout the year. If you're looking to help make the holidays a little easier on the wallet, preparing in advance for the holidays is your best bet to stay out of debt. By preparing a budget for holiday spending, you can find great gifts while saving a ton of money.

Save Money by Budgeting for the Holidays

Make a budget & shopping list. By making a budget and listing exactly how much you can spend in advance, you won't overspend or go overboard. Start this in advance so you can help save towards your budget and make smart shopping decisions when an item you wish to get goes on sale.

Think about layaway. To help ease the burden on the wallet, stores that offer layaway (where you make payments towards your purchase) can help.

Go digital. Check to see if your favorite store has an app that can help save you money, or use apps like RetailMeNot, ShopKick, Ibotta, Favado, and more.

Save while you shop. One of my favorite ways to save during the holidays is by using . If you aren't already familiar with Upromise® by Sallie Mae®, the program is free to join. Just by shopping online and going out to eat, , you can start saving for your future.

Upromise introduced the  to provide even more ways to earn cash back rewards with Upromise on everyday purchases, such as:

• 5% Cash back: Online shopping through Upromise.com and dining out at Upromise partner restaurants
• 2% Cash back: Department stores, movie theaters
• 1% Cash back: On all other card purchases

You can even earn up to 10% cash back for college!! You earn up to 5% when you make eligible purchases through Upromise.com, PLUS another 5% when you pay for those purchases with the Upromise MasterCard. Wow!

Other MasterCard Benefits offered with the :

• $25 Cash Back Bonus after first eligible use of the card within 90 days
• No limit to the total cash back you can earn on eligible purchases
• $0 fraud liability on unauthorized transactions
• No rotating reward categories
• A chip card makes paying for your purchases more secure at chip card terminals in the U.S. and abroad
• Complimentary FICO^® Credit Score

Everyone should be saving for their future, even if it means different things to different people. For some people, saving for the future means saving for your child's college, paying off your mortgage or student loans, or buying a house or car. Whatever you're saving for your future,  and the  can help to make it easier for you to save no matter what you're saving for, even holiday shopping.

What's your favorite way to save money during the holidays? I'd love to know!