Is Your Holiday Spending Out of Control? Strategies to Pay Off Your Debt

Is your holiday spending out of control? Strategies to pay off your debt

It’s the time of year when even the best-laid budget plans get thrown aside, and credit-card balances start climbing. During the holiday season, it’s common to set expectations high, which can easily lead to emotional spending. Tariffs and persistent inflation are taking bigger bites out of budgets this year, with roughly 4 in 10 Americans dipping into their savings while shopping, according to an AP-NORC poll. If you went a bit overboard this y…

Christmas spending on credit cards leads to serious debt for shoppers

From gifts to bills: Holiday debt sets in INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After weeks of gift-buying, travel, and celebrations, the credit card bills are just beginning to arrive for some families. Shoppers are finding out that putting Christmas on a credit card could add up to some pretty serious debt. Colton Cooley, The senior vice president of consumer lending sales at First Merchants Bank, told News 8 that spending for the 2025 holiday season was up t…