Newsweek

A Cure For Your Holiday Debt Hangover

THAT QUEASY FEELING YOU GOT LAST MONTH after you overindulged at a holiday party or knocked back one too many glasses of bubbly on New Year’s Eve? Chances are you may suffer a similar sensation this month when your credit card bills show up—stark proof of the toll your holiday travels, entertaining and generosity are taking on your finances.

Plenty of people share your pain. The typical consumer racked up more than $1,300 in debt over the holidays, according to a MagnifyMoney survey, with Gen-Xers owing the most, at $2,076 on average. Compounding the problem: Seven in 10 borrowers already had a balance on their credit card before the giving season began.

“It isn’t splurging for that one big, expensive gift—the car with

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Newsweek

Newsweek1 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
The Archives
“In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the ‘wrong track.’ In the 25 years that pollsters have asked this question, last month’s response was by far the most negative,” Newsweek reported. F
Newsweek8 min readInternational Relations
Japan's Call To Arms
MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida uses the word “peace” as he discusses his country’s momentous decision to undertake its largest buildup of military capabilities since World War II. “Since I became prime minister, we hav
Newsweek2 min read
Hannah Einbinder
AFTER A NEARLY TWO-YEAR HIATUS, THE Max-original Emmy Award-winning series Hacks is back. And Hannah Einbinder, who plays Ava, the comedy writer to legendary—and difficult—stand-up comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), used the time off to figure out how

Related Books & Audiobooks