I am sure that you are very busy preparing for the holidays right now. The thought of squeezing any more to – do’s onto your already gigantic list is probably not very appealing right about now. If you are up to it, though, there are a few things that you can do before the end of the year that could save you some money. Many of these things do not take that long, and the money that you could make or save doing them could help to offset the cost of all of those holiday expenses.
Since you get one free peek at your credit history each year, now is a good time to check it out if you have not already. Since the information in your credit history is used to calculate your credit score, if there are mistakes in there your credit score may be lower than it should be. You can download your credit history at Annualcreditreport.com and it should take less than an hour to download it and then check it over. If you find mistakes, make some time within the next few weeks to make those phone calls and get things back in order.
Did you know that the actions or purchases required to qualify you for many tax deductions must take place before the end of the year? Check out your return from last year and see what you can do to increase the amounts of the deductions that you usually take. Some examples include making charitable donations and maxing out your retirement plan contribution.
If your health care benefits include a FSA (Flexible Savings Account), it is time to spend, spend, spend. Be sure to check the revised rules on what you can spend this money on before going on your wellness shopping spree, but make it snappy. Money left in these accounts disappears after December 31.
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